How to write AI image prompts
A good prompt reads like a short brief to a photographer or illustrator. You do not need special keywords; you need to say what is in the picture, where it is, how it is lit and what style it should have.
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A five-part prompt formula
- Subject: what is in the picture — “a frosted glass bottle of mint tonic”.
- Setting: where it is — “on a marble counter by a window”.
- Light and camera: “soft morning light, shallow depth of field, close-up”.
- Style: “commercial product photography” or “flat vector illustration”.
- Exclusions: “no text, no logo, no watermark”.
Examples you can copy
- Product: A frosted glass bottle of herbal mint tonic on a marble counter, soft window light, water droplets, shallow depth of field, commercial product photography, clean white negative space, no text no logo
- Portrait: Half-body portrait of an elderly fisherman in a yellow raincoat, harbor at dusk behind him, warm rim light, 85mm photo, natural skin texture
- Poster: Minimal travel poster of Kyoto in autumn, red maple leaves and a pagoda, flat colors, large empty sky for a headline, no text
- Illustration: Cozy isometric illustration of a tiny bookshop on a rainy street, warm lamps in the windows, soft pastel palette
Common mistakes
- Too short: “a cat” leaves every choice to the AI. Add setting, light and style.
- Contradictions: “minimal” and “highly detailed busy scene” fight each other.
- Asking for exact text: AI images still misspell words; add text afterwards in a design tool.
- Rewriting from scratch: when one image is close, edit it instead.
Let the Prompt Agent do the first draft
Sign in, type a rough idea on the Generate page and choose Improve with Prompt Agent (or ✨ Optimize in the advanced tools). You can edit its suggestion before generating. Signed-in accounts have 5 free assistant uses a day, separate from the image quota; further uses may cost credits as shown before submission. Applying a suggestion does not generate an image.
FAQ
Should I write prompts in English?
Not necessary. Chinese and English prompts both work on PixelMint. Write in the language you think in.
How long should a prompt be?
One to three sentences is usually enough. The limit is 2000 characters.
How do I set the image shape?
Pick an aspect ratio (1:1, 3:4 or 16:9) next to the prompt, or leave it on Auto.
Why does my image ignore part of the prompt?
Long lists of details compete with each other. Put the most important thing first and move the rest to a follow-up edit.