Most disappointing AI image results come down to vague prompts, not a weak model. A modern generator like Nano Banana Pro can produce genuinely impressive, detailed images — but only if you give it enough specific information to work with. Below is a reusable formula, plus real example prompts you can adapt, across the use cases people actually generate images for.
The prompt formula
A strong prompt generally includes five components, roughly in this order: subject (what/who), setting (where), style (art style, photography style, or medium), lighting (time of day, light quality), and detail/mood modifiers (color palette, atmosphere, specific details). You don't need all five every time, but including at least subject, setting, and style takes most prompts from generic to genuinely usable.
Subject: "a golden retriever puppy" — be specific about the exact subject, not a category.
Setting: "sitting on a wooden porch in autumn" — grounds the scene physically.
Style: "in the style of a warm editorial photograph" or "as a soft watercolor illustration" — sets the visual language.
Lighting: "golden hour lighting, soft shadows" — light is one of the highest-leverage words you can add.
Detail/mood: "shallow depth of field, cozy autumn color palette" — small finishing touches that push a good image to a great one.
Example prompts by use case
Product/marketing mockups
"A minimalist ceramic coffee mug on a marble countertop, soft morning window light, shallow depth of field, neutral beige and white color palette, commercial product photography style."
Social media / blog headers
"A flat-lay of a laptop, notebook, and coffee cup on a light wood desk, top-down view, bright and airy natural light, clean modern workspace aesthetic."
Illustration / creative work
"A small lighthouse on a rocky cliff at dusk, in the style of a hand-painted watercolor illustration, muted blue and orange color palette, gentle waves below."
Portraits and characters
"A close-up portrait of an elderly fisherman with weathered skin and a warm smile, natural outdoor light, shallow depth of field, realistic photographic style."
Mistakes that quietly ruin good prompts
Stacking too many unrelated ideas into one prompt — pick one clear subject and scene rather than three competing concepts.
Skipping style entirely — without a style cue, the model defaults to a generic look that rarely matches what you had in mind.
Forgetting lighting — it's one of the cheapest ways to add mood and realism, and most people leave it out entirely.
Being vague about composition when it matters — "close-up", "wide shot", "top-down view" all meaningfully change the result.
Iterating instead of starting over
If a result is close but not quite right, change one variable at a time — swap just the lighting, or just the style — rather than rewriting the whole prompt. This makes it much easier to understand which part of your prompt is driving which part of the result, and gets you to a great image in fewer generations. Free accounts get 10 credits a day, which is enough to run 8–10 iterations most days as you dial in a prompt formula that works for your specific use case.