> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.percify.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Prompt Engineering Guide

> Master the art of writing effective prompts for stunning AI avatars

## 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.

## The Anatomy of a Great Prompt

A well-structured prompt typically includes:

```
[Subject] + [Style/Medium] + [Details] + [Setting] + [Lighting] + [Quality Modifiers]
```

### 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

## Essential Prompt Components

### 1. Subject (Required)

The main focus of your image. Be specific about:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Character Type">
    * Profession: warrior, mage, scientist, artist
    * Species: human, elf, robot, alien
    * Age: young, middle-aged, elderly
    * Gender: male, female, androgynous
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Physical Features">
    * Face: angular, round, sharp features
    * Hair: long flowing, short spiky, braided
    * Build: athletic, slender, muscular
    * Distinctive traits: scars, tattoos, markings
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Expression & Pose">
    * Emotion: confident, mysterious, joyful, stern
    * Pose: portrait, action pose, sitting, standing
    * Gaze: looking at camera, looking away, eyes closed
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### 2. Art Style

Choose an aesthetic that matches your vision:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Realistic" icon="image">
    photorealistic, hyperrealistic, photo, portrait photography, studio photo
  </Card>

  <Card title="Digital Art" icon="palette">
    digital art, digital painting, concept art, artstation trending
  </Card>

  <Card title="Illustration" icon="brush">
    illustration, hand-drawn, sketch, watercolor, oil painting
  </Card>

  <Card title="3D Render" icon="cube">
    3D render, Unreal Engine, Octane render, CGI, Pixar style
  </Card>

  <Card title="Anime/Manga" icon="star">
    anime style, manga, cel shaded, Studio Ghibli, anime portrait
  </Card>

  <Card title="Artistic Movements" icon="palette-outline">
    Art Nouveau, Renaissance, Baroque, Impressionist, Cyberpunk
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### 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"
```

### 4. Setting & Background

Context matters:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion icon="city" title="Urban Settings">
    cyberpunk city, neon lights, futuristic metropolis, urban alley, rooftop view, city street, skyscrapers
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="tree" title="Nature Settings">
    mystical forest, mountain peak, ocean shore, desert landscape, jungle, meadow, waterfall
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="building" title="Interior Settings">
    royal throne room, laboratory, library, bedroom, workshop, spaceship interior, castle hall
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="sparkles" title="Fantasy/Sci-Fi">
    floating islands, alien planet, magical dimension, space station, crystal cavern, ethereal realm
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### 5. Lighting

Lighting dramatically affects mood:

| Lighting Type         | Description            | Best For                   |
| --------------------- | ---------------------- | -------------------------- |
| **Soft lighting**     | Gentle, diffused       | Portraits, peaceful scenes |
| **Dramatic lighting** | High contrast, shadows | Action, mystery            |
| **Golden hour**       | Warm, sunset glow      | Romantic, warm scenes      |
| **Rim lighting**      | Backlight outline      | Epic, heroic               |
| **Neon lighting**     | Colorful, electric     | Cyberpunk, modern          |
| **Moonlight**         | Cool, blue tones       | Night, mystical            |
| **Studio lighting**   | Clean, professional    | Headshots, professional    |

### 6. Quality Modifiers

Boost output quality:

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

## Advanced Techniques

### Weighting & Emphasis

Emphasize important parts:

```javascript theme={null}
// Mintlify supports emphasis syntax
"(glowing eyes:1.3) mystical sorceress"  // Strong emphasis on glowing eyes
"warrior with [leather armor]"           // De-emphasize armor
```

### Negative Prompts

Exclude unwanted elements:

<CodeGroup>
  ```text Good Negative Prompts theme={null}
  blurry, low quality, distorted, deformed, ugly, bad anatomy,
  extra limbs, mutated hands, poorly drawn face, out of frame,
  watermark, text, logo, signature
  ```

  ```text Common Issues to Avoid theme={null}
  # For faces
  asymmetric eyes, distorted face, extra fingers, missing fingers

  # For bodies
  extra arms, extra legs, bad proportions, disconnected limbs

  # For overall quality
  pixelated, jpeg artifacts, grainy, noisy, compression artifacts
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### 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"
```

## Prompt Templates

### 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
```

### 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
```

### 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
```

### 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
```

## Model-Specific Tips

### 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
```

### 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
```

### 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
```

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion icon="x" title="Being Too Vague">
    ❌ "a person"
    ✅ "young female scientist with glasses in a modern laboratory"
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="x" title="Overloading with Keywords">
    ❌ "beautiful gorgeous stunning amazing incredible ultra mega super..."
    ✅ Pick 2-3 quality modifiers maximum
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="x" title="Conflicting Descriptions">
    ❌ "photorealistic anime cartoon oil painting"
    ✅ Choose one primary style
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="x" title="Forgetting Negative Prompts">
    Always include basic quality excludes in negative prompt
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="x" title="Too Many Subjects">
    ❌ "warrior, mage, dragon, castle, forest, and a robot"
    ✅ Focus on one or two main subjects
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Iterative Refinement

Perfect prompts come from iteration:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start Simple">
    Begin with a basic prompt describing your core vision
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate and Evaluate">
    See what the AI produces and note what's missing or wrong
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Details">
    Add specific details for elements that need improvement
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use Negative Prompts">
    Exclude unwanted elements that appeared
  </Step>

  <Step title="Refine Quality">
    Add quality modifiers and lighting details
  </Step>

  <Step title="Lock with Seeds">
    Use the same seed with prompt variations to compare results
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Prompt Library

Save these proven prompts:

### 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
```

### 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
```

### 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
```

### 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
```

## 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

## Resources

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Avatar Studio" icon="palette" href="/percify/avatar-studio">
    Try your prompts
  </Card>

  <Card title="Community Gallery" icon="images" href="https://percify.io/gallery">
    See prompts from other creators
  </Card>

  <Card title="Discord" icon="discord" href="https://discord.gg/percify">
    Share and discuss prompts
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="code" href="/api-reference/avatars/generate">
    Programmatic generation
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

**Ready to craft the perfect prompt?** Open [Avatar Studio](https://percify.io/avatar-studio) and start creating!