The difference between a mediocre AI-generated image and a stunning masterpiece isn’t the tool you’re using—it’s the prompt you write. A simple prompt like “a dog” might give you a generic canine, but a detailed prompt like “a golden retriever puppy with bright amber eyes, playing in a sunlit meadow, shot with macro photography, warm natural lighting, shallow depth of field” creates something magazine-worthy.
This guide is your new playbook. We’re not just giving you theory; we’re giving you over 50 copy-paste examples and breaking down the exact anatomy of a professional prompt so you can create your own. These principles will dramatically improve your results. And if you’re looking for the right canvas for your new skills, be sure to check out our list of the 12 Best Free AI Image Generators.
50+ AI Prompt Examples You Can Use Now
Here are professionally-crafted prompts organized by category. Each example demonstrates proven techniques working together to create specific, high-quality results.
1. Photorealistic Prompts
These prompts are designed to create images that look like professional photographs. Mastering them is a key skill; for a deeper dive, our guide on Create Photorealistic AI Images: 5 Pro Tips for Results will take you to the next level.
Portrait Photography:
- “Professional headshot of a confident CEO in her 30s, wearing a charcoal gray blazer, sitting in a modern glass office, natural window lighting, shot with 85mm lens, shallow depth of field, high resolution”
- “Elderly grandfather with kind eyes and weathered hands, wearing a wool sweater, sitting on a wooden porch, golden hour lighting, environmental portrait, warm and nostalgic mood”
- “Young athlete in training gear, intense focused expression, dramatic gym lighting with shadows, close-up portrait, high contrast black and white photography”
Lifestyle Photography:
- “Busy coffee shop scene, barista crafting latte art, steam rising from espresso machine, warm ambient lighting, candid street photography style, shallow focus on foreground”
- “Family picnic in Central Park, parents and children laughing on checkered blanket, dappled sunlight through trees, natural documentary photography, medium shot”
- “Chef preparing fresh pasta in rustic Italian kitchen, flour dust in the air, warm golden lighting, food photography, macro details on hands kneading dough”
Product Photography:
- “Luxury watch on marble surface, dramatic side lighting, jewelry photography, crystal clear details, professional studio setup, black background”
- “Fresh organic vegetables arranged on wooden cutting board, natural lighting from window, food styling photography, vibrant colors, overhead shot”
Architecture Photography:
- “Modern glass skyscraper reflecting sunset clouds, urban landscape, architectural photography, dramatic golden hour lighting, low angle perspective”
- “Cozy cabin interior with stone fireplace, warm lamplight, rustic wooden beams, interior design photography, inviting atmosphere”
Nature Photography:
- “Majestic bald eagle in flight, wings spread wide, mountain backdrop, wildlife photography, sharp focus, natural lighting, telephoto lens compression”
- “Misty forest path at dawn, sun rays filtering through tall pine trees, landscape photography, ethereal mood, deep focus, cool color palette”
2. Fantasy & Sci-Fi Prompts
Perfect for creating otherworldly scenes and imaginative characters with fantastical elements.
Fantasy Characters:
- “Elegant elven archer with silver hair, intricate leather armor, standing in enchanted forest, magical blue light filtering through ancient trees, fantasy art style”
- “Powerful dragon perched on mountain peak, scales shimmering in moonlight, medieval castle in valley below, epic fantasy painting style, dramatic composition”
- “Wise wizard with flowing robes and glowing staff, ancient library filled with floating books, magical particles in the air, fantasy illustration”
Sci-Fi Scenes:
- “Futuristic city skyline with flying cars, neon lights reflecting on rain-soaked streets, cyberpunk aesthetic, night scene, purple and blue color scheme”
- “Space explorer in advanced suit walking on alien planet surface, twin moons in sky, bioluminescent plants, science fiction concept art”
- “Sleek spaceship interior, holographic control panels, astronaut in zero gravity, soft blue LED lighting, science fiction movie still”
Mythological Beings:
- “Phoenix rising from flames, magnificent fire wings spread wide, volcanic landscape background, mythological creature, dramatic lighting”
- “Mermaid sitting on rocky shore, long flowing hair, scales catching moonlight, ocean waves, fantasy photography style”
Magical Environments:
- “Floating islands connected by rainbow bridges, waterfalls cascading into clouds below, fantasy landscape, surreal colors, wide panoramic view”
- “Crystal cave with glowing gems, underground lake reflecting colored light, magical atmosphere, fantasy environment art”
- “Ancient temple ruins overgrown with glowing vines, mysterious fog, moonlight streaming through broken columns, fantasy archaeological site”
3. Anime & Cartoon Style Prompts
These prompts create stylized illustrations perfect for character design and animated-style artwork.
Anime Characters:
- “Anime girl with large violet eyes, pink hair in twin tails, school uniform, cherry blossoms falling, soft pastel colors, manga art style”
- “Anime warrior with spiky blue hair, carrying glowing sword, dynamic action pose, energy effects, shonen anime style”
- “Cute anime cat girl character, wearing maid outfit, big expressive eyes, chibi art style, pastel color palette”
Cartoon Animals:
- “Friendly cartoon dragon, small and cute, bright green scales, big smile, Disney animation style, colorful forest background”
- “Wise old owl wearing tiny glasses, perched on stack of books, whimsical illustration style, warm library setting”
Stylized Portraits:
- “Portrait of young man in anime art style, determined expression, detailed hair shading, cell shading technique, vibrant colors”
- “Cartoon-style self-portrait, exaggerated features, bright cheerful colors, simple background, vector illustration style”
Fantasy Anime:
- “Magical girl transformation scene, sparkles and ribbons, flowing dress, anime art style, dramatic pose, magical effects”
- “Anime-style knight in shining armor, cape flowing in wind, medieval castle background, heroic pose, detailed armor design”
4. Abstract & Artistic Prompts
For creating non-representational art and experimental visual compositions.
Abstract Compositions:
- “Flowing liquid metal forms, reflective surfaces, abstract sculpture, minimalist composition, cool color palette, studio lighting”
- “Geometric patterns in vibrant blues and oranges, kaleidoscope effect, symmetrical design, digital art style”
- “Paint splashes frozen in mid-air, colorful chaos, white background, high-speed photography style, abstract expressionism”
Surreal Art:
- “Floating clocks melting over tree branches, Salvador Dali inspired, dreamlike landscape, surrealist painting style”
- “Giant eye in the sky watching over miniature city, surreal perspective, fantasy realism, dramatic clouds”
Minimalist Designs:
- “Single red rose on pristine white surface, minimal composition, soft lighting, fine art photography”
- “Lone figure silhouette against vast sunset sky, minimalist landscape, emotional mood, warm color gradient”
Experimental Art:
- “Light painting photography, colorful trails in darkness, long exposure effect, abstract light art”
- “Double exposure portrait, person’s silhouette filled with forest scene, artistic photography, mystical mood”
5. Business & Commercial Prompts
Professional images perfect for marketing, websites, and business use.
Corporate Photography:
- “Professional team meeting in modern conference room, diverse group discussing around glass table, natural lighting from large windows, corporate photography”
- “Entrepreneur working on laptop in stylish coworking space, focused expression, modern office environment, lifestyle business photography”
- “Handshake between business partners, close-up on hands, professional setting, success and partnership concept, commercial photography”
Product Marketing:
- “Luxury perfume bottle on elegant marble surface, soft studio lighting, premium product photography, minimalist composition”
- “Fresh ingredients for healthy meal prep, overhead flat lay, vibrant colors, food styling for social media, clean eating concept”
- “High-tech smartphone displaying colorful app interface, sleek product shot, dramatic lighting, technology marketing photography”
Brand Lifestyle:
- “Happy customer using product in natural home setting, authentic lifestyle photography, warm and inviting atmosphere, brand storytelling”
- “Professional chef in commercial kitchen, action shot of cooking, steam and motion, culinary industry photography”
- “Modern office space with plants and natural light, empty desks and ergonomic chairs, workplace environment photography, productivity concept”
The 5 Ingredients of a Perfect Prompt
Think of a great AI prompt like a recipe. Each ingredient serves a specific purpose, and combining them properly creates the perfect dish. Here are the five essential components that separate amateur prompts from professional-quality instructions:
1. Subject (The “What”)
This is your main focus—the person, object, animal, or concept at the center of your image. Be specific rather than generic:
- Generic: “a woman”
- Specific: “a confident business executive in her 40s with short auburn hair”
2. Style/Medium (The “How”)
This defines the artistic approach and visual style. Your options include:
- Photography styles: portrait photography, macro photography, street photography, fashion photography
- Art mediums: oil painting, watercolor, digital art, pencil sketch, sculpture
- Artistic movements: impressionist, surrealist, art nouveau, minimalist
- Modern styles: anime, cartoon, 3D render, pixel art, vector illustration
3. Setting/Environment (The “Where”)
Describe the background, location, or environment surrounding your subject:
- Indoor settings: modern office, cozy library, industrial warehouse, luxury bedroom
- Outdoor locations: forest clearing, city street at night, mountain peak, tropical beach
- Abstract environments: floating in space, inside a crystal, underwater scene
4. Lighting & Mood (The “Feel”)
Lighting dramatically affects the mood and quality of your image:
- Natural lighting: golden hour, soft morning light, dramatic sunset, overcast daylight
- Artificial lighting: neon lights, candlelight, studio lighting, LED strips
- Cinematic lighting: rim lighting, volumetric lighting, dramatic shadows, backlighting
5. Composition & Framing (The “View”)
This controls the camera angle and how the scene is captured:
- Shot types: close-up, medium shot, wide shot, extreme close-up
- Angles: bird’s eye view, low angle, high angle, eye level
- Framing: portrait orientation, landscape, square format, panoramic
Pro Tip: A winning prompt formula is [Subject] + [Style] + [Setting] + [Lighting] + [Composition]. Master this, and you’ll master AI art.
Advanced Prompting Techniques
Once you’ve mastered basic prompt structure, these advanced techniques will give you even more control over your results.
Negative Prompts: Telling AI What You Don’t Want
Negative prompts are instructions that tell the AI generator what to avoid including in your image. Most tools support this feature using specific syntax:
- Midjourney: Add
--nofollowed by unwanted elements - DALL-E 3: Use “without” or “avoid” in your prompt
- Stable Diffusion: Use negative prompt fields or
--negparameter
Common negative prompt examples:
--no blurry, low quality, deformed hands, extra fingers--no watermark, text, signature, logo--no cartoon, anime(for photorealistic images)--no nudity, violence, inappropriate content
Understanding why certain elements commonly appear in AI art can help you craft better negative prompts. For instance, learn more about common AI art issues in our article [Why AI Art Has Bad Hands].
Image Weighting: Adding Emphasis
Some AI tools allow you to add weight or emphasis to certain parts of your prompt:
- Midjourney: Use
::followed by a number (e.g.,beautiful sunset::2) - Stable Diffusion: Use parentheses with multipliers
(beautiful sunset:1.2) - Leonardo.Ai: Some models support bracket notation
[beautiful sunset]
Example with weighting:
“Professional portrait of business woman::2, modern office background::1, natural lighting::1.5, high resolution::2”
This tells the AI to prioritize the subject and image quality while giving moderate attention to lighting and minimal focus to the background.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Learning what not to do is just as important as learning best practices:
1. Being Too Vague
- ❌ “Make a nice picture”
- ✅ “Professional food photography of chocolate cake with fresh berries, studio lighting”
2. Contradictory Instructions
- ❌ “Photorealistic anime character”
- ✅ “Realistic portrait with anime-inspired styling”
3. Overloading with Details
- ❌ “Beautiful woman with blue eyes and blonde hair wearing red dress in garden with roses and butterflies and sunset lighting and professional photography and high resolution and detailed and stunning”
- ✅ “Professional portrait of blonde woman in red dress, garden setting with roses, golden hour lighting”
4. Ignoring Tool-Specific Syntax
Different AI generators have different strengths and syntax requirements. Always check the documentation for your chosen tool.
Platform-Specific Tips
While the core principles apply universally, different AI generators have unique characteristics:
DALL-E 3 Prompts
- Excels at understanding natural language
- Great for photorealistic results
- Handles complex compositions well
- Example: “A professional headshot of a confident business woman in her 30s, wearing a navy blue blazer, sitting in a modern office with large windows, natural lighting”
Midjourney Prompts
- Responds well to artistic and stylistic descriptors
- Benefits from adding specific parameters for things like aspect ratio (–ar 16:9), which are detailed in the official Midjourney documentation.
- Strong with artistic styles and movements
- Example: “Portrait of ethereal woman, art nouveau style, flowing hair, ornate background patterns, Gustav Klimt inspired –ar 2:3”
Stable Diffusion Prompts
- Benefits from detailed technical photography terms
- Responds to specific artist names and art movements
- Good for fine-tuning with parameters
- Example: “Portrait photography, 85mm lens, shallow depth of field, professional lighting setup, (detailed facial features:1.2)”
For more information on technical photography and art terms to enhance your prompts, check out this comprehensive photography glossary to expand your descriptive vocabulary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the order of words in a prompt matter?
Yes, but not as much as you might think. Most AI generators give more weight to words that appear earlier in the prompt, so put your most important elements first. However, modern AI systems are quite good at understanding context regardless of order.
Best practice: Start with your main subject, then add style, setting, and technical details.
How long should my AI prompt be?
The optimal length varies by tool, but generally:
Minimum: 10-15 words for decent results
Sweet spot: 20-40 words for most generators
Maximum: Avoid going over 100 words unless necessary
Quality matters more than quantity. A well-structured 25-word prompt often outperforms a rambling 75-word description.
Can I use the same prompt in different AI generators?
While the core prompt structure works across platforms, you’ll get better results by adapting your prompts to each tool’s strengths:
DALL-E 3 prefers natural language descriptions
Midjourney responds well to artistic style references
Stable Diffusion benefits from technical photography terms
What makes a prompt “effective”?
An effective AI art prompt should:
Clearly communicate your vision
Use specific, descriptive language
Include all five key ingredients (subject, style, setting, lighting, composition)
Be appropriate for your chosen AI tool
Produce consistent, high-quality results
How can I improve my prompt-writing skills?
Study photography and art terminology to expand your descriptive vocabulary
Analyze prompts that create images you admire
Experiment with variations of successful prompts
Keep a collection of effective prompts for future reference
Practice regularly with different subjects and styles
Conclusion: Start Creating
You now have the blueprint for writing effective AI art prompts. Remember the five key ingredients: subject, style, setting, lighting, and composition. Each element works together to transform a simple idea into a detailed instruction that AI can follow.
The 50+ examples in this guide give you a solid foundation, but the real magic happens when you start experimenting and developing your own unique prompting style. Don’t be afraid to iterate and refine your prompts—even professional AI artists rarely get perfect results on their first try.
Your next steps:
- Choose one of the example prompts from this guide
- Modify it to match your creative vision
- Test it in your favorite AI generator
- Refine based on the results
- Save your successful prompts for future use
The world of AI art is evolving rapidly, and mastering prompt engineering puts you at the forefront of this creative revolution. Start experimenting today, and watch as your AI-generated images transform from amateur attempts to professional-quality artwork.
Which prompt technique worked best for you? Share your results and favorite prompts in the comments below!
This guide provides a step-by-step framework for writing professional-quality AI art prompts. Learn the five key ingredients that transform a simple idea into a detailed instruction that AI generators like Midjourney and DALL-E 3 can follow to produce stunning, high-quality results.
Total Time: 15 minutes
Step 1: Define Your Subject (The “What”)
This is your main focus—the person, object, animal, or concept at the center of your image. Always be specific rather than generic to get better results. Instead of “a car,” try “a vintage red sports car.” This provides a clear, unambiguous target for the AI.
Step 2: Choose the Style & Medium (The “How”)
Define the artistic approach and visual style. This is crucial for controlling the final look. Specify photography styles (e.g., “portrait photography”), art mediums (“oil painting”), artistic movements (“surrealist”), or modern styles (“anime,” “3D render”).
Step 3: Establish the Setting & Environment (The “Where”)
Describe the background, location, or environment surrounding your subject. This gives the AI context and depth. Use detailed settings like “cozy library with a fireplace” or “a rain-soaked city street at night with neon signs.”
Step 4: Set the Lighting & Mood (The “Feel”)
Lighting dramatically affects the mood and realism of your image. Specify the type of light to control the feel. Use terms like “golden hour” for warm, soft light, “studio lighting” for a professional look, or “cinematic lighting” for dramatic, movie-like effects.
Step 5: Define the Composition & Framing (The “View”)
Control the virtual camera angle and how the scene is captured. Use shot types (“close-up,” “wide shot”), camera angles (“low angle,” “bird’s eye view”), and framing (“portrait orientation,” “landscape”) to dictate the final composition of your image.
Tools:
- Midjourney
- DALL-E 3
- Stable Diffusion
