Different AI models interpret your words in unique ways, much like different artists have their own styles. Let's understand the major players:

• DALL·E: OpenAI's model excels at creative concepts but trends toward illustration-style outputs

• MidJourney: Discord-based AI known for stunning artistic quality and photorealism with minimal tweaking

• Stable Diffusion: Open-source model offering maximum customization for those willing to adjust settings

• Runway Gen-2: Creates smooth, cinematic camera movements but sometimes misses specific prompt details

• Pika Labs: Closely follows complex instructions and allows image+text inputs for greater control

• Sora: OpenAI's upcoming model shows fewer artifacts and more realistic motion physics

When you type a prompt, the AI breaks it down into concepts and searches its training data for matching patterns. A vague prompt like "a cat" gives the AI minimal guidance, while "a Persian cat with blue eyes sitting on a Victorian chair beside a window during golden hour" provides rich details to work with.

Example to start with:

A tiger in a forest

Try expanding it slightly to:

A Bengal tiger walking through a misty jungle

Every effective prompt addresses these five key elements:

1. Subject: The main focus (person, object, scene)

   • Bad: "A woman"

   • Better: "A female astronaut"

   • Best: "A mid-30s female astronaut with short brown hair"

2. Style: The medium or aesthetic approach

   • Options: Photography, oil painting, 3D render, anime, pencil sketch, etc.

   • Add qualifiers: "Photorealistic," "impressionist," "in the style of Studio Ghibli"

3. Details: Distinctive attributes that anchor the scene

   • Environment: Weather, time of day, era, location specifics

   • Props/Clothing: Important objects, distinctive attire, textures

   • Example: "wearing a white spacesuit with NASA patches, holding a helmet"

4. Mood: The emotional tone or atmosphere

   • Options: Serene, ominous, joyful, melancholic, energetic

   • Create through: Lighting descriptions, color palettes, weather effects

5. Composition: The framing and arrangement

   • Camera angle: Low angle, eye-level, aerial view

   • Shot type: Close-up, medium shot, wide landscape

   • Perspective: First-person view, side profile, three-quarters view

Today's Exercise: Take the animal prompt from section 1 and systematically enhance it by addressing all five elements.

Example structure:

A majestic Bengal tiger with piercing amber eyes walking through a misty tropical jungle at dawn, photorealistic wildlife photography, with dewdrops on large monstera leaves and mist curling around ancient tree trunks, creating a serene yet mysterious atmosphere. Wide shot with the tiger positioned on the left side of the frame, shot with a telephoto lens.

Wrapping Up: Your AI Prompting Journey Understanding how AI interprets prompts is the key to getting the best results. By refining your descriptions and experimenting with different models, you gain greater control over the images they generate.