Best AI image prompts: good vs bad

In the fast-paced world of AI image generation, the quality of your prompt can be the difference between stunning visuals and irrelevant outputs. As AI tools become indispensable for creatives and businesses, mastering the art of crafting effective prompts is essential for success.

This guide explores the key differences between good and bad prompts and offers examples and best practices to help you create the perfect prompts for outstanding AI-generated images.

What makes a good prompt?

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A good prompt is specific, clear, and provides the necessary context for the AI to understand what kind of image you want. With the right structure, you can guide the AI to produce visually stunning, high-quality results that match your expectations.

Key traits of a good prompt:

• Specificity: Clearly define details like colors, subjects, and settings.
• Clarity: Avoid vague or ambiguous language.
• Context: Include relevant details about style, mood, and even technical aspects like lighting and camera settings.
• Consistency: Maintain a uniform style and avoid contradictions.

Good prompt example with technical details:

Good prompt:
“An ultra-realistic portrait of a girl with curly brown hair, wearing a green jumper, sitting in a modern cafe with soft sunset lighting. City lights are visible through a large window. Shot with a wide aperture for shallow depth of field, using a fast shutter speed to freeze motion, and underexposed by half a stop to enhance the mood.”

This prompt works because it not only provides detailed visual elements but also includes technical aspects like aperture, shutter speed, and exposure. These extra details guide the AI to create an image with specific photographic qualities, resulting in a more sophisticated and refined output.

Bad prompt example:

Bad prompt:
"A girl in a cafe."

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This prompt is too vague and leaves too many elements to chance. The AI may create an image that doesn’t match your vision because it lacks the necessary specifics about the scene, style, and subject.

Additional technical elements you can add to prompts:

• Shutter speed: Fast for action shots, slow for motion blur effects.
• Aperture: Wide for shallow depth of field, narrow for more focus on the background.
• Exposure: Underexposed for a darker, moodier feel, or overexposed for bright and airy aesthetics.
• ISO: Low for less grain and high quality, high for nighttime or dimly lit scenes.

By adding these technical elements, you take full control of how the image is created, ensuring that it matches your creative or professional requirements.

The pitfalls of a bad prompt

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Bad prompts lack detail, clarity, and often leave too much room for interpretation. This can lead to irrelevant or inconsistent results, wasting both time and resources.

Common issues with bad prompts:

• Vagueness: Not enough detail, making it hard for the AI to create a coherent image.
• Contradictions: Combining elements that don't align (e.g., a "realistic" abstract painting).
• Generalizations: Phrases like “beautiful scenery” are too subjective and don’t offer clear direction.

Bad prompt example:

Bad prompt:
"A man outside."

This prompt is vague, offering no guidance on the setting, time of day, or subject appearance. The AI may generate anything from a man standing in a field to a man outside a house, none of which may meet your needs.

How to refine prompts for optimal results

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Crafting good prompts is often an iterative process. After an initial attempt, refining the prompt based on the AI's output can help achieve more accurate results. You can experiment with details, adjectives, and settings to find the perfect balance.

Example of prompt refinement:

Initial prompt:
"A man sitting in a park."

Refined prompt:
"A middle-aged man in a navy suit, sitting on a wooden bench in a quiet park during early morning, with soft sunlight filtering through the trees. Shot with a wide-angle lens, slightly underexposed for a cinematic feel, with a slow shutter speed to create a subtle motion blur in the background."

By adding descriptive details like age, clothing, time of day, lighting, and camera settings, the refined prompt guides the AI to produce a more accurate and visually compelling image.

Using AI tools to enhance business creativity

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AI image generation tools offer powerful opportunities for businesses. Whether you're developing marketing visuals, social media graphics, or website images, using effective prompts can save time and boost creativity.

Here are some key benefits of leveraging AI image tools:

• Efficiency: Create high-quality visuals quickly, reducing manual editing.
• Brand consistency: Use prompts to align AI-generated images with your brand’s style and tone.
• Innovation: Explore new creative possibilities without the need for expensive design software.

Conclusion: mastering AI prompts for image creation

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The difference between a good and bad prompt can significantly impact the quality of AI-generated images. By focusing on specificity, clarity, and detail, including technical elements like shutter speed, aperture, and exposure, you can ensure that the AI produces stunning results that align with your creative vision.

AI tools are revolutionizing the way businesses create visuals, and mastering prompt crafting is the key to unlocking their full potential.

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