Stable Diffusion is a powerful AI system that can generate amazingly realistic images from text prompts. As a photographer, you can use Stable Diffusion to enhance your creativity and productivity.
The key to getting great results is writing effective prompts. A good prompt guides the AI to create exactly what you imagine. This article will teach you how to write Stable Diffusion prompts focused specifically on photography.
Understanding the Stable Diffusion Image Generation Process
First, it helps to understand what’s happening behind the scenes when Stable Diffusion generates an image.
In simple terms, Stable Diffusion has been trained on millions of image-text pairs. When you give it a new text prompt, it identifies visual patterns from images associated with similar text, and creates a new image matching the prompt.
The more detailed and specific your prompt, the better the output will be. Let’s look at some photography prompt writing tips.
Describe the Subject Precisely
Start your prompt by clearly describing the main subject. For a person, include gender, age, ethnicity, pose, expression and any other distinguishing details.
“A 20-year old Caucasian woman with long blonde hair, posing outdoors in a dark green tank top and jeans, smiling directly at the camera.”
For other subjects, describe the size, color, texture, exact type of object, etc.
“A large ripe strawberry with red flesh, green leafy top and small yellow seeds visible on the surface.”
Set the Scene
Next, set the context by describing the background scene, lighting, colors and mood.
For outdoor shots, you can specify natural elements like skies, landscapes, plants and weather conditions. For portraits, describe the location and props that support the theme you want.
“Woman standing under the shadow of a large oak tree in front of a still lake at sunrise, with pink and orange clouds reflecting softly on the water.”
Use adjectives like soft, bright, moody and cinematic to convey the photographic style and emotion.
Include Photographic Details
Add details like camera, lens and setting specs to enhance realism:
“Photograph taken with a full frame Canon 5D Mark IV camera using a 85mm prime lens set to f/2.8, 1/250s shutter speed.”
You can also specify the image dimensions if you plan to print or use it online:
“Horizontal composition, 3000 x 2000 pixels”.
Direct the Style and Composition
Guide the AI further by describing the desired framing, depth of field, perspective and areas of focus:
“Shallow depth of field with the woman’s face in sharp focus against a softly blurred lake background. Shot from a low perspective looking up slightly to emphasize the towering tree.”
Specify the overall style – black and white, desaturated, high key, cinematic lighting, etc. Ask for a visually balanced composition that follows photography best practices.
Use Comparisons for Abstract Concepts
For visually communicating more abstract qualities like elegance, energy, warmth and intimacy, use comparisons:
“The woman exudes a graceful elegance reminiscent of a ballerina.”
Iterate with Feedback Notes
The AI won’t always nail your vision on the first try. Provide constructive feedback to guide the iterations:
“Regenerate the image with softer lighting and more space above the woman’s head.”
Keep trying until the image matches what you imagined!
Helpful Stable Diffusion Photography Prompts
Here are some photography prompts you can try out:
Portrait Photography Prompts
- A joyful elderly lady with curly grey hair, wearing a red sweater, smiling with eyes squinting against the sunlight. Photographed with a 50mm lens at f/1.4.
- Serene headshot of a young bearded man in a blue button-down shirt, eyes closed and face tilted slightly up towards the light from a window. Soft, directional lighting. Medium telephoto lens, blurred background.
Landscape Photography Prompts
- Majestic snow-capped mountain reflecting vibrantly in a perfectly still turquoise lake on a clear winter morning. Dramatic side lighting.
- Aerial view of the Grand Canyon at sunset, with deep orange and pink skies contrasting against the layered sedimentary rock formations in shades of brown and red.
Still Life Photography Prompts
- Top-down view of various fruits like strawberries, apricots, blueberries, and raspberries scattered elegantly on a marble table with softened natural light.
- Arrangement of fresh colorful flowers including tulips, roses, lilies, and carnations in a clear glass vase with water droplets on a windowsill with bright backlighting.
Experiment with these prompts as starting points, and customize them by adding or removing details to fit your photography style and vision.
Useful Websites:
- Stablediffusion.fr – Prompt examples for Stable Diffusion
- Craiyon Blog – Guide to photorealistic AI images and prompts
- Prompt Hero – Photography prompts for AI image generation
I hope you found this overview on Stable Diffusion photography prompts helpful! Let me know if you have any other questions.