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Refine and Iterate

Prompt tips for a better image. Change one thing at a time, word your prompt precisely, and pick the right tool to get closer to what you want.

Your first image is a draft. Small, deliberate changes to the prompt, or a quick edit on the image itself, usually get you closer than starting over.

Change one thing at a time

Change a single word or phrase per round, so you can see what each change did. Fix the seed and turn Magic Prompt off while you do this: with the same seed and settings, the only thing that moves is your wording.

Start: "A black cat sitting on a windowsill during a storm"

  1. "A black cat sitting on a windowsill during a light drizzle"

  2. "A black dog sitting on a windowsill during a light drizzle"

Build up in steps

Start short and add one detail per generation. You catch the moment a new detail pulls the image off course.

  1. "A medieval castle"

  2. "A medieval castle on a hilltop"

  3. "A medieval castle on a hilltop at sunset"

  4. "A medieval castle on a hilltop at sunset with a dragon flying overhead"

Be precise

Ideogram reads every word. "A painting of a cat" gets you something painterly; naming the kind of painting decides which one.

Traditional painting of a black-and-white cat sleeping on a red armchair beside a lit fireplace in a cozy room

Prompt:

A painting figuring a cat sleeping next to the fireplace.

Thick impasto painting with heavy brushstrokes of an orange tabby cat curled asleep on the floor beside a fireplace

Prompt:

An abstract impasto painting figuring a cat sleeping next to the fireplace.

Soft minimalist watercolor of a calico cat sleeping by a fireplace, with a teal sofa and small side table nearby

Prompt:

A soft minimalist watercolor painting figuring a cat sleeping next to the fireplace.

Bold pop art illustration of a black-and-white cat curled on a red armchair beside a fireplace and striped wallpaper

Prompt:

A pop art painting figuring a cat sleeping next to the fireplace.

Precision covers position too. Say where each thing sits and in what order, and Ideogram tends to follow:

Three jars on a kitchen counter labelled Blueberry Jam, Strawberry Jam and Orange Marmalade, each topped with its fruit
"...The first jar on the left, in the foreground, is a blueberry jam jar, with a blueberry adorning its lid. The second jar, in the middle and slightly recessed, is a jar of strawberry jam... The third jar, on the right and farthest back, is a jar of orange marmalade..."

Describe only what should show

If you describe something, Ideogram tries to show it, even when that breaks the framing you asked for. Below, the goal was a portrait. Mentioning boots, or even just jeans, forced a full-length shot; cutting everything below the waist brought the camera in close.

Full-length photo of a young woman with copper hair in a mustard raincoat, dark jeans and white rain boots outside a flower shop

Prompt:

Portrait photo of a young woman with copper hair, wearing a mustard raincoat, wide-leg jeans, and white rain boots, in front of a flower shop.

Still a full-length photo of the woman in the mustard raincoat and light wide-leg jeans in front of the flower shop

Prompt:

Portrait photo of a young woman with copper hair, wearing a mustard raincoat, wide-leg jeans, and white rain boots, in front of a flower shop.

Close head-and-shoulders portrait of the woman with copper hair in the mustard raincoat, flower buckets behind her

Prompt:

Portrait photo of a young woman with copper hair, wearing a mustard raincoat, wide-leg jeans, and white rain boots, in front of a flower shop.

Try other words

Some words just don't produce the look you want. Swap in a synonym or describe the idea in plain visual terms:

Instead of "lush jungle", try "dense rainforest"

Instead of "sad expression", try "a face with downturned eyes and a slight frown"

If one swap doesn't help, change the related words around it too; a neighbor may be pulling the other way. A thesaurus or a chat assistant can suggest options.

Emphasize what matters

When the image is right overall but a key detail comes out small or goes missing, give it more weight.

Mention it more than once. Refer to the same subject in the summary, the details and the framing:

"A product photo of a men's perfume bottle named "Nightlife for men" in a sleek studio setup. The bottle is tall and rectangular with dark glass... The bottle stands upright... The bottle is centered in the frame..."

Describe it more fully. Add size, color, texture or placement, and tie it to the rest of the scene. If a person's shoes come out missing or odd, "wearing black leather boots that cast a shadow on the sidewalk" gives Ideogram both the object and where it sits.

Pick the right tool

Rewording isn't always the fastest fix. Once you have an image you mostly like, edit it instead of rolling the dice again.

Goal
What to do

See what one word changes

Fix the seed, change one word, generate again

Get more options from a prompt that works

Generate again, or select Recreate on a result to restore its settings

Keep the look, try a variation

Remix it in the Remix app with a tweaked prompt

Change one thing in a finished image

AI edit in Studio, describing the change in words

Fix a small area (a hand, a face, a word of text)

Select area in Studio (paid plans), then describe what should be there

Show more of the scene or change the shape

Reframe in Studio, or Extend (paid plans)

Turn a short idea into a full prompt

Write a few words and let Magic Prompt expand them

Keep your exact wording

Turn Magic Prompt off

Control the layout exactly

Write a JSON prompt

If something keeps going wrong, check Fix Common Problems.

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