Mastering AI Image & Video Prompting

Fine-Tune Your Results with Expert Methods

Today we explore sophisticated techniques that professional prompt engineers use to achieve precise control over AI outputs.

1. Prompt Weighting

Different AI tools offer ways to emphasize or de-emphasize certain elements in your prompt:

MidJourney Weighting:

• Use double colons (::) followed by a number

• Example: a forest landscape::2 with a small cabin::0.5

• This makes the forest twice as important and the cabin half as important

Stable Diffusion Weighting:

• Use parentheses with weight values

Example:

(detailed clouds:1.3) in a (sunset sky:1.2) over a (mountain:0.8)

• Values over 1.0 increase importance, under 1.0 decrease importance

When to use weighting:

• When certain elements are being ignored or dominated

• To emphasize style over content (or vice versa)

• To balance multiple competing elements

A (detailed portrait:1.3) of a (young woman:1.1) with (flowing red hair:1.2) wearing (simple white dress:0.8) in a (meadow:0.7) with (wildflowers:0.9)

This prioritizes the portrait details and hair while reducing emphasis on the clothing and setting.

2. Negative Prompts

Negative prompts tell the AI what to avoid, helping eliminate common problems:

Common negative prompt elements:

• Technical flaws: blurry, pixelated, low quality, jpeg artifacts

• Anatomical issues: deformed hands, extra fingers, bad anatomy, disfigured

• Unwanted elements: text, watermark, signature, frame, border

• Style avoidance: cartoon, anime, painting (when you want photorealism)

Example negative prompt for a portrait:

🎨 Prompt:

A majestic fantasy warrior dog, a white and silver Labrador-Golden Retriever mix, standing heroically in a glowing forest at sunset. The dog is upright on two legs, wearing ornate, detailed silver armor with intricate engravings, a flowing deep blue cape, and holding a glowing sword with runes etched into the blade. The atmosphere is cinematic, with golden light filtering through the trees and casting dramatic shadows. Realistic textures on fur and armor, with high detail and lifelike proportions. The style is realistic fantasy, with a touch of epic grandeur.

🚫 Negative prompt:

deformed iris, asymmetric eyes, extra fingers, fewer fingers, bad hands, missing limbs, text, watermark, signature, blurry, unrealistic proportions, bad anatomy, oversaturated colors, mutated features, poorly rendered paws, disfigured muzzle, distorted body

How to use negative prompts:

• In Stable Diffusion: Enter in the negative prompt field

• In DALL·E 3: Add "Please don't include [unwanted elements]"

• In MidJourney: Use --no parameter (e.g., --no text, --no hands)

3. Multi-Modal Prompting

Combining text with reference images for greater control:

Image-to-Image techniques:

• Reference images for style: "Create in the style of this image: [image]"

• Reference images for composition: "Use this layout but change the subject to [new subject]"

• Reference images for pose: "Keep this pose but change the setting to [new setting]"

Advanced applications:

• Providing a rough sketch for layout guidance

• Using a color palette image to define the color scheme

• Supplying a mood board of multiple reference images

Example multi-modal workflow:

1. Find a reference image with your desired composition

2. Write a detailed text prompt describing your vision

3. Use both together, instructing the AI to "maintain the composition of the reference but apply my text description"

4. Iterative Refinement

Professional results often come from multiple rounds of generation and refinement:

Inpainting process:

1. Generate an initial image

2. Identify problematic areas (e.g., distorted hands)

3. Mask/erase just that area

4. Provide a focused prompt for that section (e.g., "realistic human hand holding a cup")

5. AI regenerates only the masked area while preserving the rest

Outpainting process:

1. Generate a core image

2. Expand the canvas in your desired direction

3. Prompt the AI to extend the scene (e.g., "continue the forest landscape to the left")

Progressive enhancement:

1. Start with a basic prompt for composition

2. Use the result as a reference image

3. Add more detailed prompts in subsequent generations

4. Refine specific elements with targeted prompts

Today's Exercise: Take your best prompt so far and enhance it using at least one advanced control technique.

Example with multiple techniques:

Basic prompt:

A portrait of a woman in a garden

Enhanced with weighting and negative prompting:

A (photorealistic portrait:1.4) of a (young woman:1.2) with (gentle smile:1.1) and (flowing brown hair:1.3) in a (botanical garden:0.9) with (soft bokeh:1.1) and (dappled sunlight:1.2) Negative prompt: deformed eyes, extra fingers, bad hands, blurry, unrealistic skin, text, watermark, oversaturated, bad anatomy

Resources & Professional Development

Subject: Your Continued Journey to Mastery

Congratulations on completing this comprehensive course! Today we'll explore resources for continued growth and provide strategies for developing your unique prompt engineering style.

Community Resources

Forums & Social Platforms:

• Reddit communities: r/StableDiffusion, r/MidJourneyAI, r/AIArt

• Discord servers: MidJourney official, DALL·E, Stable Diffusion WebUI

• Twitter/Instagram: Follow hashtags like #AIArt, #StableDiffusion, #MidJourney

Learning Platforms:

• YouTube channels: Learn valuable techniques from creators like:

  • "Olivio Sarikas" for Stable Diffusion tutorials

  • "Nick St. Pierre" for MidJourney masterclasses

  • "AI Revolution" for latest model reviews

Prompt Libraries & Galleries:

• PromptHero: Search engine for successful prompts across multiple AI tools

• Lexica.art: Searchable gallery of Stable Diffusion images with their prompts

• MidJourney Showcase: Official collection of outstanding examples

Developing Your Professional Workflow

Creating a Personal Prompt Library:

• Keep a document or spreadsheet of your successful prompts

• Organize by categories (portraits, landscapes, concepts, etc.)

• Note which techniques worked best for specific outcomes

Project-Based Approach:

• Define clear visual goals before starting

• Break complex images into manageable components

• Document your process for future reference and improvement

Iterative Method for Professional Results:

1. Start with composition prompt (basic scene setup)

2. Refine with style and mood elements

3. Add technical specifications for quality

4. Apply negative prompts to eliminate problems

5. Use inpainting for targeted fixes

6. Final polish with post-processing if needed

Ethical Considerations

As you develop your skills, remember these important ethical guidelines:

• Respect copyright and artist styles (avoid directly copying living artists)

• Consider the implications of realistic human images (consent, privacy)

• Be transparent about AI-generated content when sharing commercially

• Use content warnings when generating potentially sensitive imagery

Final Challenge: Create Your Masterpiece

Today's Exercise: Create your most ambitious prompt yet, incorporating elements from every lesson in this course.

Example comprehensive prompt:

A cinematic portrait of an elderly Japanese master swordsmith in his traditional forge, captured with an 85mm lens at f/2.0 aperture. Dramatic side lighting from the glowing forge fire creates strong Rembrandt lighting pattern on his concentrated face, with sparks from hammering visible in midair. Deep shadows transitioning to warm highlights, with a complementary color palette of orange firelight against teal-blue shadows. Extreme detail showing the texture of his weathered hands, the Damascus patterns on the blade, and beads of sweat reflecting the firelight. Rule of thirds composition with the smith positioned on the right vertical line, with foreground elements of tools creating depth. Photorealistic style with subtle film grain texture reminiscent of Kodak Portra 800, shot in 8K resolution. Negative prompt: deformed hands, unrealistic anatomy, blurry, extra fingers, anime style, cartoon, oversaturated colors, text, watermark, bad proportions.

Continuing Your Journey

This five part course has given you a solid foundation, but prompt engineering is an evolving art. Here are ways to keep growing:

1. Daily practice: Set creative challenges to strengthen different skills

2. Analyze great prompts: Reverse-engineer impressive AI art you find online

3. Experiment with new models: Each AI update brings new capabilities

4. Share your work: Get feedback from the community to refine your approach

5. Teach others: Explaining techniques helps solidify your own understanding

Remember: The most powerful prompts combine technical precision with creative vision. As AI models evolve, your prompting skills will become an increasingly valuable creative asset!