Prompt Crafting Guide

Prompt Structure

Semantic Layers
Structure your prompt from broad strokes to fine details

Layer 1: Subject & Action

Start with the main subject and what it's doing. Cross-attention focuses first on early tokens.

"A glass astronaut sipping espresso"

Layer 2: Composition & Camera

Define the view and framing. Shapes global layout in early denoising steps.

"full-body, three-quarter view, shot on 35mm"

Layer 3: Lighting & Mood

Set the atmosphere. Affects mid-steps when refining shading.

"soft rim light, moody twilight"

Layer 4: Style & Medium

Define the artistic style. Guides texture in later denoising passes.

"in the style of Syd Mead, digital painting"

Advanced Techniques

Using Prompt Weights
Control the influence of different elements

Use parentheses and colon syntax to boost or reduce the influence of specific elements:

(sci-fi cockpit:1.3) - boosts by 30%

[cat] - reduces influence

((detailed)) - doubles the emphasis

Example Templates

Product Photography

<product>, centered on plain backdrop, studio strobe with softbox key, 50mm DSLR, f/2.8 bokeh, photorealistic, high-detail texture, --neg busy background, logo

Concept Art

(ancient megastructure city:1.2), vast scale, tiny explorer in foreground, dynamic low-angle view, cinematic dusk, volumetric light shafts, painted in the style of John Harris and Ian McQue, brushy strokes, 4K, --neg text, watermark

Troubleshooting

Common Issues & Solutions

Issue: Repeating Motifs

Cause: CFG too high
Fix: Drop scale 2-3 points

Issue: Washed-out Colors

Cause: Style tokens misplaced early
Fix: Move style adjectives later

Issue: Garbled Details

Cause: Token conflict or overloaded prompt
Fix: Add targeted negative prompt

Issue: Ignored Layout

Cause: Subject buried mid-prompt
Fix: Move key nouns to start, add weight

Next: Explore our Examples to see these techniques in action.