1.3 Making images in Midjourney and Nano Banana · Lesson 3 of 7

Prompting for Images

The difference between ‘a landscape’ and something breathtaking is specificity.

Technique12 min

The big idea

A vague prompt gives a generic image; a specific one gives something special. A good image prompt names the subject, the style, the lighting and the composition — and then a couple of parameters (like aspect ratio and how stylised it should be) tune the result. The two landscapes below came from the same tool; the only difference was the words.

Key insight: Specificity is the whole game. Name the subject, the style, the light and the framing — and watch the quality jump.

Vague vs specific

Same tool, very different results. The detailed prompt names subject, place, light and mood; the vague one leaves it all to chance.

The anatomy of a great prompt

Four ingredients plus two dials. Tap to expand.

Key points to remember

Name the subject, style, lighting and composition.
Specific beats vague, every single time.
Use --ar for shape and --stylize for how artistic it looks.
Borrow the language of photography and art to direct the result.