Last updated: February 2026 | A practical reference for writing prompts that work across every major AI image model.
Writing a good prompt is the difference between a throwaway image and something you'd actually use. This cheat sheet breaks down the anatomy of an effective prompt, covers model-specific syntax, and gives you ready-to-paste templates for the most common use cases.
Every strong AI image prompt follows the same basic structure. Not every field is required — but the more specific you are, the closer the output matches what you had in mind.
[Subject] + [Style/Medium] + [Lighting] + [Composition/Camera] + [Color/Mood] + [Details]
| Element | What to specify | Example keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | The main focus of the image. Use concrete nouns — avoid abstract concepts. | a golden retriever, a ceramic coffee mug, a woman in her 30s |
| Style / Medium | Art style or visual medium. | oil painting, 35mm film photography, watercolor, 3D render, anime, cyberpunk |
| Lighting | How the scene is lit. This single element has the biggest impact on realism. | soft diffused light, golden hour, rim light, chiaroscuro, studio lighting, neon glow |
| Composition / Camera | Framing and perspective. | close-up, wide shot, bird's eye view, shallow depth of field, macro, low angle |
| Color / Mood | Palette and emotional tone. | warm earth tones, muted pastels, high contrast, monochrome, vibrant saturated |
| Details | Anything else that matters — texture, background, specific objects. | on a marble countertop, with rain streaks on the window, wearing a denim jacket |
Product shot:
A minimalist white sneaker on a pure white background, studio lighting with soft
shadows, front three-quarter angle, clean edges, commercial product photography
YouTube thumbnail:
A man with an exaggerated surprised expression, mouth open, pointing at a glowing
laptop screen, bold vibrant colors, close-up portrait, high contrast, energetic mood
Fantasy illustration:
A lone knight standing at the edge of a cliff overlooking a vast canyon filled with
clouds, golden hour light from behind, oil painting style, muted warm palette,
cinematic wide shot
Lighting is the most underrated part of a prompt. Default AI lighting tends to be flat and generic. Adding one or two lighting keywords dramatically improves output quality.
| Keyword | Effect | Best for |
|---|---|---|
studio lighting |
Even, controlled, professional | Product photos, portraits |
soft diffused light |
Gentle, no harsh shadows | Lifestyle, fashion |
golden hour |
Warm, directional, long shadows | Outdoor scenes, portraits |
rim light |
Bright edge outline separating subject from background | Dramatic portraits, product hero shots |
chiaroscuro |
Strong contrast between light and dark | Moody portraits, fine art |
volumetric lighting |
Visible light rays through atmosphere | Fantasy, cinematic scenes |
neon glow |
Colored artificial light sources | Cyberpunk, nightlife, sci-fi |
overcast / flat light |
Soft, even, no directional shadows | Documentary, street photography |
backlight / silhouette |
Subject dark against bright background | Dramatic, editorial |
candlelight / firelight |
Warm, flickering, intimate | Cozy scenes, period settings |
| Keyword | Effect |
|---|---|
close-up |
Tight framing on face or detail |
extreme close-up / macro |
Very tight — texture, eyes, small objects |
medium shot |
Waist-up framing |
wide shot / establishing shot |
Full scene with environment |
bird's eye view |
Looking straight down |
low angle |
Looking up at the subject (makes things look powerful) |
Dutch angle |
Tilted frame (tension, unease) |
over-the-shoulder |
POV from behind another person |
shallow depth of field |
Sharp subject, blurred background (bokeh) |
deep focus |
Everything sharp from foreground to background |
rule of thirds |
Subject placed off-center |
symmetrical composition |
Centered, balanced framing |
leading lines |
Lines in scene drawing the eye to the subject |
| Category | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Photorealistic | photorealistic, 35mm film, DSLR, RAW photo, hyperrealistic |
| Illustration | digital illustration, concept art, matte painting, children's book illustration |
| Painting | oil painting, watercolor, acrylic, impressionism, expressionism |
| Anime / Manga | anime style, manga, chibi, Studio Ghibli style, cel shading |
| 3D | 3D render, Pixar style, isometric, clay render, unreal engine |
| Retro | retro, vintage, polaroid, 1970s aesthetic, vaporwave, synthwave |
| Graphic Design | flat design, vector art, pop art, minimalist, infographic style |
| Dark / Moody | dark fantasy, gothic, noir, cyberpunk, dystopian |
Different models respond to prompts differently. Here's what works best on each major platform in 2026.
Gemini models work well with natural language — you can write prompts like you're talking to a person. Nano Banana Pro is especially strong at following complex, multi-step instructions because it reasons about the composition before generating.
What works:
- Conversational, paragraph-style prompts
- Multi-turn refinement ("make the background warmer", "add a second person on the right")
- Explicit text instructions ("the sign reads 'OPEN 24 HOURS'")
- Reference images — upload up to 8 images for character/style consistency
Syntax notes:
- Specify resolution:
output in 4Korgenerate at 2K resolution - Aspect ratio:
16:9 landscapeor9:16 vertical - For best text rendering, use Nano Banana Pro with thinking mode enabled
Template — e-commerce product shot:
Professional product photo of [PRODUCT] centered on a pure white background.
Studio lighting with soft, even illumination and subtle shadows beneath the product.
The product fills approximately 85% of the frame. Sharp focus, clean edges,
no props or text. Output at 4K resolution, 1:1 square aspect ratio.
Template — social media post:
Eye-catching social media graphic for [PLATFORM]. Show [SUBJECT/SCENE] with
[MOOD] energy. Bold, saturated colors that pop on a mobile screen. Include the
text "[YOUR HEADLINE]" in large, clean sans-serif font at the top. 4:5 portrait
aspect ratio.
Template — illustration with text:
A colorful infographic-style illustration explaining [TOPIC]. Include labeled
sections with the following text: "[LABEL 1]", "[LABEL 2]", "[LABEL 3]".
Use a clean, modern flat design style with a light background. Text should be
crisp and perfectly readable. 16:9 landscape format.
Midjourney excels at mood, atmosphere, and artistic style. It prefers short, punchy prompts over long paragraphs. Think of it like a mood board — evocative keywords work better than detailed instructions.
What works:
- Short, comma-separated keyword phrases
- Artistic and emotional descriptors ("ethereal", "brooding", "whimsical")
- Style references using
--srefand character references using--cref - Negative prompts via
--noto exclude unwanted elements
What doesn't work:
- Text rendering — Midjourney still struggles with readable text in images
- Overly long, complex instructions
Key parameters:
--ar 16:9 Aspect ratio
--v 7 Model version
--s 250 Stylization (0-1000, higher = more artistic interpretation)
--c 15 Chaos (0-100, higher = more variation between outputs)
--q 2 Quality (1 or 2, higher = more detail, slower)
--no trees Exclude specific elements
--sref [URL] Style reference image
--cref [URL] Character reference image
--cw 50 Character weight (0-100, lower = face only, higher = full appearance)
Template — cinematic scene:
A lone astronaut standing on a crimson desert planet, two moons on the horizon,
volumetric dust particles, cinematic widescreen, muted sci-fi palette --ar 21:9
--v 7 --s 400
Template — portrait:
Portrait of an elderly fisherman, deep weathered skin, kind eyes, soft morning
light, shallow depth of field, 35mm film grain --ar 4:5 --v 7 --s 200
Template — stylized brand asset:
Isometric 3D illustration of a cozy home office, warm afternoon light through
window, plants, books, coffee cup, soft pastel colors, clean vector aesthetic
--ar 1:1 --v 7 --s 300 --no people text
GPT Image (the model that replaced DALL-E 3 in ChatGPT) responds well to detailed, natural-language descriptions. Its biggest strength is following precise instructions and rendering readable text.
What works:
- Detailed, descriptive paragraphs
- Explicit text content ("the poster says...")
- Iterative editing through conversation
- Combining generation with editing in the same session
Template — poster with text:
Design a modern event poster for a music festival called "AURORA 2026". The poster
features a gradient sky transitioning from deep purple at the top to coral at the
bottom, with geometric mountain silhouettes. The festival name "AURORA 2026" is
displayed in bold, clean sans-serif typography at the center. Below it reads
"June 15-17 | Riverside Park". Style: modern minimalist with a premium feel.
Template — product lifestyle:
A lifestyle photograph of [PRODUCT] being used naturally in a modern kitchen. Morning
sunlight streaming through a window, creating warm highlights. The product is in sharp
focus while the background has a gentle bokeh. Styled to feel authentic and aspirational,
not overly staged. Shot on a Canon R5, 50mm f/1.4.
Flux is open-source and highly customizable. It handles structured, weighted prompts well and produces excellent photorealistic output. Flux 2 also renders in-image text better than most competitors.
What works:
- Structured keyword prompts with clear hierarchies
- Photography-specific language (lens types, film stocks)
- LoRA models for custom styles and characters
- Detailed scene descriptions
Template — photorealistic portrait:
Portrait photograph of a young woman with curly auburn hair, wearing a cream
turtleneck sweater, sitting in a sunlit cafe. Shot on Fujifilm X-T5, 56mm f/1.2,
natural window light, shallow depth of field with creamy bokeh. Warm color grade,
subtle film grain. Editorial style.
Template — product on textured surface:
Overhead flat lay of a leather journal, fountain pen, and espresso cup arranged on
a dark slate surface. Dramatic side lighting creating long shadows. Rich warm tones,
high detail on leather texture and coffee crema. Shot at f/8 for deep focus.
Commercial still life photography.
| Mistake | Why it fails | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Using abstract subjects ("love", "freedom") | AI needs concrete visual elements to render | Describe a scene that represents the concept |
| No lighting specified | You get flat, default lighting | Add at least one lighting keyword |
| Prompt too long (100+ words) | Models lose focus; competing instructions cancel out | Keep it under 75 words for Midjourney; up to 150 for Gemini/GPT |
| Prompt too vague ("a nice photo") | AI has nothing specific to work with | Add subject, style, lighting, and composition |
| Conflicting instructions | "minimalist" + "intricate ornate details" confuse the model | Pick one direction per prompt |
| Ignoring aspect ratio | Default square crops may cut off important elements | Always specify ratio for your target platform |
| Expecting perfect text on the first try | Text rendering varies by model; some need iteration | Use Nano Banana Pro or Ideogram for text-heavy images; review and refine |
Professional product photo of a [PRODUCT] on a clean white background. Even studio
lighting, subtle drop shadow, product centered and filling 85% of the frame. Sharp
focus, no reflections, no props. 1:1 square, 4K resolution.
Lifestyle shot of [PRODUCT] in a modern [SETTING — kitchen/office/bedroom]. Natural
daylight from a large window, shallow depth of field with the product in sharp focus.
Styled to look effortless and aspirational. 4:5 portrait ratio.
Extreme close-up of a person with a shocked, wide-eyed expression, mouth slightly
open, looking directly at camera. Bold [COLOR] background. High contrast, vibrant
saturation. Space on the right side for text overlay. 16:9 ratio, 1280x720.
Split composition: left side shows [BEFORE STATE], right side shows [AFTER STATE],
divided by a dramatic lightning bolt or slash effect. Bold contrasting colors,
high energy. 16:9 ratio.
Instagram-ready flat lay of [ITEMS] arranged neatly on a [SURFACE]. Soft overhead
lighting, subtle shadows, cohesive [COLOR PALETTE] color scheme. Clean, editorial
aesthetic. 4:5 portrait ratio.
TikTok/Reels cover image: [SUBJECT] in a dynamic pose against a [simple/gradient]
background. Bold, saturated colors that pop on mobile. Leave space at top and bottom
for platform UI elements. 9:16 vertical ratio.
Clear educational diagram illustrating [CONCEPT]. Labeled sections with the text:
"[LABEL 1]", "[LABEL 2]", "[LABEL 3]". Clean flat design, high contrast for
readability, light background. All text must be perfectly legible.
16:9 landscape ratio.
Minimalist logo concept for a brand called "[BRAND NAME]". The design incorporates
[SYMBOL/ELEMENT] in a clean, modern style. Flat vector aesthetic, works on both
light and dark backgrounds. Simple enough to be recognizable at small sizes.
1:1 square ratio.
| Platform | Recommended Size | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram Feed | 1080 x 1350 px | 4:5 |
| Instagram Stories / Reels | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 |
| TikTok | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 |
| YouTube Thumbnail | 1280 x 720 px | 16:9 |
| Facebook Feed | 1200 x 630 px | ~1.91:1 |
| 1200 x 1200 px | 1:1 | |
| 1000 x 1500 px | 2:3 | |
| X (Twitter) | 1200 x 675 px | 16:9 |
| E-Commerce (Amazon main) | 2000 x 2000 px | 1:1 |
| Print (poster/flyer) | 3840 x 2160 px+ | Varies |
This cheat sheet gives you precise control when you need it. But if writing structured prompts isn't your thing, chat-based AI image generators let you describe what you want in plain language and refine through conversation — no formulas or parameters required.
Banana AI uses this approach: you describe the image, it generates options, and you iterate by chatting ("make it warmer", "remove the background", "add text that says..."). It supports Nano Banana, Nano Banana Pro (4K, accurate text rendering), and Flux Fast across 7 aspect ratio presets.
- 50 AI Image Prompts for Every Marketing Scenario — ready-to-use prompt library sorted by use case
- Social Media Image Size & Aspect Ratio Cheat Sheet (2026) — full platform-by-platform sizing guide
- AI Image Style Guide: Photography Terms for Better Prompts — deep-dive into lighting, composition, and style vocabulary
Created by the Banana AI team — a chat-based AI image generator built on Nano Banana models.