Writing Effective Prompts

This guide builds on Prompting Fundamentals. It focuses on phrasing instructions clearly, iterating effectively, reinforcing key details, and steering away from unwanted results.

Core principles for good prompts

These principles help your prompts stay clear, consistent, and easy to refine.

Use natural, plain language

Write prompts as you would brief a photographer:

• Use full sentences instead of short comma-separated tags: “full body studio photo of a young adult woman” instead of “studio, woman, full body”.
• You do not need special syntax, weights, or flags.

Put the most important information first

Models tend to pay more attention to the start of the prompt. Lead with:

1. The type of shot and subject.
2. The model’s key traits.
3. Background and mood.

Example:

Full body studio photo of a young adult woman wearing the outfit, average build, neutral light grey background, soft even lighting.

Use concrete, visual language

Replace adjectives like “beautiful” or “cool” with concrete visual details:

Instead of vague phrases, try:

• “beautiful background”
  → “simple light grey studio background” or “modern living room with a light sofa and a large window”
• “cool vibe”
  → “relaxed pose, slight smile, soft natural lighting”

Use enough detail, but keep prompts focused

Longer prompts can give more control, but very long prompts can cause the model to ignore the end. Aim for a small number of clear sentences (often 1–3), not a paragraph full of loosely related ideas.

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A simple prompt structure for FASHN

You can think of your prompt as five parts. You do not need to mention every part every time, but this structure is a reliable starting point.

You can often omit one or two parts and still get good results, but keeping this order makes prompts easier to write and refine.

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Guiding away from unwanted details

Text-to-image models often struggle with words like “no”, “not”, or “without”. If you write:

a woman without jewelry

the model may still focus on the word “jewelry”. The same goes for phrases like “no pockets”, "without stitches”, or "belt not visible".

The most reliable workaround is to describe the positive visual opposite of what you want to exclude.

Rewrite negatives as positives

If something keeps appearing that you do not want, try:

• Removing negative phrases like “no” or “without”.
• Adding a short positive phrase that describes what is visible instead.

Instead of:

“no people in the background”
→ “an empty studio background” or “a plain light wall behind the model”

“no jewelry”
→ “bare neck and bare hands, clear skin”

“no pockets in the leggings”
→ “leggings with clean and simple side panels”

“jeans with no belt”
→ “jeans with a metal tack button visible on the front”

Reinforce key details

Rephrasing key details in natural variations helps the model stay focused:

• “full body photo of the model”
  and later: "visible from head to toe, with white sneakers and shoulder-length wavy hair fully in frame".
• “waistband of the pants clearly visible”
  and later: “the top is neatly tucked into the pants so the entire waistband and front belt loops are visible in the shot”.

Use repetition sparingly to reinforce the core of the shot, and only when a single instruction doesn’t guide the model reliably.

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Describing models clearly

You can guide the model’s appearance without specifying exact ages or measurements. Use clear, consistent language that describes what should be visible in the photo.

These patterns help you describe models clearly and consistently.

Age and life stage

Use life-stage terms rather than specific numbers, unless you genuinely need a number:

• Young child, older child, teenager.
• Young adult, adult, middle-aged adult.
• Older adult, senior.

You can add gentle modifiers for tone:

• “young adult woman, fresh-faced, minimal makeup”.
• “middle-aged man with a composed expression”.
• “older adult woman with silver hair and a warm smile”.

Body type

Use descriptive, visually focused phrasing:

• Slim build, average build, athletic build.
• Curvy figure, plus-size model.
• Stocky build, tall and lean.

You can add simple visual cues:

• “broad shoulders, long legs, athletic build”.
• “soft curves, plus-size model, confident posture”.

Skin tone and color

Use clear, consistent terms:

• Light skin, medium brown skin, deep brown skin.
• Warm olive tone, soft caramel tone, rich espresso tone.

If you mention ethnicity, pair it with a simple skin tone description:

• “South Asian woman with warm brown skin”.
• “Northern European man with fair skin and freckles”.

Angle of view and perspective

Terms that help control how the model is seen:

• Full body shot, waist-up portrait, knee-high shot.
• Front view, three-quarter view, side profile, back view.
• Eye-level, low angle, high angle, over-the-shoulder.

Example:

Full body front view of a young adult woman with an average build and medium brown skin, eye-level camera, relaxed posture, soft natural expression.

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Iterating and refining your prompt

It is normal if the first result is not exactly what you imagined. Iteration is how you get from “close enough” to “just right”.

Change one thing at a time

When you refine a prompt, pick one aspect to adjust:

• Model description (age range, body type, hairstyle).
• Outfit (fit, accessories, details).
• Pose or framing (full body, upper body, side profile, back view).
• Background (studio, bedroom, outdoor).
• Lighting (soft, natural light, bright).

This makes it easier to see what worked:

• Original: “full body studio photo, neutral light grey background”.
• Iteration: “full body studio photo, pure white background”.

Start simple, then add detail

You can build a prompt in stages:

1. “Full body photo of a young adult woman.”
2. “Full body photo of a young adult woman with an average build and shoulder-length wavy hair.”
3. “Full body photo of a young adult woman with an average build and shoulder-length wavy hair, standing in front of a simple light grey backdrop with soft, even lighting.”
4. “Full body photo of a young adult woman with an average build and shoulder-length wavy hair, standing in front of a simple light grey backdrop with soft, even lighting, relaxed confident expression and one leg slightly forward.”

Small, controlled changes make it easier to steer the results.

Try alternate wording

If a phrase is not giving you what you expect, try a close synonym that is more visual:

Examples:

• “street style fashion photo”
  → “outdoor fashion photo on a city sidewalk”.
• “cozy room”
  → “small bedroom with soft blankets and warm lamp light”.
• “modern background”
  → “minimal living room with a light sofa and a large window”.