3- Prompt Structure
Why a Prompt Structure?
A prompt structure is simply the way you organize your words when asking the AI to create an image. It helps the AI understand exactly what you want to see, like what kind of image it should be, what’s in it, and how it should look or feel.
When your prompt is clearly structured, the AI has a much better chance of generating something that matches your idea. It’s like giving good directions—you don’t need to be an expert, but the more clearly you guide the AI, the better the results will reflect what you have in mind.
The Different Parts of a Prompt
Each part of a prompt adds structure and clarity. A clear structure also helps with prompt adherence, making it more likely that Ideogram will follow your description accurately and generate results that reflect your intent.
Each part below includes three numbered examples. Each number represents a part of a different image prompt, which will later be assembled into full, complete prompts in section 3.2.
1- Image Summary
Purpose: This is where the entire image is described in a single sentence. Think of it as how someone might describe the image after glancing at it for just two seconds. If you could only write one sentence for the prompt, this is the part you’d want to get right. It also works well with tools like Magic Prompt to expand on. It establishes the visual form (e.g., photo, logo, painting), identifies the main subject, and gives a hint of the visual tone or context of the image.
Examples:
A product photo of a men’s perfume bottle named “Nightlife for men” in a sleek studio setup.
A whimsical watercolor painting of a little girl playing with her bunny in a flower-filled field.
A logo design for a local football team called “Rhinos” in green, blue, and white.
2- Main Subject Details
Purpose: This part gives more information about the main subject in the image. What does it look like? What color is it? What shape, material or texture? Whether it’s a person, animal, or object, this section ensures that the subject is described clearly and specifically so the AI can generate it precisely. This is also the best place to include any text you want rendered in the image, such as titles, signs, or labels. For best results, enclose the exact wording in quotation marks “ ” and place it early in the prompt when possible. Describe where the text appears and how it looks to increase accuracy.
The bottle is tall and rectangular with dark glass, a matte black cap, and silver lettering. The text “Nightlife for men” appears on the label in bold, modern font.
The girl has short brown hair, a yellow dress, and rosy cheeks. She holds a fluffy white bunny in her arms, and both are smiling.
The main graphic shows a strong, stylized rhino head viewed from a three-quarter angle, with sharp lines and a bold expression. The word “Rhinos” appears in large, blocky letters beneath the icon.
3- Pose or Action
Purpose: This section describes what the main subject is doing — or how it’s placed. If it’s a person, maybe they’re smiling or sitting. If it’s an object, is it standing upright or tilted? This adds life and personality to the image, even when it’s still.
The bottle stands upright with a slight reflection on the surface below.
The bunny is leaning into her, with its ears flopping gently.
The rhino’s horn points slightly forward and up, adding a sense of motion.
4- Secondary Elements
Purpose: These are the smaller things around or near the main subject. They help tell the story, establish relationships or complete the scene, but they don’t steal the spotlight. Think of things like props, background objects, accessories, ambient visual details, or smaller characters that make the image feel fuller.
A wristwatch and a pair of sunglasses sit nearby, adding a masculine vibe.
Wildflowers, butterflies, and a toy picnic basket surround them.
Stars and shield shapes accent the logo without crowding it.
5- Setting & Background
Purpose: This part explains where the image takes place. Is it outside or indoors? In a forest, a city, a room, or an empty space? You can also say if it’s daytime, sunset, or a certain time in history. Whether highly detailed or minimalistic, the background contributes to anchor the image in a coherent visual context.
The scene is set on a smooth black surface with blurred city lights in the background.
They are outdoors in a grassy meadow, under a wide blue sky.
The background is flat white, with no scene or setting.
6- Lighting & Atmosphere
Purpose: This is about how the light looks and how the image feels. Is the light soft or bright? Is it warm and cozy, or dramatic and dark? Atmosphere includes mood-related descriptors like ethereal, cozy, ominous, cinematic, etc. This helps set the mood of the image and makes it feel more real or more emotional.
Lighting is moody and cool, with soft blue highlights and deep shadows.
The light is soft and sunny, with warm pastel tones and a dreamy atmosphere.
The color palette is vivid, with deep blue outlines, white highlights, and green fills.
7- Framing & Composition
Purpose: This describes how the subject and elements are visually arranged within the frame. It can describe the camera or viewer angle (top-down, low angle), shot type (close-up, wide), and subject placement (centered, rule of thirds). For non-photographic works, it still applies—e.g., how a figure is balanced in a painting or how elements are spaced in a logo. It enhances clarity, focus, and aesthetics.
The bottle is centered in the frame, captured at eye level.
The girl and bunny are slightly off-center, framed from a gentle downward angle.
The logo is center-aligned with a tight, symmetrical layout.
8- Technical Enhancers
Purpose: These are the extra details that make the image look more polished or professional. They don’t change the content, but they improve how it looks — like lens type, lighting effects, bokeh, brush textures, or rendering style. These are useful when you want a certain artistic finish.
A shallow depth of field gives the image a polished, professional look.
The brush strokes are loose and textured, with light color bleeds that add charm and softness.
The lines are clean, the edges sharp, and the style is vector-based with a modern, sporty look.
It is not necessary to use all the parts described above. For example, when prompting for a logo design, you might not need to add anything about any secondary elements. Your prompt can be short or detailed, depending on your goal. The more parts you include, the more control you’ll have — but sometimes, a short or abstract prompt is the best way to explore creative results.
Now that you’ve seen each part in isolation, let’s bring them together.
Assembling the Parts
Here’s a basic prompt template that is making use of all the parts described above:
[Image summary]. [Main subject details], [Pose or action], [Secondary elements], [Setting & Background], [Lighting & Atmosphere], [Framing & Composition], [Technical enhancers]
By combining all the example parts from the example in section 3.1 above, we can build the following three complete prompts:
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, a matte black cap, and silver lettering. The text “Nightlife for men” appears on the label in bold, modern font. The bottle stands upright with a slight reflection on the surface below. A wristwatch and a pair of sunglasses sit nearby, adding a masculine vibe. The scene is set on a smooth black surface with blurred city lights in the background. Lighting is moody and cool, with soft blue highlights and deep shadows. The bottle is centered in the frame, captured at eye level. A shallow depth of field gives the image a polished, professional look.
A whimsical watercolor painting of a little girl playing with her bunny in a flower-filled field. The girl has short brown hair, a yellow dress, and rosy cheeks. She holds a fluffy white bunny in her arms, and both are smiling. The bunny is leaning into her, with its ears flopping gently. Wildflowers, butterflies, and a toy picnic basket surround them. They are outdoors in a grassy meadow, under a wide blue sky. The light is soft and sunny, with warm pastel tones and a dreamy atmosphere. The girl and bunny are slightly off-center, framed from a gentle downward angle. The brush strokes are loose and textured, with light color bleeds that add charm and softness.
A logo design for a local football team called “Rhinos” in green, blue, and white. The main graphic shows a strong, stylized rhino head viewed from a three-quarter angle, with sharp lines and a bold expression. The word “Rhinos” appears in large, blocky letters beneath the icon. The rhino’s horn points slightly forward and up, adding a sense of motion. Stars and shield shapes accent the logo without crowding it. The background is flat white, with no scene or setting. The color palette is vivid, with deep blue outlines, white highlights, and green fills. The logo is center-aligned with a tight, symmetrical layout. The lines are clean, the edges sharp, and the style is vector-based with a modern, sporty look.
Note: Ideogram supports prompts up to roughly 150-160 words or about 200 tokens depending on the vocabulary. Anything beyond that limit may be less effective or ignored entirely by the AI when generating the image. To avoid losing key details, make sure the most important parts of your prompt come near the beginning. The assembled examples above approach that upper limit and are designed to give the AI strong visual and stylistic guidance while staying concise and well-structured.