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This guide will cover some of the common setbacks in early image generation.
Vague or Unspecific Prompts
A text prompt is one of the most foundational elements to image generation. Length of prompt, syntax, and order of words all effect the image output. Using a generic or broad prompt can lead to uninspiring results. Detailed, specific prompts with descriptions of subject, setting, mood, and style produce better results.
Overloading Prompts with Too Many or Conflicting Details
While juxtaposition can be used with complex AI generation, it's best practice while starting out to give the AI clear direction as to the direction and aesthetic you are seeking. Try starting with main subjects and gradually add in.
Ignoring Composition, Layout, and Perspective
These crucial elements can push the AI past standard art styles. Specifying composition and viewpoint will control the scene and framing. Like many of the other examples here, using another AI can be of benefit if this is new and unfamiliar, asking a chat AI for text prompts and specifying what you are looking for can expedite the process of perfecting a prompt. You can ask for lists of similar or varied prompts and try them and provide the chat feedback to correct or clean up your images.
Not Defining an Art Style or Visual Reference
This can be done through text prompting such as assigning a clear art medium or style. Image to image generation is another option. Image to image is the process of uploading a photo as the reference for the AI to remix a new image, the Denoise strength is the amount of adherence to the original image.
AI Limitations with Human Anatomy
While the AI models continue to improve yearly, common issues include number of fingers on each hand (four or six etc.) and extra limbs. Reformatting your prompt, and post generation image editing are options. The AI will sometimes add unwanted things such as random letters or text, prompting (wordless) is the type of workaround that can assist improving your results.
Lighting, Color, and Mood Details
Including lighting conditions and palettes brings depth and atmospherics to your scene. If you do not specify, the AI will produce regular results.
Content Restrictions and Prompt Blocking
Some content like violence, gore, and some kinds of pornography may be blocked or flagged due to policies against underage content, deepfakes, or protected names. Following terms of service can lead to image generation one day and blocked prompts the next due to policy changes. This is a part of the evolving technology and is unavoidable with online image generation.
Expecting Perfection from the First Image
AI image generation is a new technology and has many points of control by the end user in terms of variance for the image output. Understanding the tools and their capabilities will lead to a less frustrating experience and closer to the images you envision.
Mastery comes from iterative refinement, using both positive and negative prompts to guide the AI. While AI image generation can sometimes produce unexpected or imperfect results (particularly with complex scenes or human anatomy), these challenges can be overcome through practice, and exploration of advanced features.
Beginners should approach AI image creation as a learning process: starting simple, experimenting frequently, and gradually adding complexity, style, and nuance. Progress comes from learning what works and what needs improvement with each image generation, it is a continual process. Civitai is a community full of guides, tools, LoRas, gifts of limitless artistic expression, enjoy the process making the art as much as the end result.