The Six-Slot Method for Writing AI Image Prompts
Learn how to express visual intent before writing prompts: references, mood, composition, output format, prompt structure, and practical iteration.
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The problem this guide solves
You describe an image, the model returns something different, and it is unclear what to change. A useful first step is to separate the brief into decisions you can inspect: subject, setting, light, composition and style.
The method below is an editing checklist, not a model benchmark. Gallery examples illustrate ways to write a brief; they do not establish which words caused an image or which format performs best. See how to read AI image prompts for the same distinction.
How long should an AI image prompt be?
Write enough to state the decisions that matter to your image, then remove repetition and contradictory instructions. There is no demonstrated universal word-count threshold. A short, specific brief can be more useful than a long list of compliments.
A moody portrait of a woman, cinematic, high quality, 8k
Moody cinematic portrait of a young woman, barely-there makeup, loose dark brown hair, fitted black turtleneck. Dark minimal background fading into black. Gentle diffused front light, soft shadows, subtle film grain, organic color grading, shallow depth of field, high-end editorial feel.
The second version spells out wardrobe, background and light. This is a comparison of writing specificity, not a controlled comparison of generated results. Use only the details your task needs.
Prose, but every clause is a specification — wardrobe, collar height, skin texture, background separation.
View promptHide prompt
A studio-style close-up editorial portrait of a person with strong, well-defined facial features and slightly imperfect, natural skin texture. The subject wears a black tailored turtleneck with sharp, clean lines, layered under a high-collared black jacket in a minimalist contemporary fashion style. The subject wears semi-transparent orange acetate sunglasses — rectangular frames with softly rounded edges, glossy finish, and amber gradient lenses — serving as the only colored element in the image. Color concept: selective color photography — monochrome black-and-white image with only the sunglasses in vivid orange. Mood is calm and confident, serious expression, direct gaze into the camera. Lighting is soft frontal studio light with gentle shadows, even skin tones, cinematic contrast, and visible natural skin texture. Shot on a professional portrait camera, f/2.0, ISO 100, 1/125s. High resolution, ultra-sharp focus on the face. Style: editorial luxury fashion portrait, photorealistic, professional studio photography, no illustration, no painterly effects.
Six slots to check
Use these questions to check for missing decisions. Not every task needs every slot.
| Slot | The question it answers | Example decision |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Who or what is shown? | Appearance, material, pose |
| Setting | Where is it? | Background and foreground |
| Light | Where does the light come from? | Direction, hardness, colour |
| Camera and composition | How is the frame arranged? | Viewpoint, framing, visible background |
| Mood and style | What visual treatment do you want? | Medium, palette, texture |
| Exclusions | Which unwanted details matter? | Extra text or an unwanted object |
Here is a gallery prompt reformatted to make its requested details easier to inspect:
{
"subject": "young woman, voluminous messy long hair, black sporty crop top
with white trim, sitting perched on a high dark wooden counter,
leaning forward, sultry nonchalant expression",
"setting": "white wall with vintage posters taped up, brown wooden blinds,
electric guitar neck and liquor bottles in the foreground",
"composition": "full body, 35mm focal length, slightly low angle,
hard flash fall-off, messy but balanced framing",
"lighting": "direct on-camera flash, hard light, sharp drop shadow on the
wall behind her, high contrast, no diffusion",
"color_palette": "vintage film aesthetic, Kodak Gold 200 simulation, warm
wood tones against cool white flash, deep blacks, grainy",
"mood": "indie sleaze, candid, rebellious, snapshot style",
"negative_prompt": "soft lighting, studio lighting, bokeh, airbrushed skin,
3d render, illustration, over-processed, HDR"
}
A curated example with explicit flash, wardrobe and texture instructions. The exclusions describe the intended look; this is not an isolated test of their effect.
View promptHide prompt
{
"portrait_prompt": {
"subject": "Based on <User Portrait>, a young woman with voluminous, messy, long hair, wearing a black sporty crop top with white trim and matching black shorts, white calf-high socks. She is sitting perched on a high dark wooden counter or piano top. Her pose is casual and edgy, leaning forward with one hand resting near her mouth, biting her finger slightly, gazing directly at the camera with a sultry, nonchalant expression. A silver bracelet on her wrist. Background includes a white wall with vintage posters taped up and brown wooden blinds. Foreground details include the neck of an electric guitar, a glass jar of cookies, and liquor bottles",
"composition": "Full body shot, 35mm focal length, slightly low angle to emphasize leg length, sharp focus on subject with hard flash fall-off, messy but balanced framing",
"camera_angle": "Eye-level relative to the seated subject, slightly low angle from the floor, medium distance",
"lighting": "Direct on-camera flash photography, hard lighting creating a sharp drop shadow on the wall behind the subject, high contrast, reminiscent of 90s point-and-shoot aesthetics, no diffusion",
"color_palette": "Vintage film aesthetic, Kodak Gold 200 simulation, warm tones from wooden blinds and furniture contrasted with cool white flash light, deep blacks, slightly grainy texture, lo-fi indie vibe",
"mood": "Indie sleaze, candid, rebellious, cool girl aesthetic, raw and authentic, Y2K retro fashion editorial, snapshot style",
"negative_prompt": "soft lighting, studio lighting, bokeh, professional studio portrait, airbrushed skin, 3d render, cartoon, illustration, distorted hands, missing guitar strings, floating objects, anatomical errors, stiff pose, over-processed, HDR"
}
}An exclusion can clarify an unwanted detail, but a JSON key named negative_prompt is not automatically a supported model parameter. Check the chosen tool. Describe the desired result positively as well, and inspect whether the exclusion was followed.
Prose or structured slots?
Use the format that helps you review the brief. Labelled slots make missing or conflicting decisions easier to spot; prose can express the same decisions. Neither format guarantees better generation quality.
You do not need strict JSON syntax. This is enough:
Subject: [who, physical detail, wardrobe, expression]
Setting: [location, what is behind them, foreground objects]
Light: [source, direction, hardness, colour]
Camera: [focal length, aperture, angle, distance]
Mood: [emotional register, reference medium]
Avoid: [what must not appear]
A structured prompt whose camera slot does the heavy lifting: full body, extreme high angle, centred subject.
View promptHide prompt
{
"image_type": "photographic portrait",
"style": "studio portrait, cinematic, minimalist",
"composition": {
"orientation": "portrait",
"framing": "full body from extreme high angle",
"subject_position": "centered",
"camera_angle": "top-down (bird’s-eye / overhead)",
"lens_distortion": "strong wide-angle perspective exaggeration",
"negative_space": "extensive surrounding empty space",
"perspective": "dramatic overhead with subject looking up"
},
"subject": {
"count": 1,
"description": "young person with glasses",
"pose": "standing upright, shoulders slightly forward, arms relaxed",
"expression": "soft, introspective, mildly curious",
"gaze": "looking directly up at the camera",
"accessories": [
"round eyeglasses"
],
"clothing": {
"outerwear": "dark brown jacket",
"innerwear": "light-colored knit or textured shirt",
"style": "casual, understated"
}
},
"facial_details": {
"features": "rounded face, soft jawline",
"emotion": "calm, thoughtful",
"eye_emphasis": "enhanced by glasses and upward gaze"
},
"lighting": {
"type": "studio lighting",
"setup": "top-centered soft light with gradual falloff",
"contrast": "low to moderate",
"shadows": "subtle shadows beneath chin and body",
"vignette": "strong radial vignette darkening toward edges"
},
"color": {
"palette": [
"cool gray",
"charcoal",
"muted brown",
"soft beige"
],
"temperature": "cool-neutral",
"saturation": "low",
"mood": "quiet, contemplative"
},
"background": {
"environment": "studio",
"surface": "smooth seamless floor",
"gradient": "radial gradient from light center to dark edges",
"distractions": "none"
},
"technical_details": {
"camera_type": "digital",
"lens": "ultra-wide or fisheye-style wide-angle",
"depth_of_field": "deep (entire subject in focus)",
"sharpness": "high center sharpness with slight edge softness",
"noise": "minimal",
"post_processing": [
"contrast shaping",
"cool color grading",
"vignette enhancement",
"perspective exaggeration"
]
},
"artistic_elements": {
"concept": "isolation and vulnerability through scale and perspective",
"visual_metaphor": "small subject surrounded by vast empty space",
"aesthetic_influences": [
"editorial portrait photography",
"modern studio minimalism",
"cinematic overhead compositions"
]
},
"typography": {
"presence": false
},
"overall_mood": "intimate, introspective, slightly surreal",
"intended_use": [
"editorial portrait",
"conceptual photography reference",
"AI image generation style guide"
]
}How to write the light slot
Specify direction and shadow character instead of relying only on a mood word. For example, ask for a source from camera left, a hard shadow edge and a dark far cheek. These are visible properties to check after generation.
cinematic lighting, dramatic, moody
single hard source from camera left at 45 degrees, no fill, deep shadow on the far cheek, cool teal spill on the back wall
The colour of the light is named, not implied — teal-blue on the tiled wall, which is what makes the scene read as an interrogation room.
View promptHide prompt
{
"scene_description": {
"location": "Cold interrogation room with teal-blue brick tiled wall, cinematic still from 'Basic Instinct' (1992)",
"vibe": "Intense seductive power, classic film-noir tension, commanding presence",
"lighting": "Teal-blue ambient room light, strong directional key from left casting long shadows, rim light sculpting figure and legs, high contrast, dramatic neo-noir mood",
"camera_settings": "35mm anamorphic lens, f/2.0, shallow depth of field, cinematic film grain, subtle lens breathing, ultra-photorealistic 8k, 'Basic Instinct' color palette (cool teal shadows, warm skin highlights)"
},
"primary_subjects": [
{
"character": "attached celebrity lookalike",
"role": "Interrogation subject / ultimate femme fatale",
"action": "Seated in black metal chair, legs crossed seductively (right over left), right arm casually draped over chair back, left hand resting on thigh, upper body leaning back slightly, hips angled forward, piercing direct stare at camera, lips parted in confident half-smile",
"details": "Sleeveless white high-neck mini dress clinging to curves, bare toned legs with glossy sheen, white pointed high heels, long dark glossy hair with loose waves, smoky cat-eye makeup, bold red lips, gold bracelet on right wrist"
}
],
"environment_details": {
"crowd": "None – solitary cinematic intensity",
"architecture": "Teal-blue brick tiled wall, black metal chair, concrete floor",
"fidelity": "Hyper-realistic 8k, lifelike skin under cold light, fabric detail, hair shine, precise 'Basic Instinct' Catherine Tramell pose, lighting, and atmosphere"
}
}
Light through diffusion as the actual subject. The prompt specifies the material between the source and the figure.
View promptHide prompt
Abstract fine art black and white photography of a human silhouette seen through frosted glass, translucent plastic, or diffused acrylic. She is fully obscured, on her knees, with no facial detail, only a soft shadowed outline. Hands are pressed against the surface, fingers slightly spread, creating subtle depth and emotional tension. Extreme soft focus, heavy diffusion, smooth gradients, and gentle falloff of light. High-key monochrome tones, low contrast, minimal texture. Clean minimalist composition with negative space. Ethereal, surreal, haunting mood. Studio lighting with soft backlight behind the subject, cinematic fine-art photography, conceptual and introspective. Sensual pose. Aspect ratio 4:5
How to write the camera slot
Camera terms are visual cues, not evidence that the model simulates a physical lens. Pair them with the visible result you need: waist-up framing, a low viewpoint or a readable background.
A camera slot can combine these details:
Camera: 85mm, f/1.8, eye level, waist-up — background falls off to soft bokeh
Camera: 35mm, f/2.8, slightly low angle, full body — background legible, not blurred
Camera: 24mm, f/4, high angle looking down, subject centred with headroom
For a close portrait, describe how much of the face and surroundings should be visible. For an environmental portrait, explicitly keep the room in the frame. Verify the result visually instead of relying on a focal-length number alone.
Shutter speed as a compositional instruction: the subject stays sharp while the crowd streaks into directional motion blur.
View promptHide prompt
Ultra-realistic cinematic street portrait of a young woman standing still in a crowded city street, sharp focus on her face with calm, intense expression. Long-exposure effect with people moving around her creating strong directional motion blur, streaked crowd movement while the subject remains perfectly still. Natural soft daylight, shallow depth of field, creamy bokeh, realistic skin texture, subtle freckles, neutral makeup, dark winter coat and scarf. Emotional, introspective mood, urban storytelling photography, DSLR quality, 85mm lens look, f/1.8, high dynamic range, 8K, professional color grading.
How to choose a model for the task
Choose by the task you can test: exact text, reference-image fidelity, composition, or the desired visual treatment. Compare the same brief with the same input material and review the criterion that matters to you. Browse examples in the Nano Banana, GPT Image and Midjourney collections as inspiration, not as a ranking.
For results from a bounded comparison, see the same prompt across three generators, including its task and sample limitations.
What to do when the output is wrong
The single most expensive habit is rewriting the whole prompt after a bad generation. You lose the information about which change did what.
Change one slot at a time, in this order:
- Composition wrong (subject too small, cropped badly, wrong angle) → fix the camera slot only. Distance and angle before anything else.
- Mood wrong but framing right → fix the light slot only. Direction and hardness, not adjectives.
- Style drifting toward generic → add exclusions. Name the house style you are getting and forbid it.
- Subject details wrong (wardrobe, age, hair) → move those details earlier in the prompt. Make the important details easy to find and remove conflicting descriptions; position alone does not guarantee adherence.
- Everything roughly right, want variations → hold the prompt and change one adjective per run, not five.
Reference-driven work follows the same rule. When you supply an input image, the prompt's job shifts from describing to constraining what may change:
A reference-driven brief that opens by declaring the uploaded image the sole source of truth, then specifies only the layout around it.
View promptHide prompt
{
"reference": {
"type": "image",
"usage": "Use the uploaded image as the sole source of truth. Do not assume product category in advance."
},
"scene": {
"description": "Minimal, premium product presentation layout inspired by high-end industrial design and product documentation.",
"background": "Pure white, clean, distraction-free"
},
"layout": {
"top_left": {
"content": "Brand name",
"style": "Modern sans-serif typography, subtle, elegant"
},
"left_column": {
"content": "Multiple auxiliary product views",
"views": [
"Primary front or main view",
"Secondary side view",
"Alternate angle or rear view",
"Detail or top view if applicable"
],
"arrangement": "Vertically stacked, evenly spaced, aligned"
},
"right_section": {
"content": "Main hero product render",
"style": "Large, dominant, photorealistic",
"lighting": "Soft studio lighting",
"materials": "Visually accurate to the uploaded product"
}
},
"visual_style": {
"aesthetic": "Scandinavian, modern, industrial documentation",
"mood": "Calm, precise, professional",
"color_palette": "Neutral and restrained"
},
"rendering": {
"quality": "Ultra-high resolution",
"shadows": "Soft and realistic",
"accuracy": "Exact proportions and geometry fidelity"
}
}
A gallery example requesting a nine-panel composition from a reference. A single sheet does not establish consistency across separate generations.
View promptHide prompt
<instruction> Analyze the entire composition of the input image. Identify all key subjects present (whether a single person, group/couple, vehicle, or specific object) and their spatial relationships/interactions. Generate a coherent 3x3 grid "Contact Sheet" showcasing 9 distinct shots of exactly these subjects within the same environment. You must adapt standard cinematic shot types to fit the content (e.g., if a group, keep the group together; if an object, frame the entire object): Row 1 (Establishing Context): 1. Extreme Long Shot (ELS): Subjects appear very small within a vast environment. 2. Long Shot (LS): Full subject or group visible from top to bottom (head to toe / wheels to roof). 3. Medium Long Shot (American Shot/Three-Quarter): Framed from above the knees (for people) or a 3/4 view (for objects). Row 2 (Core Coverage): 4. Medium Shot (MS): Framed from above the waist (or the central core of an object). Focus on interaction/action. 5. Medium Close-Up (MCU): Framed from above the chest. Intimate framing of the primary subject(s). 6. Close-Up (CU): Tight framing on the face or the "front" of an object. Row 3 (Detail & Angles): 7. Extreme Close-Up (ECU): Macro detail with intense focus on a key feature (eyes, hands, logo, texture). 8. Low-Angle Shot (Worm's-Eye View): Looking up at the subject from ground level (spectacular/heroic feel). 9. High-Angle Shot (Bird's-Eye View): Looking down on the subject from above. Ensure strict consistency: The same people/objects, same clothing, and same lighting across all 9 panels. Depth of field should vary realistically (background blur in close-ups). </instruction> A professional 3x3 cinematic storyboard grid containing 9 panels. This grid showcases the specific subject(s)/scene from the input image across a comprehensive range of focal lengths. Top Row: Wide environmental shots, full view, 3/4 crop (above-knee view). Middle Row: Above-waist view, above-chest view, face/front close-up. Bottom Row: Macro detail, low angle, high angle. All frames feature photorealistic textures, consistent cinematic color grading, and correct framing for the specific number of subjects or objects analyzed.
If you want a whole grid of consistent variations rather than single frames, the mechanics are in the multi-panel image guide.
A skeleton you can copy
Prose version — adapt the fields to the task; this is a writing template, not a tested output guarantee:
[Subject: age, build, hair, wardrobe, expression, pose].
[Setting: location, background surface, one or two foreground objects].
Lit by [source] from [direction], [hard or diffused], [colour of the light],
[what the shadows do].
Shot at [focal length], [aperture], [camera height], [framing distance].
[Mood in three words], [reference medium].
No [thing to exclude], no [thing to exclude].
Structured version, same content, labelled slots:
{
"subject": "",
"setting": "",
"lighting": "source, direction, hardness, colour, shadow behaviour",
"camera": "focal length, aperture, height, framing distance",
"mood": "",
"style": "reference medium, grain, colour treatment",
"negative_prompt": ""
}
Fill the slots that matter. Omit irrelevant details, and keep the important decisions consistent across iterations.
When you have a skeleton you like, run it in the generator and change one slot at a time. To read more well-structured prompts before writing your own, the portrait category provides examples to inspect.
FAQ
How long should an AI image prompt be?
Use the shortest version that states the subject and the decisions you care about. Add detail to resolve an observed ambiguity, not to reach a word target.
What should an AI image prompt include?
Check subject, setting, light, camera and composition, mood and style, and any important exclusions. These are optional review questions, not a mandatory format.
Should I write AI image prompts in JSON?
Use JSON or labelled lines when they make a complex brief easier to edit. This article does not establish a generation-quality advantage over prose.
Do negative prompts work in AI image generation?
Support differs by model and interface. State the desired result clearly, use any supported exclusion control as documented, and inspect the output instead of assuming a negative list was obeyed.
Which model should I use for which kind of prompt?
Choose from a matched test of your actual task. Gallery examples help you find ideas; their frequency does not show which model will best follow your brief.
