.jpeg)
This short guide is based on my own image-generation experience, as well as information i find on the WEB 🤓👆
According to lodestones:
“Aesthetic 1–11 is an official Chroma tag used during training.”
For more information about this tag, you can chek out THIS link.
Also, here’s a link to my other guide, where I briefly cover some general recommendations for using Chroma.
🧠What this tag Does
Using this tag is not mandatory — Chroma can already generate amazing images without it.
However, the quality of those images can sometimes be random, so if you want more control and consistency, the aesthetic tag helps.
Lower values (0–7) → look more flat, less detailed, amateur, raw, or natural
Mid-high values (7–11) → show improved shading, stronger contrast, and richer colors, giving a more professional and polished look.
⚠️ Tip
Keep it between 7–10.aesthetic 11 can sometimes produce an AI-sloppy or over-processed look, while 10 may “mutate” into 11 automatically depending on context.
I noticed that the aesthetic tag has a stronger effect on stylized images than on photorealistic generations.
Also, if your image already looks good without the aesthetic tag, you might not need it at all — it can be useless or even make the final image worse.
⚙️ Important Note
While aesthetic (1–11) can stabilize style and improve consistency, be careful when using it in complex or long prompts it may cause:
Concept bleeding (mixed or confused subjects)
Weaker adherence to detailed descriptions
🧩 Visual Comparison
Below are example images showing the difference without the tag and with aesthetic 1–11 applied, to illustrate how it affects quality, tone, and stability.
Open the image in a new tab and zoom in to better see the difference.
⚠️ All images were made without any LoRAs, just raw Chroma
Below are examples showing two images — one without the aesthetic tag and one with aesthetic 11.
Prompt:
aesthetic 11, painterly, digital_media_(artwork), absurd_res, dark_fantasy. A close-up portrait of a solemn warrior with wet black hair clinging to his face, illuminated by faint reflections of deep blue light. His skin is pale, cold, as though carved from stone, while his expression carries a heavy, mournful weight. He clutches a massive spear, its shaft running diagonally through the composition, painted with bold, textured strokes that suggest metal and water blending into one another.
The background swirls in abstract aquatic tones — deep indigos, fractured turquoise, and flickers of white resembling fractured lightning beneath the ocean. His armor, fragmented and corroded, fuses medieval motifs with alien shapes, as though eroded by time and tides. Painterly textures dominate the canvas, every stroke carrying the weight of decay and beauty entwined.
Tiny glimmers of light shimmer like drowned stars in the shadows, adding a surreal, ethereal dimension. The atmosphere is heavy and mythic, evoking the feeling of a drowned god rising from forgotten depths, caught between life and memory. The palette leans into cold blues, silver greys, and faint streaks of gold, creating a haunting, melancholic grandeur.
Prompt:
aesthetic 11, a whimsical stylized painting of a tiny porcelain-like cat with orange and white patches, standing proudly with its striped tail raised high. The cat appears impossibly small, no larger than a teacup, yet it wanders through a vast, enchanted forest of colossal scale. Around it, towering blades of grass rise like trees, mushrooms loom overhead like ancient canopies, and ferns curl skyward like massive fronds.
The perspective exaggerates the cat’s minuteness: tree roots twist above its head like archways, and droplets of dew glisten like giant orbs of glass along mossy stones. Sunbeams break through the forest canopy, cascading down in monumental shafts of light, illuminating the little cat as if it were a mythical traveler in a primeval world.
Brushstrokes are playful and slightly surreal, blending painterly textures with delicate detail. The overall tone is whimsical, magical, and slightly dreamlike, evoking the feeling of a fairytale illustration where scale and reality bend around the fragile presence of the tiny feline.
Prompt:
aesthetic 11, digital_media_(artwork), concept_art, detailed, clear_details, stylized, vibrant colors.
A sunlit coastal fortress built of weathered red stone, perched on rocky cliffs above crystal-clear turquoise waters. A long arched bridge connects the mainland to the fortress, casting deep shadows onto the glowing sea below, where reefs and submerged rocks are visible through the water. Seagulls circle above in the bright blue sky, adding a sense of motion and life. Small figures of travelers walk across the bridge, giving scale to the monumental structure. The warm light of midday enhances the golden tones of the rocks and the serene, inviting atmosphere of the Mediterranean landscape.
Prompt:
aesthetic 11, cyberhorror, surreal portrait of a young woman with short hair, half-human half-android, mechanical lower face with exposed chrome machinery and glowing artificial teeth, futuristic cyborg design, gothic maid dress with lace collar, eerie cinematic lighting in teal and cyan glow, dark sci-fi atmosphere, hyper-detailed, sharp focus, unsettling yet beautiful, film grain.
Prompt:
aesthetic 8, watercolor_(artwork), traditional_media_(artwork), painting_(artwork), colorful, detailed, surreal, concept_art, character_design, illustration, inspired_by_formal_art
A whimsical watercolor painting of a young astronaut in a bulky, hand-decorated spacesuit covered with colorful star and patch motifs. The figure floats with calm grace, wearing a reflective helmet partially lifted to reveal a serene face framed by dark hair. Attached to the astronaut’s back is a futuristic spaceship-like jetpack with teal accents and mechanical wings, blending fantasy and sci-fi elements. In front of them hovers a glowing golden star with a cheerful, animated expression, surrounded by a dreamy field of scattered twinkling stars. The background is painted in loose washes of deep space tones — smoky grays, soft blacks, and hints of cosmic blue — creating a dreamy, atmospheric contrast with the bright, playful details of the suit. The overall style is expressive, painterly, and imaginative, evoking a sense of wonder and childlike adventure..
Prompt:
Aesthetic 11, An ultra-close-up, dark romantic portrait of a melancholic young officer, focusing only on his face. His pale skin is rendered with rich, expressive brushstrokes, giving a painterly, almost tactile oil painting texture. His downcast eyes are shadowed, with a faint glimmer of sorrow, while his lips are slightly parted in a silent sigh. The entire image has a heavy, painted look, as if captured on a coarse, aged canvas. Hints of his ornate military attire — fragments of gold embroidery and a muted red sash — barely peek through at the edges, fading into deep, velvety blacks. The lighting is dim and moody, with stark contrasts between shadow and faint highlights that carve his face with dramatic depth, enhancing the somber, introspective atmosphere. The background is fully dark, swallowing details into a void-like backdrop, making his face the sole focus of the frame. The color palette is subdued, dominated by muted ochres, deep crimsons, and aged gold, evoking a sense of melancholic grandeur and forgotten glory.
Below are examples which, in my opinion, don’t need the Aesthetic tag
Prompt:
aesthetic 11, A hyper-detailed baroque portrait of a noble knight, shown from the chest up, holding an ornate longsword with both hands. The knight’s armor is lavishly decorated with intricate golden filigree, floral engravings, and encrusted gemstones, blending seamlessly with blooming roses and dark crimson velvet. His ruffled, lace-trimmed collar frames his pale, aristocratic face, partially obscured in shadow, giving him a solemn, regal expression.
Every element of the armor gleams with a painterly, oil-on-canvas texture, rich in textures and opulent colors — deep greens, antique golds, and blood-red florals. His fingers, adorned with elaborate golden rings, grip the sword's lavishly decorated hilt with both elegance and authority.
The atmosphere is dark and dramatic, with chiaroscuro lighting that emphasizes the luxurious metallic and floral details, evoking the grandeur of Renaissance and Baroque portraiture. The entire image feels like a fusion of a royal portrait and a still-life painting, radiating an aura of power, decadence, and timeless nobility.
Prompt:
Aesthetic 11, digital_painting_(artwork), absurd_res, colorful, concept_art, detailed, whimsical village scene, ruined medieval stone tower merged with cozy house, red roof tiles, wooden beams, overgrown greenery, wildflowers and bushes scattered on the hill, fantasy character in blue hat and red cloak walking up the grassy path, birds flying in the sky, kite in the wind, bright daylight, clear blue sky, stylized hand-painted textures, warm and inviting fantasy illustration, Studio Ghibli inspired, storybook atmosphere, vibrant colors, painterly strokes, cinematic composition.
Prompt:
digital_media_(artwork), aesthetic 11, pixel_art, absurd_res, restricted_palette, high_contrast. A surreal desert landscape in pixel art style, limited colors: bright red sky, white ground, and deep blue shadows. A large ominous all-seeing eye dominates the sky, radiating beams of red light. In the foreground stands a blue cowboy figure with a wide-brimmed hat and poncho, gazing toward the giant eye. Rugged desert terrain with scattered plants and mesas in the distance.