To generate a useful AI image, decide where it will be used, describe one clear composition, add a reference when identity matters, and review the result against the brief. The goal is an image you can use, not simply an attractive variation.
This guide uses Afterform’s project-based approach. Prepare the brief and references first, then use an enabled image-generation workflow in your workspace. Controls, supported references, and output sizes vary by model.
1. Write a one-sentence brief
Specify the subject, destination, and purpose. “A vertical lifestyle image of our actual travel mug for a morning-commute campaign” is a better start than “an amazing product image.” It tells you what must remain accurate and what kind of composition you need.
Decide whether the image needs room for a headline. Choose an available aspect ratio that matches the destination as closely as practical. A square image cropped later into a narrow vertical placement may lose the handle, logo, or setting that made it work.
2. Prepare a useful reference
For a real product, use a clean image with the whole item visible. Avoid glare covering the label and backgrounds that obscure the edges. If multiple references are supported, give each a clear role: product identity, material detail, or visual style.
Keep product and style separate. A mood image containing another mug can unintentionally introduce the wrong shape. Store the actual product source in the project’s assets, and keep a short note describing the details that must not change.
3. Build the prompt in a predictable order
Use this sequence: subject, setting, framing, light, visual treatment, and constraints. You do not need a long string of quality adjectives.
Use the supplied travel mug as the product reference. Place it on a wooden kitchen counter beside a closed notebook. Medium close-up, eye-level camera, soft morning light from the left. Natural materials and a quiet everyday mood. Keep the mug’s silhouette, handle and printed mark unchanged. Leave clear space in the upper third for a headline. No additional text or extra products.
This is an example brief, not a promise that a model will obey every constraint. If your workflow accepts only text, do not assume mentioning a reference attaches one; select the source through the supported input control.
4. Generate a small first set
In an available image workflow, choose a model that supports your inputs, set the crop, and check the displayed estimate before submitting. Start with the smallest useful number of options. Large batches amplify an unclear brief as easily as a good one.
Keep the settings stable while assessing the first attempt. Changing the model, reference, aspect ratio, and prompt at once makes it harder to understand why the result changed.
5. Review before you refine
| Check | Pass condition |
|---|---|
| Subject | The correct product or subject is recognizable |
| Geometry | Edges, handles, joints and proportions make sense |
| Text | Any required lettering is accurate; otherwise plan a separate overlay |
| Composition | The crop and free space fit the intended placement |
| Light | Shadows and reflections agree with the scene |
| Usefulness | The image communicates the brief without extra explanation |
Reject factual product errors before polishing style. A pleasing color palette cannot rescue a mug with the wrong handle.
6. Revise one thing at a time
If the composition is right but the image is too busy, ask for fewer background objects. If the product is too small, change the framing. Preserve the accepted parts of the brief and save the new version separately.
For exact typography, keep the visual clean and add reviewed text in a suitable finishing tool. If product details still drift, use an accurate packshot in a controlled composition rather than repeatedly asking the model to reconstruct it.
Save the decision, not just the file
Retain the source, prompt, settings, and accepted version in the project. Name the result by its purpose, such as “morning commute — vertical hero,” so it remains useful later.
Next, follow the product-photo guide for stricter fidelity checks, or the image-to-video guide if the accepted still will become a motion reference.