A prompt is not a wish. It is a set of instructions for a camera that can be anywhere, at any hour, with any lens. The more you tell it about what it should see, the less it has to guess.
Most great prompts answer the same six questions, roughly in this order.
An old fisherman mending netssubjecton a foggy pier in Istanbulsettingat dawn, soft blue lightlight50mm, shallow depth of fieldlensanalog film photostylequiet, patient moodmood
The aperture on the create screen opens wider as your prompt collects these pieces. Tap it any time to come back here.
Describe what you would see, not what you feel
“Beautiful”, “amazing” and “epic” give the model nothing to draw. Swap feelings for things the eye can catch: weather, materials, colors, distance.
vague
A beautiful epic city
vivid
Rain-soaked Tokyo alley at night, neon signs reflected in puddles, a lone cyclist, 35mm film
Lead with what matters
Models pay the most attention to the start of a prompt. Put the subject first, then where it is, then how it looks.
- One subject
- Two or three main things is fine. Ten is a crowd.
- Real nouns
- “Copper teapot” beats “a nice object”.
- Commas are fine
- You are writing a shot list, not an essay.