🎨 Prompt Engineering for AI Image Tools

Part of 🎨 AI-Powered Digital Designer Crash Course (25-Part Series) 🧠 Section 6: Advanced AI Design Skills & Automation in AI-Powered Digital Designer Crash Course

(with Midjourney, DALL·E, Leonardo AI)

This lesson isn’t about robotic commands or copy-pasting prompts. It’s about learning to dance with AI—to direct it with clarity, spark its imagination, and make sure you shine in the final result.

Let’s get real. You’re not just prompting—you’re crafting visuals that pack emotion, personality, and impact. And it all starts with words.

1. Let’s Talk Prompting—Like a Conversation, Not a Chore

Ever tried a prompt and got back something that feels… off? Maybe bland or oddly literal? That’s because prompting is more like guiding a friend than drilling a robot.

Ask yourself:

“Hey AI, what if…?”

Maybe even:

“Do you think it’d work better if we add [this mood or style]?”

It’s conversational. It’s experimental. And yes—it’s how the best results come alive.

2. The Secret Sauce: Layered Prompts

Think of it like building lasagna—layer it up:

1. Subject
   e.g., “A futuristic city skyline at dawn”
2. Style/Art Direction
   e.g., “in the style of cyberpunk meets Hayao Miyazaki, painterly”
3. Lighting & Mood
   e.g., “soft sunrise light, warm oranges and pinks, peaceful vibe”
4. Composition + Detail
   e.g., “birds in flight, mist over water, distant mountain range”
5. Refinement Cues
   e.g., “no lens flare, high resolution, fine detail on buildings”

Full prompt together:

“Futuristic city skyline at dawn, in a cyberpunk-meets-Hayao Miyazaki painterly style, with soft sunrise lighting in warm oranges and pinks. Include birds in flight, mist over the water, and distant mountains. No lens flare. High resolution, fine architectural detail.”

See how it paints a full picture? More context = closer to your vision.

3. Prompt Flavors by Tool (Tiny Personal POVs Included)

Midjourney

👟 My take: Feels like collaborating with an artsy friend who loves chaos.

• Walking on the edge: throw in “–stylize 700” early to push aesthetics wild, then calm it down to “–stylize 250”.
• Add camera settings like “–ar 16:9” if you want a cinematic widescreen vibe.

DALL·E

💡 My hot tip: Give it gentle direction—sometimes less is more.

• Use descriptive nouns, color cues, and verbs.
• Toss in “ultra-realistic photo” or “digital painting” at the end.

Leonardo AI

🔍 My vibe: It’s like doodling with a meticulous friend.

• Give it clear style references like “concept art style,” “game asset,” or “storybook illustration.”
• Emphasize “fine detail” and “depth of field” to add polish.

4. Show, Don’t Tell: The Power of Reference Images

You know that feeling when you try to describe a shade of blue over text and everyone imagines a different blue? Yeah.

Upload a reference image!

• In Midjourney, use the URL of a pic and follow it up with your prompt.
• In DALL·E and Leonardo AI, use the “Upload Reference Image” button to ground the style.
  This is less about copying—it’s about inspiration and alignment.

5. Tweak, Tweak, Tweak—Then Tweak Again

Sometimes results come out and you’re like… “Huh?” Don’t throw your laptop out yet.

Try these techniques:

• Negative prompting: “no text overlay, no watermark”
• Quality flags:
  • Midjourney: –q 2 (or –q 1)
  • Leonardo AI: tick the “high quality” box
• Remix prompts: Try saying the same idea in a different way. Swap adjectives. Change the mood.

You’d be surprised how often small adjustments yield something magic.

6. Quick Anecdote: That Time My Prompt Got Emo

I once prompted:

“Lonely streetlamp in the desert at twilight, painterly.”

It came back… super moody. Beautiful. But also gloomy AF. Then I laughed: I wanted ambiance, not depression.
So I added “soft pastel colors, hopeful vibe, a single blooming cactus.”
Result? That same streetlamp, but hopeful. The cactus stole the show. Mood saved.

Lesson? It’s okay to be emotional with prompts. Let the AI feel what you want it to feel.

7. Real-Time Cultural Context = Relevance

Want your image to resonate today?

Consider adding cues like:

• “neon lights, retro Tokyo”
• “2025 Paris fashion runway”
• “Apple Vision Pro-style interface overlay”

These place your visuals in now, not a generic “somewhere.”

It’s like referencing today’s pop culture—but for visuals.

8. Common Mistakes (and How I Learned from Them)

• Mistake: “A flower.”
  • Tip: Expand. “A daisy in macro close-up with morning dew, ultra-realistic.”
• Mistake: “Cartoon dog.”
  • Tip: Add action, style, camera: “Cartoon corgi dancing on a 90s game show set, bright lights, 2D vector style.”
• Mistake: “No watermark, no text” (especially for Midjourney).
  • Tip: Keep tweaking negative prompts. Sometimes “no signature or text” helps.

9. My Emotional Take on Prompting (Because I CARE)

Look, I’ve had days where I screamed at AI like, “Why you still doing center-heavy compositions?!” And I’ve had days where the output stopped me in my tracks. It’s a rollercoaster of frustration and delight.

Prompt engineering ? It’s a mini emotional performance. You negotiate, coax, encourage. And often—finally—you click “download” and feel joy bubbling up.

That is why we do it. For the moments that feel.

10. Keep Learning—And Be Playful

Here’s your homework (if you want it):

• Pick one prompt you like. Remix it three ways: mood change, style swap, add a twist.
• Post the results in your social feed like: “Swipe to see how I turned moody noir into pastel whimsy.”
• Invite feedback: Which vibe do you feel more?

Don’t overthink it. This is practice. And the more you play, the more intuitive your prompts become.

🎯 Final Takeaways:

• Prompting isn’t command + obedience. It’s conversation + collaboration.
• Give details—but keep your voice. Let your emotions live in the prompt.
• Use references to stay grounded.
• Iterate. Tweak. Laugh at mistakes.
• Celebrate when AI gives you something that makes your heart skip.

Now go build images that light you up. You’re the creative conductor—AI is the instrument.