Stable Diffusion is a powerful AI system that generates images from text prompts. Getting the prompt right is key to creating high-quality AI art. In this article, I’ll share my expertise on writing effective Stable Diffusion prompts, along with plenty of examples.
Crafting prompts is an art in itself. With practice, you’ll develop an intuition for which words and styles work best. My goal here is to provide a solid starting point so you can start creating your own prompt masterpieces!
Describe the Subject
The first step is simply stating what you want the AI to generate – the subject. For example:
- An oil painting of a cat
- A spaceship flying over an alien planet
When describing the subject, use clear and simple language. Avoid vague terms that could be interpreted in multiple ways.
Specific details help the AI generate more accurate results aligned with your vision. Instead of “a painting of a girl”, say “an oil painting portrait of a young girl with blonde hair”.
Examples of Subject Prompts
- A still life painting of a bowl of lemons on a table
- A majestic white Bengal tiger walking through the jungle
- An astronaut repairing a satellite in space
Add Relevant Details
After establishing the basic subject, add descriptive details and stylistic flourishes. This helps steer the AI’s artistic interpretation.
Details to consider:
- Physical attributes like hair color, age, clothing
- Setting details like time of day, weather, backgrounds
- Composition details like angle, perspective, framing
The more guidance you provide, the better. I like to break down prompts into different aspects I want to control – content, style, medium, etc.
Examples of Detailed Prompts
- An oil painting of a young girl with blonde hair braided with blue ribbons, set against a background of tall grass swaying in the wind
- A majestic white Bengal tiger with black stripes walking through a lush green jungle in the golden light of sunrise
- A futuristic cityscape with flying cars zooming by towering skyscrapers, matte painting trending on ArtStation
Direct the Style and Medium
You can guide the AI’s artistic interpretation by specifying a particular style or medium. For example:
- In the style of Van Gogh
- A vector graphic with bright neon colors
- A charcoal pencil drawing
Referencing well-known artists helps communicate the look you’re going for. You can also name specific art movements like cubism, Art Deco, or abstract expressionism.
Compare multiple styles by generating several versions of a prompt with different styles.
Examples of Stylistic Prompts
- An oil painting of a bowl of lemons in the style of Cezanne
- A pencil sketch portrait of a young girl with braids in the style of John Singer Sargent
- A science fiction scene of astronauts on Mars, trending on ArtStation
Useful Prompt Engineering Resources
- Lexica.art – Search AI images and prompts
- PromptHero – Curated prompt database
- Stability AI Discord – Active community and examples
I hope these insights and examples provide a solid starting point for crafting your own Stable Diffusion prompts! Let me know if you have any other questions.