AI images are already everywhere, from social media to marketing and design. The underlying technology is improving all the time and it’s becoming easier for beginners to create usable images using the right AI image prompts.
It’s not that long since you could tell an AI image by counting fingers or looking for other incongruous elements. In 2026, AI image generation has shifted from novelty to authenticity and utility.
These images no longer automatically look so ‘obviously AI’. Specialised models like GPT Image 1.5, Gemini 3 Pro, Midjourney V8 and Flux 2 Max produce amazing results but integrated and easily accessible models can also be used by anyone to create ready-to-publish images.
What is AI Image Generation?
AI image generation is the process of creating original, high-quality images from simple prompts.
An AI image prompt is typically a piece of text that instructs a generative AI model, such as ChatGPT or Gemini, to generate the visual content. They’re used to provide information so that AI algorithms can reproduce the requested image.
AI image prompts help the models understand the desired characteristics, objects, or concepts to feature in the generated image.
By providing clear, specific prompts to AI generators, users can influence a number of different factors pertaining to the image, which can help the model produce accurate results that align with their creative vision.
Users can now craft extremely detailed AI image prompts that capture every aspect of what they’re trying to achieve.
There are two types of AI image prompts that can be used to generate images: text-to-image AI prompts and image-to-image AI prompts.
AI Text Prompts
These are used to create an AI image from scratch.
An AI text prompt can range from a simple one-liner to more comprehensive, detailed instructions. The more detail you provide to a generative model, the more accurate the image will be to your vision.
For example, we fed the below prompts into GPT-4o, OpenAI’s latest MLLM (multimodal large language model), and achieved the following results:
“Generate an image of a cat with a pink collar”
“Generate an image of a tabby cat with a pink, polka dot collar, against a sunset background. The image should feature white, puffy clouds, and the cat should be walking down a road surrounded by houses.”
As you can see, the AI model was able to act on both prompts, with the more detailed one achieving better results. It’s important to note that the simple image took around 60 seconds to generate, while the more detailed prompt took around 5 minutes.
One of the great things about AI image generation is that you can keep adding new instructions (prompts) to tweak or change the image until you are satisfied with it.
AI Image Prompts
Another form of AI photo generation is image prompts, where you upload an image for the AI model to work with, as opposed to providing solely textual instructions. This technique can be useful for adjusting an existing photo or creating a new one based on the original image.
You can also ask certain AI models to extend the background of the existing image, add an AI generated element to the photo, regenerate the photo in higher definition, or change the lighting and colours.
How to Write the Perfect AI Image Prompt
As we’ve shown, to write the perfect AI image prompt, you’ll need to write a clear description that provides enough detail for the AI to generate a high-quality image that meets your specifications.
Here is our step-by-step guide at nailing AI image prompts:
1. Be Specific
Clearly define the main subjects or objects you want the AI to focus on. This could be something like a landscape, character, object or scenario. Make sure you provide enough information for the AI to understand what you want to see in the image, as it can only work with the details you provide.
2. Use Descriptive Language
Using detailed descriptions is the key to getting what you want from an AI image. You can even include sensory details like colours, textures, sounds, and emotions to create an image that closely resembles your vision.
3. Include Artistic Styles
Modern AI is able to produce images in a variety of distinct styles so let it know if you want it to be realistic, cinematic, an illustration, anime-style or anything else. You can also ask an AI to imitate a specific artist’s style, although there may be ethical considerations here – especially with artists who are still living and working.
4. Add Mood and Context
Provide context or suggest a narrative to give depth to the image, like an action taking place, the relationship between the subjects or the backstory of the image.
5. Consider Composition
If you want the image to be composed in a certain way, it’s important to describe the perspective, framing, angles, lighting and any other specific visual elements you want to include. This can help the AI to create visually accurate compositions.
6. Keep the Prompt Concise
When generating images, aim for clarity and brevity in your AI image prompt, avoiding overly prescriptive prompts that stifle the AI’s ability to generate unique interpretations. Likewise, you should avoid overly complex descriptions that could conflict with the model’s generation process. Keep the language simple and direct to ensure the prompt is read correctly and effectively.
A Simple Formula for Writing AI Image Prompts
A simple formula to remember for AI image prompts could be:
Style + Subject + Setting + Lighting + Details
For example, “Generate an image [style] of a mountain landscape at sunrise [subject]. The mountain peaks are capped with snow in the early morning light [lighting]. A lake reflects the colours of the sky, surrounded by pine forests. An eagle soars overhead towards the rising sun [details].”
This is the image generated by that prompt using GPT-4o, OpenAI’s image generator.
How Long Should an Image Prompt Be?
The ideal length of an AI image prompt varies depending on the complexity of the image. Prompts should be concise, yet descriptive enough to convey all the necessary details.
Generally, a prompt that is 3 to 5 sentences is sufficient to provide the AI with the information it needs to generate an image. It’s important to strike a balance between providing enough detail to guide the AI, whilst also avoiding unnecessary details that could make the prompt confusing or difficult to interpret.
Generally, a prompt that is 3 to 5 sentences is sufficient to provide the AI with the information it needs to generate an image. It’s important to strike a balance between providing enough detail to guide the AI, whilst also avoiding unnecessary details that could make the prompt confusing or difficult to interpret.
Common AI Prompt Mistakes to Avoid
Some common AI image prompt mistakes include:
- Being too vague: the AI needs specific instructions in order to create the image you want
- Overloading prompts with too many details: specifics are good, too many details can lead to ‘prompt collapse’, resulting in lower-quality, muddled or nonsensical images.
- Not refining prompts: start broader and then narrow in, making changes and tweaks until you end up with the perfect result
- Ignoring style or composition: the subject of the image is important but different styles and compositional details can help you achieve the desired results
Popular AI Image Generation Tools
Some popular AI image generation tools include:
- Midjourney: great for AI art prompts and artistic images
- Firefly 5: Adobe’s generative AI system, integrated into Adobe apps and built with commercial use in mind
- ChatGPT-4o: Easy to use and included with ChatGPT Plus
- Gemini 3 (Nano Banana Pro): Nana Banana was a nickname that stuck for this speedy Google image generator
- Flux 2 Pro: great for artistic creativity and realism
Considerations for AI Images
Whilst creating AI images can be massively beneficial and creative, there are also some important factors to consider when using these types of generated images.
AI-generated images can potentially raise ethical and legal issues, especially if they are used to create fake content or manipulate visuals in deceptive ways. Prior to sharing, you should consider the potential consequences of distributing or using such images.
Fake images and videos, also known as deep fakes, can be unethical to use, especially on larger platforms when shared for misinformation.
Another thing to consider is when AI-generated images are created using personal data or sensitive information. It’s crucial to ensure compliance with data privacy regulations and to take appropriate measures to protect individuals’ privacy if you are using an image prompt to create an AI generated image.
AI image generation is an exciting tool that’s transforming the way we approach visual creativity. Whether you’re experimenting with basic text prompts or exploring more advanced techniques using image inputs, the possibilities are vast. Understanding how to craft clear and effective prompts can help you unlock the full potential of generative AI and bring your creative ideas to life with greater precision. As with any new technology, it’s important to stay mindful of the ethical considerations, but when used responsibly, AI image generation can be a powerful ally in the creative process.
When used responsibly, AI image generation can be a very useful tool and writing better AI image prompts is a skill that anyone can learn.
It’s also an area that benefits from a ‘learning by doing’ approach. With a firm grasp of the basics and the capabilities of AI image generation, you can experiment with how to write AI prompts until you get the right results.
Posted on Thursday, July 17th, 2025 in Latest News.
