How to Write Better Prompts for AI Modify and AI Combine

AI Modify and AI Combine can create highly impressive results, but the quality of the output depends heavily on the prompt you provide.

AI Combine uses a guest photo, a text prompt, and optional reference images to generate a new AI image that blends the guest with your creative concept. AI Modify is used to enhance or transform an image using advanced AI models. Different models may interpret the same prompt differently, so testing is an important part of building a strong AI workflow.

Why the Prompt Matters

A prompt tells the AI what kind of result you want.

A weak prompt may create a result that feels generic, inconsistent, or different from what you expected.

A strong prompt gives clear direction about:

• The visual style
• The people in the image
• Whether their position should stay the same or change
• The background or environment
• The general theme
• The mood, emotion, and extra details

The goal is not to write a very long prompt. The goal is to write a clear prompt.

Recommended Prompt Structure

Use this structure when creating prompts for AI Modify or AI Combine.

1. Select the Style

Start by defining the visual style.

Examples:

• Super realistic
• Cinematic
• Watercolor painting
• Comic book style
• Fantasy art
• Luxury fashion editorial
• 3D animated character style
• Vintage poster
• Oil painting
• Cyberpunk
• Christmas postcard
• Magazine cover style

For example:

Create a super realistic cinematic photo...

Or:

Transform the image into a watercolor painting...

Or:

Create a colorful comic book style image...

2. Decide Whether to Keep or Change the People's Position

This is one of the most important parts of the prompt.

If you want the AI to keep the original composition, say it clearly:

Keep the people in the same position and zoom as the reference image.

This helps the AI understand that the guests should stay framed the same way and not be moved, resized, or repositioned.

If you want the AI to change the composition, say that too:

Reposition the people naturally inside the new scene, keeping them centered and clearly visible.

Or:

Place the people standing together in the foreground, full body visible, with a dramatic background behind them.

3. Keep Faces Recognizable

When working with guest photos, it is usually important that the final image still looks like the original people.

Add this line when needed:

Keep the people's faces recognizable and true to the reference image.

This is especially recommended when the AI is changing the scene, outfit, style, or body position.

For example:

Create a cinematic superhero poster. Reposition the people as heroic characters standing in the foreground, but keep their faces recognizable and true to the reference image.

4. Describe the Background

The background gives the AI the world around the guests.

Instead of saying:

Put them in a forest.

Write:

Place them in an enchanted forest at sunset, with glowing fireflies, soft golden light, tall trees, and a magical atmosphere.

More background examples:

• A luxury red carpet event with flashing cameras, velvet ropes, elegant lighting, and a premium Hollywood atmosphere.
• A futuristic neon city at night with rain reflections, glowing signs, and cinematic blue and purple lighting.
• A winter wonderland with falling snow, warm lights, decorated trees, and a cozy holiday feeling.
• A tropical island beach with turquoise water, palm trees, soft sunlight, and a relaxed vacation mood.

AI Combine already works well with detailed scenes, lighting, style, and mood, so adding this detail gives the model more direction.

5. Mention the General Theme

If the event has a clear theme, include it.

Examples:

• Corporate gala
• Wedding
• Christmas party
• Halloween
• Casino night
• 1920s Gatsby
• Product launch
• Sports activation
• Superhero experience
• Luxury fashion event
• Kids party
• Fantasy adventure

For example:

The overall theme is a luxury corporate gala with a premium, elegant, and modern feeling.

Or:

The overall theme is a fun comic book superhero experience for a family event.

This helps the AI understand the bigger creative direction.

6. Add Emotion and Extra Details

You can also guide how the image should feel.

Examples:

• The image should feel exciting, premium, and share-worthy.
• Make the result feel warm, magical, and family-friendly.
• The final photo should make guests feel like celebrities.
• Create a powerful, confident, heroic feeling.
• The image should look polished, professional, and suitable for printing.

These details are useful because event photos are not only about visuals. They are about the reaction guests have when they see the final result.

Steer Around Content Filters

Some AI models are strict about copyrighted characters, brand artwork, and any amount of skin or nudity. The model can start a generation, detect partway through that the result is heading toward restricted content, and either fail or return a safer fallback that no longer matches your prompt. You can avoid most of these rejections by being explicit upfront.

Copyrighted characters and brands

Generic words like "superhero," "Disney princess," or "Marvel-style hero" can trigger a copyright filter mid-generation. Steer the model toward an original concept instead.

Less reliable:

Create a comic book superhero image.

More reliable:

Create a comic book style image. Design a brand-new, never-before-seen original superhero with a custom costume in red and silver, no recognizable logos, no resemblance to any existing comic, game, or movie character.

The same idea applies to fashion brands, mascots, sports teams, and movie scenes. Describe the look you want in your own words instead of naming a known brand, franchise, or character.

Nudity and skin sensitivity

Models that are strict about nudity can also flag legitimate scenes -- beachwear, swimwear, athletic wear, even outfits that show shoulders -- and either soften them, change the outfit, or fail outright. If the scene calls for any amount of skin, name what you want and what you do not want.

For example:

The guests are wearing modest summer beach outfits that fully cover the chest and torso. Family-friendly. No nudity and no revealing clothing.

Or:

The character is wearing a long-sleeved athletic outfit with full coverage. Suitable for a public family event.

This gives the model a clear, safe direction and reduces the chance of a filter rejection.

Full Prompt Examples

Super Realistic Red Carpet

Create a super realistic cinematic image. Keep the people in the same position and zoom as the reference image. Keep their faces recognizable and true to the original photo. Place them at a luxury red carpet event with flashing cameras, velvet ropes, elegant lighting, and a premium Hollywood atmosphere. The overall theme is celebrity VIP night. The image should feel glamorous, exciting, and highly share-worthy.

Watercolor Wedding Style

Transform the image into a soft watercolor painting. Keep the people in the same position and zoom as the reference image. Keep their faces recognizable. Create a romantic garden wedding background with flowers, soft sunlight, greenery, and a dreamy elegant atmosphere. The final image should feel warm, artistic, and beautiful for printing.

Comic Book Superhero

Create a colorful comic book style image. Reposition the people as brand-new, never-before-seen original superheroes with custom costumes in red and silver, no recognizable logos and no resemblance to any existing comic, game, or movie character. Keep their faces recognizable and true to the reference image. Add a dramatic city skyline in the background, action lines, bold lighting, and a heroic comic book atmosphere. The image should feel powerful, fun, and energetic.

Futuristic Cyberpunk

Create a cinematic cyberpunk image. Keep the people's faces recognizable. Place them in a futuristic neon city at night, with glowing signs, rain reflections, dramatic lighting, and a high-tech atmosphere. The people should look naturally integrated into the scene. The image should feel modern, bold, and visually impressive.

Holiday Postcard

Create a realistic holiday postcard style image. Keep the people in the same position and zoom as the reference image. Keep their faces recognizable. Add a cozy winter background with falling snow, warm lights, decorated Christmas trees, and a festive atmosphere. The final photo should feel joyful, warm, and family-friendly.

Dynamic Prompts with Surveys and Selection Screens

For the best guest experience, we highly recommend using Surveys and/or Selection Screens to control parts of the prompt dynamically.

Instead of using one fixed prompt for everyone, you can let guests choose options such as:

• Style: realistic, watercolor, comic, cinematic, fantasy
• Theme: holiday, superhero, luxury, sports, futuristic
• Background: beach, city, forest, red carpet, winter scene
• Mood: fun, elegant, dramatic, magical, romantic
• Composition: keep original position or create a new scene

This allows each guest to personalize the final result while still keeping the prompt structured and controlled.

Example dynamic prompt:

Create a {{style}} image. {{composition_instruction}} Keep the people's faces recognizable and true to the reference image. Place them in {{background}}. The overall theme is {{theme}}. The image should feel {{mood}} and be suitable for sharing and printing.

This approach gives you more creative flexibility and makes the experience feel more interactive.

Test Different Models

Each AI model behaves a little differently.

Some models may produce faster results. Others may create higher quality, stronger prompt accuracy, or a more specific artistic look. There can be tradeoffs between processing time, quality, cost, and style.

Foto Master gives you access to a wide range of the latest AI models. We recommend testing your prompts in the AI Playground before using them at a live event. The AI Playground lets you test AI features directly without setting up a full booth workflow.

Test the same prompt with several guest photos and compare:

• Face recognition quality
• Style accuracy
• Background quality
• Processing time
• Overall "wow" factor
• Print-readiness
• Brand fit

Once you find the model and prompt combination that works best, use it in your event workflow.

Best Practices

• Be clear about the style.
• Tell the AI whether to keep or change the people's position.
• Add "keep faces recognizable" when identity matters.
• Describe the background with visual details.
• Mention the overall event theme.
• Add mood and emotional direction.
• Use Surveys and Selection Screens for dynamic control.
• Test in AI Playground before the event.
• Try multiple models and compare results.
• Keep prompts focused. Too many conflicting ideas can reduce quality.
• Avoid named copyrighted characters and brands. Describe an original look instead so the model does not fail mid-generation on a copyright filter.
• For scenes with any skin or revealing clothing, state the coverage you want explicitly (for example, "modest beachwear, fully covered chest and torso, family-friendly") so strict models do not soften or reject the output.

Simple Prompt Formula

Use this formula as a starting point:

Create a [style] image. [Keep or change the people's position]. Keep the people's faces recognizable and true to the reference image. Place them in [background description]. The overall theme is [theme]. The image should feel [emotion/mood] and be suitable for [sharing/printing/brand activation].

This structure gives the AI clear direction while still leaving room for creative results.