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What to include in an image-generation prompt
Think of a prompt as a brief for the image, not a pile of keywords. OpenAI Academy says, “A good image prompt does not need to be long,” and recommends grounding it in purpose, subject, action, setting, and visual style. Its guidance suggests that one to three clear sentences are enough in many cases. Add detail when it changes what the image should look like.
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Use this flexible checklist. You do not have to follow it in a fixed order, and you can leave out details that do not matter to the result.
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- Purpose: What is the image for—a product photo, poster, diagram, illustration, or something else? Its use can affect framing and layout.
- Subject and action: Name the central person, object, or scene and say what is happening.
- Scene and composition: Describe the setting and relevant spatial relationships: what is in the foreground or background, where the subject sits, and whether a particular angle or framing matters.
- Visible qualities: Specify important colors, materials, textures, lighting, and style.
- Constraints: State what must be included or remain unchanged, any exact wording, and practical layout requirements.
For example, instead of asking for “a nice picture of a lamp,” give the generator a usable brief: “Create a product photo of a small brass desk lamp switched on beside a closed notebook. Show it at eye level against a warm, uncluttered study background, with soft evening light. Leave empty space on the left for a headline.” The purpose, subject, setting, lighting, and layout each help narrow the result.
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How to get more control without overloading the prompt
Be precise about composition and placement
Words such as “centered,” “in the upper-right corner,” “in the foreground,” or “viewed from above” help communicate relationships that a list of objects alone cannot. Describe only the spatial details that affect the intended image; if the exact placement is important, say so directly.
Choose details that change the result
“Soft window light,” “matte ceramic,” or “deep blue background” is more actionable than a chain of vague praise such as “beautiful, stunning, perfect.” Name a visual quality when you can point to what should be visible. If you are unsure which of several details matters, begin with the main subject and setting, then add the missing quality after reviewing a draft.
Make constraints explicit
If a feature must appear—or must not change—state that in ordinary language. For a design with words, quote the exact text and specify its placement and appearance, such as font style, size, and color. OpenAI guidance recommends keeping in-image text short; for dense layouts, review legibility and consider finishing the typography in a design tool. For diagrams and infographics, verify labels and factual relationships rather than assuming a visually convincing result is correct.
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How to refine a result one change at a time
- Write the core brief. State the purpose, subject, action, setting, and the few visual qualities that matter most.
- Generate a first pass. Treat it as a way to find out what the model understood, not as proof that every detail will be followed.
- Identify one concrete mismatch. For example, the background may be too busy, the light too dim, or the subject in the wrong place.
- Request one targeted change. Ask for the specific correction. OpenAI Academy gives changing brightness or simplifying a background as examples of focused edits.
- Restate details that must remain stable. If changing the background should not change the product, say so. Review the new result and repeat only for the next important mismatch.
When you use multiple reference images, identify each one and explain what it contributes—for example, one reference for the subject’s appearance and another for the color palette. Say what should stay unchanged and use clear spatial language when the relationship between elements matters.
Why prompting advice differs by generator
There is no universal prompt formula that guarantees the same level of control across image tools. The providers’ own guidance illustrates different preferences:
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| Generator guidance | What it emphasizes |
|---|---|
| OpenAI API image-generation guide | Readable, maintainable prompts; model outputs can differ, so test the actual model and inputs. |
| OpenAI Academy: Creating images with ChatGPT | Clear, concise descriptions and targeted refinements. |
| Adobe Firefly prompt-writing guidance | Direct descriptive language centered on a subject and descriptors. |
| Runway Gen-4 Image guidance | Full sentences for greater control over certain elements; detailed prompts can enable fine-tuning. |
| Google Imagen guidance | Consult the provider’s own prompt instructions for the product and model in use. |
These recommendations do not establish that one generator is better at following prompts than another. Outputs can vary by model, so check the current guidance and adjust your wording based on the results you get from the particular generator.
When you mean describing an existing image
A generation prompt tells a model what to create or change. Alt text serves a different reader-facing purpose: it communicates the relevant information or function of an image to someone who may not see it. It should not be a complete inventory of everything visible by default. The right description depends on the image’s role in its context.
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- Informative image: convey the essential information it adds.
- Decorative image: use an empty alternative when it adds no meaningful information.
- Functional image: describe the action or destination, such as what a button does.
- Complex image: provide a complete text equivalent for information in a graph or diagram.
This distinction follows the W3C Images Tutorial. If you are describing an image outside an alt-text field, the same basic discipline is useful: capture important visible details, be concise and objective, include relevant text or image-type details, and do not invent a story about events that the image cannot confirm. See X’s image-description guidance for practical advice.
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