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Introduction

Prompt engineering is the skill of crafting text descriptions that produce the AI-generated images you envision. This guide teaches you proven techniques to get consistent, high-quality results from Percify’s Avatar Studio.

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The Anatomy of a Great Prompt

A well-structured prompt typically includes: 
[Subject] + [Style/Medium] + [Details] + [Setting] + [Lighting] + [Quality Modifiers]

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Example Breakdown

Prompt: “Elegant elven sorceress, fantasy art style, flowing purple robes with gold trim, mystical forest setting, soft glowing lights, highly detailed, 8k”
  • Subject: Elegant elven sorceress
  • Style: Fantasy art style
  • Details: Flowing purple robes with gold trim
  • Setting: Mystical forest setting
  • Lighting: Soft glowing lights
  • Quality: Highly detailed, 8k

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Essential Prompt Components

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1. Subject (Required)

The main focus of your image. Be specific about:
  • Character Type
  • Physical Features
  • Expression & Pose
  • Profession: warrior, mage, scientist, artist
  • Species: human, elf, robot, alien
  • Age: young, middle-aged, elderly
  • Gender: male, female, androgynous

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2. Art Style

Choose an aesthetic that matches your vision:

Realistic

photorealistic, hyperrealistic, photo, portrait photography, studio photo

Digital Art

digital art, digital painting, concept art, artstation trending

Illustration

illustration, hand-drawn, sketch, watercolor, oil painting

3D Render

3D render, Unreal Engine, Octane render, CGI, Pixar style

Anime/Manga

anime style, manga, cel shaded, Studio Ghibli, anime portrait

Artistic Movements

Art Nouveau, Renaissance, Baroque, Impressionist, Cyberpunk

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3. Visual Details

Add specifics to guide the AI: 
✅ Good: "wearing futuristic armor with glowing blue accents"
❌ Vague: "wearing armor"

✅ Good: "long flowing silver hair with braids"
❌ Vague: "long hair"

✅ Good: "intricate golden crown with ruby gems"
❌ Vague: "crown"

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4. Setting & Background

Context matters:
cyberpunk city, neon lights, futuristic metropolis, urban alley, rooftop view, city street, skyscrapers
mystical forest, mountain peak, ocean shore, desert landscape, jungle, meadow, waterfall
royal throne room, laboratory, library, bedroom, workshop, spaceship interior, castle hall
floating islands, alien planet, magical dimension, space station, crystal cavern, ethereal realm

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5. Lighting

Lighting dramatically affects mood:
Lighting TypeDescriptionBest For
Soft lightingGentle, diffusedPortraits, peaceful scenes
Dramatic lightingHigh contrast, shadowsAction, mystery
Golden hourWarm, sunset glowRomantic, warm scenes
Rim lightingBacklight outlineEpic, heroic
Neon lightingColorful, electricCyberpunk, modern
MoonlightCool, blue tonesNight, mystical
Studio lightingClean, professionalHeadshots, professional

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6. Quality Modifiers

Boost output quality: 
highly detailed, 8k, professional, masterpiece, sharp focus,
intricate details, best quality, award winning, trending on artstation

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Advanced Techniques

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Weighting & Emphasis

Emphasize important parts: 
// Mintlify supports emphasis syntax
"(glowing eyes:1.3) mystical sorceress"  // Strong emphasis on glowing eyes
"warrior with [leather armor]"           // De-emphasize armor

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Negative Prompts

Exclude unwanted elements: 
blurry, low quality, distorted, deformed, ugly, bad anatomy,
extra limbs, mutated hands, poorly drawn face, out of frame,
watermark, text, logo, signature

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Style Mixing

Combine multiple art styles: 
"cyberpunk samurai, blend of traditional Japanese art and futuristic neon aesthetic"

"Victorian era portrait in the style of modern digital art"

"anime character with photorealistic rendering"

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Prompt Templates

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Professional Headshots

professional headshot of [description], business attire, 
confident expression, neutral background, studio lighting, 
corporate photography, LinkedIn profile photo, sharp focus, 
high quality, professional photographer
Example: 
professional headshot of middle-aged woman with short brown hair,
business attire, confident smile, neutral gray background,
studio lighting, corporate photography, sharp focus

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Fantasy Characters

[character type] [race/species], fantasy art style, 
[detailed appearance], [clothing/armor description],
[setting], magical atmosphere, [lighting], highly detailed,
concept art, trending on artstation
Example: 
powerful elven mage, fantasy art style, long silver hair,
ethereal blue eyes, flowing robes with arcane symbols,
ancient library filled with glowing books, magical atmosphere,
soft mystical lighting, highly detailed, concept art

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Cyberpunk/Sci-Fi

[character type], cyberpunk style, [tech features],
neon lights, [city description], futuristic, [lighting],
blade runner aesthetic, high tech, detailed, 4k
Example: 
female hacker, cyberpunk style, augmented reality glasses,
neon purple and blue lighting, rainy city street with holographic ads,
futuristic, blade runner aesthetic, highly detailed

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Cartoon/Stylized

[character description], [cartoon style], colorful, 
friendly expression, [setting], vibrant colors, 
professional character design, clean lines
Example: 
cheerful robot mascot, Pixar animation style, colorful,
big friendly eyes, tech workshop setting, vibrant blues and oranges,
professional character design, clean lines

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Model-Specific Tips

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Flux (2 credits - Fast)

  • Works best with: Clear, straightforward prompts
  • Optimal length: 20-50 words
  • Strengths: Speed, consistency, general portraits
  • Best for: Testing ideas, iterations, simple concepts
Example: 
portrait of young woman, professional photo, natural lighting, smile

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Imagen3 (5 credits - Premium)

  • Works best with: Detailed, descriptive prompts
  • Optimal length: 30-80 words
  • Strengths: Photorealism, complex scenes, fine details
  • Best for: Final outputs, professional work, detailed characters
Example: 
portrait of young woman with auburn hair and green eyes,
professional photography, natural window lighting creating soft shadows,
genuine smile, wearing elegant navy blazer, blurred office background,
shot with 85mm lens, shallow depth of field, professional headshot

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Reality4 (5 credits - Ultra-Realistic)

  • Works best with: Highly specific, technical prompts
  • Optimal length: 40-100 words
  • Strengths: Photorealism, skin textures, lighting accuracy
  • Best for: Commercial work, ultra-realistic renders, product demos
Example: 
ultra-realistic portrait of young woman with auburn hair in loose waves,
striking green eyes with natural eye reflections, fair skin with subtle freckles,
professional studio photography, softbox lighting with subtle rim light,
genuine confident smile showing natural teeth, wearing elegant navy blazer,
perfectly focused on eyes, shot with Canon 5D Mark IV, 85mm f/1.4 lens,
shallow depth of field, background softly blurred, professional retouching,
commercial photography quality

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ “a person” ✅ “young female scientist with glasses in a modern laboratory”
❌ “beautiful gorgeous stunning amazing incredible ultra mega super…” ✅ Pick 2-3 quality modifiers maximum
❌ “photorealistic anime cartoon oil painting” ✅ Choose one primary style
Always include basic quality excludes in negative prompt
❌ “warrior, mage, dragon, castle, forest, and a robot” ✅ Focus on one or two main subjects

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Iterative Refinement

Perfect prompts come from iteration:
1

Start Simple

Begin with a basic prompt describing your core vision
2

Generate and Evaluate

See what the AI produces and note what’s missing or wrong
3

Add Details

Add specific details for elements that need improvement
4

Use Negative Prompts

Exclude unwanted elements that appeared
5

Refine Quality

Add quality modifiers and lighting details
6

Lock with Seeds

Use the same seed with prompt variations to compare results

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Prompt Library

Save these proven prompts:

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Corporate Professional

professional business portrait of [description], wearing formal attire,
confident posture, neutral gray background, studio lighting with soft shadows,
corporate photography style, shot with 85mm lens, sharp focus on face,
professional retouching, LinkedIn profile quality, 4k resolution

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Fantasy Hero

epic portrait of [hero type], fantasy art, detailed armor with intricate engravings,
heroic pose, dramatic lighting with rim light, mystical background,
concept art style, trending on artstation, highly detailed, 8k,
cinematic composition, professional digital art

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Friendly Character

friendly [character type], Pixar animation style, big expressive eyes,
warm smile, colorful and vibrant, simple background with soft gradient,
professional character design, clean vector style, appealing to all ages,
animation ready, high quality render

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Mysterious Figure

mysterious [character type], dramatic portrait, face partially in shadow,
moody atmosphere, dark background with selective lighting, cinematic,
film noir style, high contrast, professional photography,
shallow depth of field, enigmatic expression

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Testing Your Prompts

Use this checklist:
  • Clear subject definition
  • Art style specified
  • Important details included
  • Setting/background described
  • Lighting mentioned
  • Quality modifiers added
  • Negative prompt included
  • No conflicting descriptions
  • Reasonable length (20-100 words)
  • Tested with appropriate model

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Resources

Avatar Studio

Try your prompts

Community Gallery

See prompts from other creators

Discord

Share and discuss prompts

API Reference

Programmatic generation
Ready to craft the perfect prompt? Open Avatar Studio and start creating!