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Lesson 2.1: Prompt Engineering Fundamentals
Section 2 · Lesson 1
Lesson 2.1: Prompt Engineering Fundamentals
Random-feeling results almost always trace back to a missing ingredient in the prompt. This lesson breaks down the four-part structure behind consistently strong prompts.
A strong prompt is built from four ingredients, in a consistent order: subject, style, composition, and lighting.
- Subject — what is actually in the frame, described specifically
- Style — photorealistic, watercolor, 3D render, flat illustration, etc.
- Composition — camera angle, framing, foreground vs. background
- Lighting — time of day, light source, mood
Real-world example
Before
a mountain landscape
After
a snow-capped mountain range, wide-angle composition, golden hour lighting, photorealistic
Photo by Artem Sapegin on Unsplash (free to use under the Unsplash License)
Once these four ingredients become a habit, most generations land close to usable on the first or second attempt instead of the tenth.
Hands-on exercise
Write one idea out explicitly across all four ingredients before generating. Compare it to a version skipping composition and lighting.