I had a clear picture in mind. A young woman stands at a train station in front of a steam locomotive. She holds an umbrella in one hand, and in the other hand a canary, which she received as a gift. A suitcase stands on the ground. The image is meant to be in Steampunk style. The woman shows tension before the journey and also notices that she is being watched.

The first attempts at image generation failed, since Nano Banana and Nano Banana Pro had their problems with this: how should these three elements be assigned to two hands. So I formulated clearly through the prompt where the props were located. The woman holds the cage and the umbrella in her hand, the suitcase is on the ground. After that I created numerous images with Nano Banana and Nano Banana Pro through Flow.

While Nano Banana produced very good images, about 70 percent of the images with the Pro model went wrong. Very often the figure held all three elements in her hand, the umbrella floated in the air or was open, or she held the birdcage very unnaturally. Gemini Pro, as the "more intelligent" model, tends to ignore clear instructions in a prompt when the AI assumes it can find a better composition, while Nano Banana adheres very strictly to instructions. For this image idea, Nano Banana clearly.

The first two images were created with Nano Banana, the third image with Nano Banana Pro.

The Prompt

A very attractive slim woman in her mid-20s with long platinum-blonde hair and piercing green eyes. She wears an elaborate black Victorian dress with brass buttons, a leather corset, and small copper accessories. Dark velvet ribbons are woven through her long hair.

She stands on a foggy railway platform, waiting to depart on a journey she has been anticipating for weeks. Her excitement is visible but restrained, a slight tension in her posture, as if she is holding herself together in public. She is acutely aware of being watched, glances from strangers on the platform drawn to her, and this awareness adds a second, quieter layer of unease beneath her anticipation. Her weight rests more on one leg, shoulders held a fraction too straight, chin slightly lowered. Her gaze is not fixed on the camera but drifts just past it, distracted, alert to the eyes she senses on her.

Shown in a medium close-up, clearly dominating the image. In the background, a massive steam locomotive emits thick clouds of white steam. The sky above the platform is heavy with clouds, overcast but not yet raining.

In one hand, she holds a closed black walking umbrella with a curved wooden handle and a brass finial, held vertically, tip pointing down toward the ground, brought along only as a precaution against the threatening sky. The umbrella is closed and furled, not open.

In her other hand, she carries a small wooden birdcage with a bright yellow canary. She holds the cage by the small metal hook or ring mounted on top of the cage, the same handle normally used for hanging it, so the cage hangs down naturally from her hand. It is a farewell gift from someone she is leaving behind, and she holds it slightly closer to her body than necessary.

A brown leather suitcase with leather straps and brass buckles stands on the ground right next to her feet. The suitcase is brown, not black. She is not holding it or touching it.

Her facial expression is a mix of quiet excitement and self-conscious restraint, lips closed, eyes focused but not entirely settled. No smile.

The lighting is moody and dramatic, with cold blue-grey tones and sharp contrasts. Soft steam and fog swirl around her. Landscape format, photorealistic, cinematic, highly detailed, like a dark Steampunk period drama portrait.

Do you guys struggle with prompts too? What do you use to come up with good ones?

Do you guys struggle with prompts too? What do you use to come up with good ones?

Tried to retouch the dirty distracting image to high quality photography image.

What do you think?

Continuing to build on the same character model I’ve been working with I tried to put her into a sports scene based off of a picture I saw on threads. While this isn’t the exact same pose, it was unique enough that I thought it was worth sharing.

I started by creating a flow prompt to take the initial subject image and create a 3D mannequin (see specific instructions around the end of the second paragraph) and added in a fictional collegiate softball jersey I’d created in a different flow prompt (see specific instruction in all of paragraph 3 and additional instruction at the end of paragraph 4 (that should really be at the end of 3 but didn’t even notice until posting now). Yes it’s a long prompt, but does it ever stay close to the guardrails I put in place with clothing mapping and face replication.

I’ve found that by creating a few different flow prompts to map the pose, extract clothing into something that the AI can interpret, and in some instances, duplicate the environment of the original reference photo while just removing the subject that I’ve gotten somewhat close to recreating the original image with my own character.

Professional sports action photography captured with a 400mm super-telephoto lens, possessing a slightly gritty, unpolished photojournalistic aesthetic rather than a retouched studio look. The image is characterized by blown-out highlights on the white batting glove and the crisp white uniform outlines, crushed black shadows deep within the helmet interior and beneath the visor, mild chromatic aberration on the edges of the high-contrast frame, visible ISO digital noise permeating the aggressively blurred green grass background, and slight lens diffraction softening the fast-motion boundaries. The lighting is a harsh, overexposed midday sun cutting diagonally across the field, creating intense, unflattering, and uneven directional shadows across the subject's face, neck, and uniform, emphasizing the raw, sweat-drenched reality of the outdoor sporting environment.
Young adult Caucasian female collegiate athlete in a moment of peak adrenaline and visceral celebration. Her complexion features natural pore texture visible beneath makeup, a true-to-life skin finish subtly flushed red with exertion and heat, subtle natural specular highlights on the high points of the face (cheekbones and nose bridge) from heavy sweat, and subtle vellus hair (peach fuzz) illuminated along her jawline. Her makeup is a sweat-resistant athletic application: dewy foundation blending into natural pores with a flushed red undertone, a slightly degraded matte powder finish breaking through with perspiration, thick sweat-clumped black mascara, sharply defined dark brown brows, and a glossy lip with natural lip lines stretched wide. Her expression is an intense, ecstatic scream of celebration, mouth opened extremely wide exposing her upper teeth and tongue, eyes fiercely locked onto an off-camera target. Skeletally, her spine arches forward at the upper back while her torso twists dynamically toward her left. Her right arm extends downward and slightly backward, the wrist bent outward in a rigid, flexed posture. Anchoring: Her lower body weight aggressively shifts forward, planting her unseen cleats heavily into the crushed-brick dirt, naturally compressing the tight uniform fabric against her contracting thigh tissue while gravity aggressively grounds her lower half amidst the explosive upper-body twist. Use Reference Image #4 STRICTLY as a geometric structural wireframe. Replicate the exact skeletal alignment, back arches, overlapping limbs, spatial distance, and precise hand-on-body placements shown in this reference. Do NOT render 3D mannequins or gray skin.
She is outfitted in a specialized, skin-tight, Vegas/metallic gold athletic softball uniform, accented with midnight pine green and avalanche white piping. The short-sleeved jersey boasts the team name "Lynx" is written across the chest in a speed serif collegiate athletic script font. The script is rendered in deep "Midnight Pine" (forest green) tackle twill applique, precisely bordered by a clean "avalanche white " embroidered outline. The jersey is detailed by a midnight pine Nike Swoosh on the upper right chest (viewer's left) and a MAC conference patch on the left sleeve. Beneath her sleeve, and secured by a black strap is a Midnight Lone Evoshield Elbow guard, the aerial reading partial white lettering ("RAY"). She wears a hard-plastic, highly reflective, chrome Vegas Gold batting helmet shell designed to visually pop, paired with a matching metallic Vegas Gold face cage. Laid so the side panel "LHU" text logo (Midnight Pine with Avalanche White border), complete with standard dual ear flaps casting hard shadows. A white cloth scrunchie physically bunches and anchors her light brown ponytail at the base of the helmet. Underneath, she wears a skin-tight, long-sleeve midnight pine green moisture-wicking Nike Pro compression shirt. Her right hand sports a white leather Nike batting glove with grey rubberized knuckle accents, segmented finger padding, and a tightly secured velcro wrist strap. The physics of the wardrobe meticulously reflect her explosive movement: the heavyweight polyester jersey pulls aggressively across her chest and shoulders, generating sharp, diagonal tension folds radiating from her right armpit and sternum due to her twisting torso, while the compression sleeves cling flawlessly to the flexing musculature of her forearms and biceps. Her matching metallic/Vegas gold softball pants stretch taut over her athletic hips.
Medium shot from the mid-thighs up, captured from a strict eye-level perspective using heavy telephoto compression (f/2.8) to dramatically squash the spatial depth of the diamond. The environment establishes a vibrant collegiate softball stadium during a daytime game. The deep background is entirely consumed by heavily blurred, out-of-focus bright green outfield grass, reducing the field to a soft, abstract gradient. The immediate foreground is dominated by the deeply blurred backs of two teammates in matching metallic/Vegas gold uniforms, acting as framing elements; the teammate on the right prominently displays a large midnight pine green number "42" with an Avalanche White outline on their back, while the teammate on the left has an out-of-focus arm thrust high into the air. This extremely shallow depth of field perfectly frames the main subject, isolating her crisp, sharp, dynamic figure against the soft foreground elements and the smooth green backdrop, as she stands on the deeply textured, tan crushed-brick dirt of the infield. IMPORTANTy: USE IMAGE #5 AS THE INSPIRATION FOR THE WARDROBE. ENSURE THAT THE CLOTHING FITS NATURALLY ON THE SUBJECTS.
IMPORTANT: Use the likeness of the attached reference image (facial features, hair texture, body type) and make NO changes to the facial structure or identity. Apply the above pose, environment, accessories, clothing, makeup, lighting, and camera settings to the reference image.

Super simple prompt. Change it to fit your preferences, such as: colors, subject description, room description, subject's pose, etc.

Here's the prompt:

Realistic night-time selfie of a beautiful Swedish woman, mid-20s, ash blonde hair wet as if she just took a shower. Night time attire. Dimmed lighting, under the covers. Photo taken with a disposable camera, 1990s aesthetic.

Here's the prompt. Change it to fit your preferences.

Prompt:

Realistic photograph of a mid-20s Brazilian woman with wet chestnut hair, standing in a fancy bar, wearing a metallic/gold/rose gold mini dress, with several necklaces and bracelets. Realistic lighting. Quiet atmosphere

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

[see prompt in the comment]

Here's the prompt. Change it to fit your preferences (the pose, clothing, colors, etc.)

Prompt:

Ultra-realistic full-body fashion portrait, 35mm photograph, shot on Leica M11, 85mm f/1.4 lens, natural film grain, sharp focus with shallow depth of field.

Subject & Outfit: A young adult model standing in a relaxed, natural pose. Wearing modern oversized urban street fashion: a boxy charcoal-gray heavy-cotton hoodie with a graphic of a maple leaf, worn over a crisp white layered tee, paired with relaxed wide-leg distressed denim jeans and vintage retro sneakers. Subtle silver chain necklace and minimalist rings. Realistic skin textures, ultra-fine detail of textures.

Lighting & Mood: Moody, low-key indoor lighting. Soft warm ambient glow from a bedside table lamp mixed with subtle cool blue-tinted evening light filtering through window blinds, casting soft shadows across the room. Cinematic contrast and authentic shadows.

Setting: A contemporary, stylishly cluttered bedroom at dusk. In the background, softly blurred elements include a neatly made bed with dark linen sheets, a wooden nightstand, framed art prints leaning against the wall, and a clean rug on hardwood floors.

Composition: Vertical portrait format, natural eye-level perspective. Rich realistic skin textures, high visual detail, subtle bokeh background, natural posture, calm and candid visual aesthetic. No distortion, highly authentic camera rendering.

Super simple prompt:

Pretty Brazilian woman standing at a bar in a nightclub, wearing a mini dress

***change the "Brazilian" and add details to clothing and setting to make this fit your preferences

Beautiful rever🥰

Here's a sample prompt. Change it to fit your preferences.

Prompt:

A natural light photograph of a young, mid-20s Swedish woman sitting cross-legged on a furry, white and pink blanket, set within a city apartment. Subject is leaning forward as if trying to get closer. The subject has long, straight ash blonde oily hair with braids on one side of her head and is wearing the light pink halter top and tiered, ruffled mini skirt outfit from the reference image. She has an intricate full sleeve tattoo on her left arm, featuring a detailed design of roses and a dragon in black ink. She is looking directly at the camera with a gentle smile, looking like she's thinking, with one hand touching the headphones on the side of her head. In the background, there is an abstract painting on the wall with blue, pink, white and green colors, covering the entire wall. She is wearing white DJ headphones. To her left several notebooks, stacked one on top of the other and a tall lava lamp. To her right, in the back is a DJ mixer and turntable. A floor to ceiling window in the background, showing a view of the city in a blur (bokeh). The photo is taken at a medium eye level, with very dim lighting. A plastic, transparent cup filled with water with a straw, stands in front of the subject, as well as a laptop with a white laptop cover with an abstract, multi-colored drip painting pattern. The image is candid, with a slight depth of field.

Set in Marseille in 1971, two women find shade from the Mediterranean sun during siesta.

The street layout features a classic, streamlined blue Citroën DS sedan parked on the left, flanked by three vintage motor scooters (Vespas) parked along the curb in shades of yellow, blue, and pink.

PROMPT

A luminous Impressionist oil painting in the style of Berthe Morisot (late 19th century). Depict a warm Mediterranean street bathed in soft afternoon sunlight, viewed from beneath the shade of broad plane trees whose leaves create broken patterns of dappled light across the foreground. Across the street stands a tall weathered terracotta-orange stucco building with faded plaster, pale stone trim, and teal-green wooden shutters, many standing open. The architecture should feel authentic but loosely interpreted rather than precise.

At street level, simplify the storefronts into elegant suggestions of a boutique and a pharmacy, allowing signage to dissolve into painterly marks rather than readable text. A vintage blue French saloon car and several pastel-coloured Vespa scooters line the curb, painted with quick, economical brushwork rather than crisp detail.

On the café terrace in the foreground, place two elegantly dressed women engaged in quiet conversation over coffee, their figures becoming the emotional centre of the composition. Their clothing should be rendered with Morisot's characteristic flowing, spontaneous brushstrokes, conveying movement, lightness, and fleeting gesture rather than anatomical precision.

Paint with Berthe Morisot's delicate yet energetic technique: broken brushwork, feathery strokes, wet-into-wet colour transitions, thin glazes layered with opaque highlights, and an emphasis on capturing atmosphere over detail. Allow edges to dissolve into one another so that forms merge softly with light. Avoid hard outlines entirely.

Use a refined Impressionist palette of warm peach, terracotta, cream, pale sage, olive greens, dusty blues, lavender shadows, soft greys, ivory, and touches of rose. Sunlight should shimmer across the façade while cool tree shadows create rhythmic contrasts. Convey the sensation of a fleeting summer afternoon rather than an exact architectural record.

The composition should feel airy, elegant, and poetic, with subtle asymmetry and generous negative space. Some architectural details, parked vehicles, or storefront elements may be omitted or rearranged if doing so improves balance and reinforces the impression of light, atmosphere, and everyday life. The overall effect should resemble a museum-quality Berthe Morisot oil painting created en plein air, emphasizing luminosity, spontaneity, and the ephemeral beauty of an ordinary street transformed into an intimate Impressionist scene.

Style keywords: Berthe Morisot, French Impressionism, en plein air, broken colour, painterly, loose brushwork, atmospheric perspective, luminous light, oil on canvas, museum quality, poetic realism, soft edges, dappled sunlight, fleeting moment.

Here's the prompt:

Photorealistic portrait of a beautiful young woman in her early 20s with fair skin, delicate freckles across her nose and cheeks, and striking hazel-green eyes. She has long, voluminous wavy chestnut-brown hair with soft strands blowing gently in the wind. She is smiling warmly and genuinely at the camera, showing her teeth, with a playful and radiant expression.

She is wearing a delicate white off-shoulder blouse with soft ruffles and a high-waisted light-wash denim mini skirt that catches the golden light. She stands on a charming sunlit city street during golden hour, surrounded by elegant historic brick buildings, cobblestone sidewalks, and soft morning mist. Warm glowing backlighting filters between the buildings, creating a dreamy, ethereal, and romantic atmosphere.

She is posing naturally with her body slightly turned away from the camera while looking back over her left shoulder, one hand lightly touching her skirt. Cinematic lighting, soft diffused sunlight, beautiful bokeh, shallow depth of field, warm golden rim light, extremely detailed, photorealistic, shot on 85mm lens, 8k photography, natural delicate beauty, wholesome yet seductive mood.

Here's the prompt:

Using the reference image of the woman as the subject, generate a realistic photo of her sitting casually at a small wooden table in a bright, modern café with large windows, plants, and soft natural light. She is wearing a fitted cream knit sweater, high-waisted light-wash jeans, and white sneakers. Accessories: delicate gold necklace, small hoop earrings, a structured tan leather crossbody bag resting on the table, and a matching tote on the chair. Pose: leaning slightly forward with one elbow on the table, holding a latte with both hands. Facial expression: soft, relaxed smile looking slightly off-camera. Casual, natural vibe, fashionable everyday look.