AI-powered tools for image generation have opened up new creative horizons.

Whether you're a professional designer, a marketer, or simply exploring visual storytelling, properly using AI tools ensures you get the best results possible.

This guide covers actionable tips, best practices, and examples to help you generate stunning images effortlessly.

Key Takeaways

To generate high-quality AI images, you need to follow a few proven steps and frameworks. Here’s a summary:

  • Use the Prompt Structure Framework:
    • Organize prompts using Subject, Style, Details, and Format.
  • Follow Platform-Specific Guidelines:
    • Adjust your approach based on the platform (e.g., DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, Midjourney).
  • Include Essential Elements:
    • Define subjects, settings, lighting, and composition clearly for accurate results.

By mastering these guidelines, you can create visually compelling content tailored to your needs. Now, let's explore each in detail.

Tools used in this Guide

Best Practices for Generating AI Images

Best Practices for Generating AI Images

1. Use the Prompt Structure Framework

Craft a clear and detailed prompt to guide the AI effectively. Use this framework:

  • Subject: Name the main focus of the image.
  • Style: Indicate the artistic approach.
  • Details, Environment, Lighting: Add extra details, such as setting or mood.
  • Composition: Camera Angles for example, Bird Eye View, Closeup Shot, 90MM shot.
  • Format: State the desired format.

Example:

  • Weak Prompt: "A Scenic Tree in Jungle"
  • Strong Prompt: "A tall oak tree with golden autumn leaves standing by a calm lake during sunset, in a hyperrealistic style, framed in a wide-angle shot on living room."

A strong prompt gives the AI more direction. The result will match your vision more closely.

2. Understand Platform-Specific Guidelines

Adapt your approach based on the AI image tool you use.

Stable Diffusion (3.5 UItra)

  • Use concise, tag-based prompts (50–77 tokens).
  • Best for precise, keyword-driven input.

Example Prompt: "Crystal-clear waterfall, surrounded by moss-covered rocks, bright sunlight, photorealistic, wide frame."

Prompt: Crystal-clear waterfall, surrounded by moss-covered rocks, bright sunlight, photorealistic, wide frame.

DALL-E

  • Handles descriptive, narrative prompts (200–375 words).
  • Works well with full-sentence structure.

Example Prompt: "A serene Japanese garden during spring, featuring a wooden bridge over a koi pond, cherry blossoms in full bloom, and soft diffused sunlight, painted like a traditional watercolor."

Prompt: A serene Japanese garden during spring, featuring a wooden bridge over a koi pond, cherry blossoms in full bloom, and soft diffused sunlight, painted like a traditional watercolor.

Midjourney

  • Uses parameters like --ar for aspect ratios and weighting for concepts.
  • Delivers creative results.

Example Prompt: "Surreal nightscape of a glowing full moon over rolling sand dunes, colored in vivid neon hues, cinematic and dreamy --ar 16:9 --no humans"

Prompt: Surreal nightscape of a glowing full moon over rolling sand dunes, colored in vivid neon hues, cinematic and dreamy --ar 16:9 --no humans

3. Include Essential Elements

Include specific information for accuracy.

Subject Definition

  • Describe key features and actions.
    • Prompt: "A small white Maltese puppy with curly fur playing with a red ball in a grassy backyard, 90s style, low angle shot"
    • Subject: A small white Maltese puppy with curly fur
    • Actions: Playing with a red ball
    • Environment: in a grassy backyard.
    • Style: 90s Style
    • Composition: low angle shot
Prompt: "A small white Maltese puppy with curly fur playing with a red ball in a grassy backyard, 90s style, low angle shot"

Environment & Setting

  • Define the place, season, or weather.
    • Prompt: "A snowy mountain cabin surrounded by tall pine trees, during twilight with a glowing fireplace illuminating the windows, Japanese Anime Style, wide angle view"
    • Subject: A snowy mountain cabin
    • Environment: surrounded by tall pine trees
    • Setting: during twilight with a glowing fireplace illuminating the windows
    • Style: Japanese Anime Style
    • Composition: wide angle view
A snowy mountain cabin surrounded by tall pine trees, during twilight with a glowing fireplace illuminating the windows, Japanese Anime Style, wide angle view

Lighting & Mood

  • Specify light and mood.
    • Prompt: "A bouquet of sunflowers on a rustic wooden table, lit by soft morning sunlight, with calm and warm tones, Ansel Adams Style"
    • Subject: A bouquet of sunflowers on a rustic wooden table
    • Environment/Lighting: lit by soft morning sunlight with calm and warm tones.
    • Style: Ansel Adams Style
A bouquet of sunflowers on a rustic wooden table, lit by soft morning sunlight, with calm and warm tones, Ansel Adams Style

Composition & Framing

  • Add camera terms or framing style.
    • Prompt: "A close-up shot of a vintage pocket watch lying on an open book, with a shallow depth of field blurring the background, Photorealistic"
    • Composition: A close-up shot
    • Subject: a vintage pocket watch lying on an open book
    • Environment/Lighting: with a shallow depth of field blurring the background
    • Style: Photorealistic
A close-up shot of a vintage pocket watch lying on an open book, with a shallow depth of field blurring the background, Photorealistic

Style & Medium

  • Point out an art style, movement, or technique.
    • Prompt: "A portrait of a queen dressed in Elizabethan attire, painted in the style of Rembrandt with dramatic chiaroscuro lighting."
    • Subject: A portrait of a queen dressed in Elizabethan attire
    • Style: painted in the style of Rembrandt
    • Environment/Lighting: with dramatic chiaroscuro lighting
A portrait of a queen dressed in Elizabethan attire, painted in the style of Rembrandt with dramatic chiaroscuro lighting.

4. Advanced Prompt Engineering Tips

4.1 Negative Prompt Craft

Use negative prompts to exclude unwanted elements.

Example: “–no text, watermark, extra digits, weird hand movements, weird hands

Only include negatives for common flaws you see. Making negatives too long can add confusion.

4.2 Style Transfer & References

style transfer in midjourney

In Midjourney, use --style or a style references image to copy color and brushwork while adding new content.

In Stable Diffusion / SDXL, use a seed image plus a low classifier-free guidance value (CFG around 3–5) to keep the layout stable beyond what text prompts alone provide.

4.3 Parameter Fine-Tuning

Parameter Fine-Tuning

If outputs look repetitive, adjust parameters like Chaos (--c 40) in Midjourney for more variety. Use seeds for A/B testing and repeat/tile settings for seamless textures.

4.4 Iterate Like a Pro

Treat each image as a draft. Change one setting at a time, review the results, and keep simple notes or a prompt history.

This process lets you combine your judgment with the AI’s speed for effective image generation.

Check that your data sources allow use and respect opt-outs (see tools like Glaze or Nightshade).

Do not copy the style or likeness of living artists without clear rights. Swap brand items for generic versions to avoid IP issues.

By applying both the basic steps and these advanced techniques, your AI prompts will produce more reliable and creative images that fit your goals.

Prompting Examples

To bring it all together, here are example prompts for various purposes:

  1. Nature:
    • Prompt: "A majestic Bengal tiger prowling through a dense rainforest, spotted with beams of sunlight, photorealistic style, wide-angle view."
    • Subject: A majestic Bengal tiger prowling through a dense rainforest
    • Environment: spotted with beams of sunlight
    • Style: photorealistic style
    • Composition: wide-angle view
Prompting Example, Prompt: A majestic Bengal tiger prowling through a dense rainforest, spotted with beams of sunlight, photorealistic style, wide-angle view.
  1. Artistic Illustration:
    • Prompt: "A magical forest illuminated by floating lanterns in a fantasy style, vibrant colors with glowing blue mushrooms, inspired by Studio Ghibli"
    • Subject: A magical forest illuminated by floating lanterns in a fantasy style
    • Environment: vibrant colors with glowing blue mushrooms
    • Style: inspired by Studio Ghibli
    • Composition: NA
Prompting Example 2, Prompt: A magical forest illuminated by floating lanterns in a fantasy style, vibrant colors with glowing blue mushrooms, inspired by Studio Ghibli
  1. Product Visualization:
    • Prompt: "A sleek futuristic electric car parked on a rooftop with a city skyline in the background at dusk, reflecting neon lights, Photorealistic, Bird Eye view"
    • Subject: A sleek futuristic electric car parked on a rooftop
    • Environment: a city skyline in the background at dusk, reflecting neon lights.
    • Style: photorealistic style
    • Composition: Bird Eye view
Prompting example 2, Prompt: A sleek futuristic electric car parked on a rooftop with a city skyline in the background at dusk, reflecting neon lights, Photorealistic, Bird Eye view
  1. Abstract Concept:
    • Prompt: "A surreal landscape with a floating glass pyramid above a desert, with soft pastel skies and glowing orbs scattered across the ground, 3D Animated, On Ground View"
    • Subject: A surreal landscape with a floating glass pyramid above a desert
    • Environment: with soft pastel skies and glowing orbs scattered across the ground
    • Style: 3D Animated
    • Composition: On Ground View
Prompting example 1, Prompt: A surreal landscape with a floating glass pyramid above a desert, with soft pastel skies and glowing orbs scattered across the ground, 3D Animated, On Ground View

These prompts demonstrate how detail-driven inputs lead to creative, diverse outputs across use cases.

How to Correct Your AI Generated Images with Editing?

Even if you loved your output but dont like a single thing from the image like text, hand movement, a prop in the image, then you can use AI Image editors to remove the same.

For example, here's sample image generated by AI of cute pug dog;

I want two things, i want to change expression of the puppy, I will use our AI Image generator here, first select Re-imagine option and then upload the picture and in the prompt section add "change the expression to sad, no tongue";

edited image

You can do more, like adding ball to it, for example "add pink color ball next to dog";

edited image with ball

Try our AI Image Editor, You can do even more like Merge face, relight your photos, Remove background, cleanup, upscaling, remove text, styling etc.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the best practices for AI image generation?

Define your vision clearly, use specific and descriptive prompts, and experiment with parameters like style and composition. Always ensure ethical use by respecting copyrights and data consent.

How can I improve AI-generated images?

Use advanced prompt engineering techniques, such as negative prompts to avoid unwanted elements, and style references to guide the output. Iterating and fine-tuning parameters like chaos or seed can also enhance results.

What tools are best for AI image generation?

Popular tools include MidJourney, Stable Diffusion, and ChatGPT's 4o. Each offers unique features like style transfer, parameter customization, and community support.

How do I ensure ethical AI image use?

Check for data-set consent, avoid mimicking living artists' styles without permission, and respect intellectual property when depicting branded content.

What are common mistakes in AI image generation?

Overloading prompts with unnecessary details, neglecting ethical considerations, and failing to iterate or experiment with parameters can lead to suboptimal results.

Final Thoughts

Generating images using AI requires clarity, specificity, and a solid understanding of your chosen tools.

By applying the best practices outlined here, you can transform simple prompts into powerful visual assets.

Whether you're creating marketing visuals, artistic concepts, or personal projects, these principles will help you unlock the full creative potential AI has to offer.

Keep iterating and experimenting with your prompts, and you’ll discover the incredible range of possibilities AI image generation has to offer. Happy creating!