You've decided to dive into AI art generation but don't know where to start with crafting prompts. Don't worry, we've got you covered. Coming up with the right prompt to get the creative juices flowing can be challenging. But with a few tips and templates, you'll be generating unique AI art in no time.
In this guide, we'll walk you through how to construct engaging prompts from scratch to produce the AI art you envision. You'll learn the do's and don'ts of writing prompts and see plenty of examples to get inspired. We even have ready-made templates you can simply fill in the blanks to create your own.
Get ready to unlock your creativity and bring your AI art ideas to life!
What Is AI Art and How Does It Work?
AI art generators use machine learning algorithms and deep neural networks to generate art. AI art involves using artificial intelligence to automate creative processes, producing images, music, websites, and more. To create AI art, artists write algorithms to "learn" a specific aesthetic by analyzing thousands of images.
AI art is art created by artificial intelligence. AI systems are trained on massive datasets of images where the AI learns patterns, styles, and techniques to generate new art in the same vein.
AI art generators create images. You provide the AI with prompts, like a descriptive phrase or theme, and it generates an image matching that prompt.
The key to AI art is the dataset used to train the algorithms. The AI learns directly from examples, so its knowledge and skills depend entirely on what data it's exposed to. Many AI art tools are open source, so artists can train the algorithms on their own datasets to develop a unique style.
AI will never match human creativity, but it's exciting to see what these systems can produce. AI art also brings up interesting questions about the nature of art and what it means to be an artist. As AI continues advancing, these questions will become even more pressing. But for now, AI art offers an intriguing glimpse into a creative future with artificial and human artists working side by side.
How To Craft an Effective AI Art Prompts
To generate visual art with AI, you need to start with a good prompt. Effective AI art prompts should give the model enough information to create something, but still leave room for creativity. Here are some tips for crafting effective AI art prompts:
Focus on being specific. Describe in detail the subject, shapes, colors, textures, patterns, and artistic styles you want to see. For example, instead of “a surreal landscape,” try “a surreal landscape with twisting trees, a bright red sun, and rippled purple mountains.” Keeping the language clear, concise and specific leads to better results.
Include references to other artworks. If there’s a particular artist's style you want to emulate, mention them by name. For example, "a cubist portrait in the style of Picasso." The AI has studied many artists and art movements, so giving it a reference point helps narrow down the possibilities.
Suggest a mood or emotion. Try prompts like "a melancholy seascape" or "a whimsical still life." Asking the AI to convey a certain feeling or tone in the work provides more creative direction.
Use open-ended phrasing. Rather than being too prescriptive, try prompts with open-ended phrasing like "a surreal landscape with unexpected details" or "an abstract portrait suggesting solitude." This gives the AI more room for improvisation.
Crafting effective AI art prompts is a balancing act. Provide enough details to spark the AI's creativity, but keep the prompt open-ended enough for surprise and whimsy. With experimentation, you'll get a feel for what level of specificity works best for different AI art models and styles. The key is in finding the right blend of direction and openness in your prompts.
Best Prompts for AI Art
The possibilities are endless when it comes to AI art prompts. Here are some of the best types of prompts to get you started:
Abstract concepts
Try prompts based on abstract ideas, emotions or experiences, like:
- Create an abstract painting depicting the feeling of joy
- Generate a surrealist landscape representing curiosity
- Design a futuristic cityscape symbolizing innovation
Mimic an artist's style
Imitating the style of a famous artist is a great way to generate creative AI art. Some examples:
- Create a Picasso-inspired portrait
- Generate a Van Gogh-style landscape with bright colors and thick brushstrokes
- Design a psychedelic artwork in the style of Salvador Dali
Explore art movements
Base your prompt on a particular art movement or era, e.g.:
- Create a pop art collage featuring items from 1950s American culture showcasing beautiful collages
- Generate an impressionist seascape with a color palette of blues and greens
- Design an art deco poster in the style of the 1920s with geometric shapes and patterns
Futuristic concepts
For prompts with a futuristic twist, try:
- Create a 3D rendering of an ultramodern smart home
- Generate a retro-futuristic cityscape with hovercars, skyways and neon lights
- Design a surreal alien landscape on another planet
Everyday scenes
Simple prompts based on familiar scenes or objects can lead to surprisingly creative results. For example:
- Create an abstract painting inspired by the rush hour traffic in New York City
- Generate a cubist still life featuring fruit in a bowl
- Design a surrealist dreamscape based on a winding staircase
Here are 50 AI art prompts to inspire you:
- An ornate, baroque-inspired peacock with elaborate, swirling feathers.
- A vibrant cityscape at twilight, with towering skyscrapers and neon lights reflecting on rain-soaked streets.
- Create a digital collage that blends the aesthetics of cyberpunk and Art Deco.
- An underwater steampunk laboratory where mermaids study ancient artifacts.
- A neon-lit cyberpunk cityscape with rain-soaked streets and holographic billboards.
- Design a whimsical, fantastical forest filled with talking animals and enchanted trees.
- An abstract representation of the feeling of nostalgia with a warm, sepia-toned palette.
- An ethereal underwater scene with shimmering coral reefs, graceful sea turtles, and schools of bioluminescent creatures.
- An eerie, abandoned carnival at twilight, shrouded in mist and mystery.
- A whimsical forest filled with talking animals, hidden doorways, and trees that come to life at night.
- An abstract portrait capturing the essence of joy through bold brushstrokes and vibrant splashes of color.
- A surreal still life featuring a floating teacup, melting clocks, and a bouquet of flowers transitioning into butterflies.
- A whimsical interpretation of a bustling farmers' market, with exaggerated colors and shapes.
- An impressionist city park scene on a sunny day with dappled shade and children playing.
- Craft an abstract expressionist piece conveying a sense of frenzied energy and motion.
- A romantic Art Nouveau-style poster for a vintage circus with a graceful acrobat.
- Design a post-apocalyptic wasteland with rusted machinery and a blood-red sky.
- A dreamlike landscape where fluffy clouds take the form of mythical creatures and cotton candy rivers flow through candy cane mountains.
- A minimalist, monochromatic landscape featuring a lone tree on a snowy hill.
- A Gothic cathedral bathed in eerie moonlight, with intricate stained glass windows.
- Create a surreal dreamscape where gravity seems to have lost its rules.
- A mosaic of geometric patterns and bold colors that evoke a sense of jubilation.
- A melancholic portrait of an aging astronaut gazing at Earth from space.
- A futuristic cityscape with flying cars, holographic billboards, and towering skyscrapers stretching into the clouds.
- A futuristic cityscape inspired by the architecture of the ancient Mayans.
- Craft a digital painting that combines elements of Norse mythology with futuristic technology.
- A post-impressionist interpretation of a sunny Provencal vineyard.
- An abstract portrait suggesting the complexity of human emotions.
- A minimalist composition depicting the tranquility of a Zen garden, with carefully arranged rocks and ripples in a calm pond.
- Create a vibrant cityscape in the style of Vincent van Gogh, with swirling stars overhead.
- An otherworldly alien cityscape, reminiscent of H.R. Giger's biomechanical aesthetic.
- Paint a still life of antique pocket watches in a steampunk style.
- A cosmic journey through a wormhole, replete with swirling colors and shapes.
- Design a digital graffiti mural that captures the spirit of rebellion.
- A whimsical, steampunk-style airship soaring above a Victorian-inspired city.
- A contemporary reinterpretation of the Mona Lisa in a pop art style.
- A pointillism-inspired artwork capturing the energy and vibrancy of a bustling marketplace, filled with people, fruits, and colorful textiles.
- A serene Japanese garden with cherry blossoms in full bloom and a koi pond.
- A post-apocalyptic wasteland with a lone, weathered mailbox as the focal point.
- A chaotic, abstract representation of a thunderstorm in motion.
- An impressionistic seascape showcasing the dramatic interplay of light and shadow on crashing waves and a rocky coastline.
- An abstract landscape that conveys the concept of infinity and boundlessness.
- A surrealist self-portrait exploring the idea of self-identity and transformation.
- Create a cybernetic creature that blurs the line between man and machine.
- A surreal desert landscape with floating islands, upside-down cacti, and a sky filled with swirling galaxies.
- An ethereal forest scene with luminescent mushrooms and misty blue foliage.
- An ethereal underwater palace with mermaid inhabitants and shimmering coral chandeliers.
- An expressionist interpretation of the chaos and vibrancy of a carnival.
- A surreal, dreamlike forest with mythical creatures and floating islands.
- A minimalist, monochromatic study of light and shadow in an urban environment.
The key is to start with a prompt that sparks your imagination. Then, feel free to tweak and experiment with different variations to discover new creative possibilities. Have fun with it! The AI will generate art based on whatever prompts you provide.
Do's and Don'ts for AI Art Prompts
When writing prompts for AI art generation, there are a few do's and don'ts to keep in mind. Following these tips will help ensure you get the results you're looking for.
Don't be ambiguous
Avoid being vague or unclear in your prompt. The AI needs specific details and context to create an image that matches what you have in mind. Prompts like "a pretty landscape" or "something futuristic" are too ambiguous.
Provide details
Give the AI details about what you want to see in the image. Describe the subject matter, colors, style, mood, and any other details that will help guide the AI. For example, "A sunrise over a mountain lake with pink and orange clouds reflecting in the still, turquoise water." The more details the better.
Use clear and concise language
Explain what you want in a straightforward way. Avoid long, complex sentences and unnecessary words. Keep your prompts under 50 words when possible. For example, "A lone tree on a hill overlooking a valley" is concise and clear.
Include references if needed
If there's a particular artistic style, time period or subject matter you want to reference, include that in your prompt. For example, "A still life painting in the style of Cezanne with apples, oranges and a vase of flowers." References give the AI context to create what you have in mind.
Consider the composition
Think about the composition and framing of the image you want to generate. Do you want a close-up or wide shot? Indicate where the subject or focal point should be placed in the frame. For example, "A close-up portrait of a woman with the face taking up the right two-thirds of the frame."
Generate multiple options
Run your prompt through the AI multiple times to generate different options. Even with a very detailed prompt, the results can vary quite a bit. Generate 3-5 options and then select your favorite to use or modify.
Following these do's and don'ts will help you craft AI art prompts that generate the creative and unique results you're looking for. With some experimentation, you'll be creating prompts that tap into the full potential of AI art generation.
Popular AI Art Generators to Try Out AI Art Prompting
Once you have an idea for an AI art prompt, it’s time to generate your image! There are several popular AI art generators you can use for free. Here are a few of the top options:
Stable Diffusion
Stable Diffusion is an open-source AI model created by Anthropic that can generate images from text prompts. You can access their model through various web interfaces like DreamStudio, Claude, and Anthropic's Constitutional AI. These interfaces allow you to enter a text prompt and get an image in response.
Midjourney
Midjourney is an AI assistant focused on creating images from text prompts. They have a free Discord bot you can use to generate AI art. Just enter your prompt, and Midjourney will create an image for you. They also have options to generate images in different styles like realistic, stylized, or pixel art.
DALL-E
DALL-E is an AI model created by OpenAI that can generate realistic images from text descriptions. They currently have a private beta, but you can sign up on their website to get access. Once you have access, you can enter prompts and get images generated by DALL-E. The results from DALL-E tend to be very high quality.
HypoArt
Hypotenuse AI has created a free AI art generator called HypoArt. With HypoArt, you can write your own prompts from scratch and generate unique images. They even have 30+ style options you can choose from, like anime, steampunk, or vaporwave. You can then download your generated images and use them however you like.
Artbreeder
Artbreeder is a collaborative art generating platform. You start with an initial image and can then "breed" it by having the AI modify and combine it with other images. While you don't enter text prompts, Artbreeder gives you an interactive way to guide the AI to generate the types of images you want.
With so many options, you're sure to find an AI art generator that suits your needs. Have fun with it and see what kinds of crazy, thought-provoking images you can come up with! Let your creativity go wild.
AI Art Prompts FAQs
AI art prompts are instructions you provide to an AI art generation model to produce unique images. As AI art models get more advanced, the prompts you provide have a bigger impact on the results. Here are some frequently asked questions about crafting effective AI art prompts:
How specific should my AI art prompts be?
The more specific your prompts, the more control you'll have over the images produced. Include details about shapes, colors, textures, patterns, and artistic styles. For example, "a purple abstract pattern with swirling lines and dots" will yield more consistent results than just "an abstract pattern." However, too much specificity can limit the AI's creativity. Strike a balance between conciseness and open-endedness.
How can I get better at crafting AI art prompts?
Prompt engineering is an art form. Some tips to improve:
- Ask the right questions. Consider the message or feeling you want to convey. What visuals represent that? What shapes, colors, and styles would complement it?
- Study examples. Analyze effective prompts and the results they produce. Try recreating images you like by tweaking the prompts.
- Explore variations. Take a prompt that works and modify or expand on it. Substitute in synonyms for some words or rephrase using semantically similar terms. Rearrange the order of elements. Add or remove details. See how the images evolve.
- Practice! The more you craft prompts, the more intuitive it will become. You'll start to develop an instinct for what works and how to achieve the results you have in mind.
- Be patient and have fun with it. Don't get frustrated if you don't get the desired outcome immediately. Experimenting with AI art generation should be an enjoyable creative process! With regular practice, you'll gain valuable experience.
Are there any templates I can use?
Here are a few prompt templates to get you started:
- [Number] [Adjective] [Nouns] in the style of [Artist Name]
- A [Adjective] landscape with [Natural Feature 1], [Natural Feature 2] and [Natural Feature 3]
- [Adjective] [Noun 1] intersecting [Adjective] [Noun 2] against a [Color] background
- [Shape] [Shape] [Shape], [Pattern] pattern, [Color 1] and [Color 2] color scheme
These templates provide a basic structure you can build upon by inserting your own words and details. Feel free to adapt them as needed to explore different variations and discover what works for the type of images you want to create!
Conclusion
Now you're equipped with examples, tips, and templates to get your creative juices flowing and generate some truly unique AI art. Why not give it a try and see what kinds of crazy, thought-provoking, or just downright weird art the AI generates based on your prompts? You might be surprised at how inspiring and fun this new creative process can be. AI art is an exciting new frontier, so start experimenting and enjoy this journey of co-creating with an artificial system!
P.S. Create unique images from scratch using HypoArt for free. Sign up for a 7-day free trial and gain access to a suite of AI tools that will supercharge your content creation process. Credit card not required.
