How to Create Better AI Images: A Practical Guide to Prompting, Editing, and Refining

ai

arnold on Sep 20, 2025

Introduction

When it comes to generating images with AI, most people fall into one of two camps. One group opens a tool, types something vague like “a sunset over a mountain,” hits generate, and hopes for the best. The other skips AI altogether and heads straight to Canva or a stock photo site, settling for whatever looks close enough to the idea in their head.

Neither approach produces consistently useful images.

This guide is about a more intentional way to create—one that gives you control over what the image looks like, how it feels, and where it fits into your content. I’ll walk you through how to choose the right AI image tool, how to structure a strong prompt, when to upload a reference image, and how to refine the results until they’re exactly what you need.

If you’ve ever wasted time digging through stock photo libraries or ended up using a placeholder that wasn’t quite right, this article will show you how to build the image you actually wanted—on your own terms.

Most Popular Models for AI Image Generation

First of all, let’s start with the tools themselves. Before you can generate anything, you need to pick the right platform—and that decision matters. Some tools are built for quick, conversational prompts. Others are designed for polished, brand-ready layouts. A few offer deeper creative control, while others focus on speed and simplicity.

This breakdown will give you a clear starting point. I’ve grouped the top AI image generators based on how they work and what they’re best at—whether you want to experiment with style, create custom product shots, or just replace your go-to stock photo site.

Conversational / Chat-Based Tools

• ChatGPT (GPT‑4o or GPT‑5 with image tools)
• Google Gemini (2.5 Flash / “Nano Banana”)

Template-&-Design Platforms

• Canva Magic Media
• Microsoft Designer
• Adobe Firefly (including Photoshop / Express)

Creative Workstation Tools

• Leonardo AI
• MidJourney

Open Ecosystems / Developer Tools

• Stable Diffusion (SDXL, SD3)
• Playground AI
• FLUX.1 (Black Forest Labs)
• Ideogram

How to Think Through an AI Image Before You Generate It

Before you type your first prompt into ChatGPT or Gemini, it helps to stop and think about the kind of image you’re actually trying to create. Not just the subject, but the angle, layout, lighting, and feel of the image. If you go in without a plan, you’re likely to get something that looks like generic stock photography.

This section walks you through five key creative choices that will help you get better results—more aligned with your project, more visually consistent, and more usable in the format you need.

Specific or Broad? It Depends.

You don’t need to include every possible detail in your prompt—but you do need to be intentional. If you’re too vague (“a person in a park”), you’ll get something that looks vague. If you’re too specific (“a 34-year-old man with a green umbrella standing 3 feet from a wooden bench…”), the model might overload or miss the point.

The goal is to provide clear direction without micromanaging. Focus on the five elements below—these shape the image more than anything else.

Five Key Elements to Consider Before You Generate

What Each Element Means

Aspect Ratio / Output

This defines the shape and layout of the image. A square image (1:1) works well on Instagram. A tall image (4:5 or 9:16) is better for stories or print posters. A wide format (16:9) is ideal for YouTube thumbnails, websites, or banners. You can also request transparent backgrounds or high-res images if you’re using the output for mockups or print.

Camera Angle

This shapes how the viewer relates to the subject. Looking down (high angle) makes a subject feel small or soft. Looking up (low angle) makes the subject feel strong or heroic. Eye-level feels balanced. Over-the-shoulder adds narrative. Flat lays or top-down angles are perfect for product and food photography.

Style / Medium

Do you want it to look like a photo? A watercolor painting? A Pixar-style animation? A comic book? The style you choose will change the color palette, textures, and framing of the entire image. Choose one that fits the tone of your message or brand.

Lighting

Lighting sets the tone. Golden hour is warm and nostalgic. Studio lighting is polished and clean. Moody lighting adds shadows and depth. Harsh lighting feels gritty or raw. You don’t need to be a photographer to make smart lighting choices—just ask yourself what feeling the light should give off.

Active Subject

This means your subject is doing something. It doesn’t have to be dramatic—it could be as simple as looking at a phone, tying a shoe, or walking through a room. Even small actions create realism and movement in the image. A person just “standing there” almost always looks flat unless you specify a gesture or interaction.

Use This Prompt to Build a Prompt

You don’t have to remember all of this every time. Instead, here’s a single ChatGPT prompt you can copy and paste. It will ask you six simple questions—one at a time—to help you build a full image prompt.

Using Reference Images to Guide Your AI-Generated Visuals

In a lot of cases, uploading a reference image makes the difference between a decent result and something that actually matches your vision. Whether you’re trying to control the layout, match a character, keep the pose, or build off your own sketch, a reference image helps ground the AI in something specific—so it doesn’t have to guess.

Think of it like this: writing a prompt without a reference is like giving someone a verbal description of a face. Writing a prompt with a reference is like handing them a photo. Much easier to work from.

What is a reference image?

A reference image is any photo, sketch, layout, or visual idea you upload alongside your text prompt. The AI will use it as a visual guide for composition, subject, style, lighting, or consistency—depending on how you frame the request and which tool you’re using.

You don’t need to explain every detail in your prompt when your reference already shows it.

When should you use one?

You should consider uploading a reference image when:

• You want to keep a subject consistent across multiple images (e.g. a character, a mascot, or a product)
• You’re trying to match a pose, face, or clothing style
• You’ve already created a layout, moodboard, or collage
• You’re working from a sketch or rough concept and want to develop it into a full scene
• You want to mimic the style or vibe of a particular image without copying the exact subject

Can you use a sketch as a reference?

Yes—and it works surprisingly well.

If you’ve sketched something on paper, in Canva, in Procreate, or even on a whiteboard, you can upload that image and tell the AI what it is. For example:

Use this sketch as a layout. Fill in the scene with a realistic version in soft pastel colors and natural light.

You don’t have to be good at drawing. Even stick figures and simple block shapes help communicate composition, spacing, and interaction between elements.

What else can you upload as a reference?

Besides sketches, you can also upload:

• Photos of real people or objects
  Great for character consistency, outfit matching, or product context.
• Moodboards or inspiration collages
  Combine colors, textures, fonts, and vibes into one image. Gemini does especially well interpreting collages with labels or arrows.
• Other AI-generated images
  Found something you liked in a previous run? Upload it again and ask the model to continue from it, zoom out, change the background, or keep the same subject in a new setting.
• UI mockups or wireframes
  If you’re working on an app or product and need the image to fit inside a layout, upload your wireframe and ask the AI to build an image that matches the space.

Best practices for reference images

• Use clean, uncluttered images for best results.
• Choose high-contrast images where the subject stands out from the background.
• Don’t expect the AI to copy the image exactly—it interprets, it doesn’t duplicate.
• If you’re combining multiple elements (like a person, background, and prop), try creating a rough collage and uploading that as one reference image.

Reference images aren’t just helpful—they’re often the fastest way to communicate what you want visually, especially when words fall short. If you’re generating anything with a consistent character, complex layout, or specific visual style, start with a reference image whenever you can.

Extra Tips and Tricks from Power Users

By now you’ve picked a model, structured your image, and written a clear prompt. But once you start generating images regularly, you’ll find there are small tricks that can make a big difference in the results you get. These are the kinds of things you don’t learn from the official documentation—you pick them up by experimenting, watching others, and seeing what actually works in the real world.

Here are some of the most helpful tips I pulled from advanced creators and power users across YouTube, Reddit, and my own testing:

Don’t just generate—iterate

The first image you get is rarely the best one. Use it as a draft. Adjust the lighting. Try a different angle. Make the subject more active. You’ll often get a more usable image on your second or third version—not because the first one was wrong, but because you learned something from it.

Use negative prompts when supported

Some tools (like MidJourney and Stable Diffusion) support what’s called a “negative prompt.” This lets you tell the model what you don’t want. For example:

• “—no text”
• “—no people”
• “—no dark shadows”

This is especially useful when you keep getting unwanted elements in your scene—like extra hands, cluttered objects, or weird lighting.

Build consistent characters by staying in the same thread

ChatGPT and Gemini both remember context within a single conversation. That means if you generate a character and you want that same character in multiple images, just keep chatting in the same thread. You can say things like “Make her sit on a bench” or “Put him in front of a bookstore,” and the model will usually remember the look and style.

If you start a new chat, you’ll often lose that consistency.

Let lighting carry the mood

If you’re not sure how to make an image feel more emotional or more professional—start with the lighting. Cool light feels distant. Warm light feels friendly. Backlighting feels dramatic. Flat lighting feels clean. You don’t have to be a photographer to use this—you just need to decide how the image should feel.

Proof in-image text and logos carefully

Even though tools like ChatGPT and Ideogram are getting better at rendering text inside images, they still make mistakes. Misspellings, gibberish, and layout errors are common. Always zoom in and double-check every letter before using it in a professional setting.

If the image is perfect but the text is wrong, you can always edit it later using Canva, Photoshop, or another design tool.

Use AI to help you write better prompts

If you’re stuck, go meta. Ask ChatGPT something like:

Can you rewrite this prompt to be more effective for image generation?

Or:

Act as a professional prompt engineer and improve this MidJourney prompt.

Sometimes, the best prompts don’t come from you—they come from asking the AI how to write better prompts.

Advanced Tricks and Creative Techniques

Once you’re comfortable writing prompts and generating solid results, there’s a whole next level of control available—if you know where to look. These advanced tricks are used by artists, designers, and AI power users to get sharper, more consistent, and more creative outputs. Many of these aren’t obvious until you’ve spent hours testing different settings—or watching someone else do it.

Seed Numbers (for repeatable results)

A seed is a number that controls the randomness of the image generation. Using the same prompt and the same seed will usually give you the same result every time. It’s useful when you want to tweak small details without losing the overall structure of an image.

Works in: MidJourney, Leonardo AI, Stable Diffusion, DaVinci

Example: Generate a product image with different lighting while keeping the pose the same by locking the seed.

Remix Mode (MidJourney)

Remix Mode lets you change part of a prompt while keeping the composition of the original image. It’s ideal for swapping out objects, changing colors, or testing different variations without losing your layout.

How to use: Enable Remix Mode in MidJourney settings, click “Make Variations,” and then update the prompt.

Custom Prompt Weighting

Want to prioritize one part of the prompt over another? Some tools let you weight specific phrases so the model knows what matters most.

Example: a cat::2 in a thunderstorm::0.5 – Emphasizes the cat more than the background weather.

Supported by: MidJourney, Stable Diffusion, and some ComfyUI workflows.

Prompt Chaining (Multi-Step Generation)

Instead of writing one long prompt, break it into smaller steps. Start with a base image, then keep refining it with additional instructions. This approach gives you more control over details and lets you build your image like a scene or photo shoot.

Example:

• Step 1: “Create a cozy reading nook with a window seat.”
• Step 2: “Zoom out to show more of the room and a dog lying nearby.”
• Step 3: “Adjust the lighting to golden hour.”

Image Interpolation (for animations)

If you generate two different images, some tools let you animate between them using interpolation. This is how creators make AI-driven video clips or smooth transitions between frames.

Works in: Cling, Runway, Leonardo Motion, and Deforum (Stable Diffusion)

Instruct-to-Image Prompting

Instead of describing a full image, you can give the model instructions on how to change something—just like you’d talk to a photo editor.

Example: “Make the background darker.” or “Add fog.”

Works in: ChatGPT (with brush editing), Google Gemini, DaVinci

Chaos / Variation Controls

Some tools let you control how much variation you want in your results. Low chaos = more predictable. High chaos = more unexpected creativity.

MidJourney command: --chaos 0–100

Pose Guidance with ControlNet or Scribble Input

Advanced tools like ControlNet allow you to guide pose or layout using stick figures, edge detection, or depth maps. You can literally draw a rough outline and tell the model to follow it.

Works in: Stable Diffusion (with ControlNet), Leonardo AI (pose input), Gemini (with labeled references)

View Prompt Metadata

When you see an image you like, some tools let you view the exact prompt, seed, model, and settings that generated it. You can copy or remix from there.

Works in: MidJourney, Leonardo AI, Stable Diffusion front-ends

Stylize Settings (MidJourney)

This setting controls how much “style” MidJourney adds on top of your prompt. Higher stylize values make the image more expressive and abstract, while lower values make it more literal.

Command: --stylize 0–1000

Final Thoughts: Build, Don’t Settle

The real value of AI image generation isn’t about clicking a button and hoping for the best—it’s about creating visuals that support your message, match your style, and serve a purpose. When you plan your image intentionally—by thinking through layout, lighting, camera angle, style, and subject—you shift from experimenting to actually creating.

You don’t need to master every model or memorize every trick. Start with one image. Use the six-question prompt builder. Add a reference image if you have one. Then refine. Small changes often lead to big improvements.

This isn’t about replacing design—it’s about speeding up your creative process and giving you control over the images that represent your work. So skip the stock photo site. Build the image you actually need.

You now have the tools. Time to use them.