# prompt-images

Prompting guide for image generation and editing models on Replicate. It helps structure detailed natural-language prompts instead of relying on keyword lists.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 2600 installs · ★ 141
- Author: replicate
- License: Apache-2.0 · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/replicate/skills/tree/HEAD/skills/prompt-images/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-06-04
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/prompt-images

## What it does

This skill collects prompt engineering guidelines for Replicate image models based on the platform's 2024–2026 publications. It replaces comma-separated keyword piles with full descriptive sentences. Short prompts underperform compared to detailed descriptions. Models interpret specific materials and spatial positions much better when pronouns are omitted.

The instructions provide photography terminology to control composition and tone. That includes specific lenses such as 50mm Summilux or 85mm f/1.4, film stocks like Kodak Portra 800, and lighting setups like Rembrandt lighting. Dedicated sections cover rendering text inside quotation marks and editing backgrounds while locking the subject position.

Picking a model from memory is unreliable because Replicate adds and updates models weekly. You should inspect the current API schema through the `find-models` skill before firing off any generation runs.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add replicate/skills --skill prompt-images -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/prompt-images/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/prompt-images/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add replicate/skills --skill prompt-images -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/prompt-images/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add replicate/skills --skill prompt-images -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/prompt-images/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install replicate/skills prompt-images
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/prompt-images/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add replicate/skills --skill prompt-images -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/replicate/skills --path skills/prompt-images
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/prompt-images/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add replicate/skills --skill prompt-images -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/replicate/skills/tree/HEAD/skills/prompt-images/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- write structured natural-language prompts for image models
- render exact text in generated images using quotation marks
- maintain character appearance across multiple generated scenes
- edit photo backgrounds while keeping subject pose and lighting intact

## Example prompts
- Write a detailed prompt for a portrait shot using an 85mm f/1.4 lens and Rembrandt lighting
- How do I prompt an image model to replace the background while locking the subject's pose?
- Draft a prompt that puts specific text on a poster for a Replicate image model

## Source text · SKILL.md · Apache-2.0

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: e3caeafebb6605a0.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE e3caeafebb6605a0
```text
---
name: prompt-images
description: >
  Prompting techniques for AI image generation and editing models on Replicate.
  Use when writing prompts for image models or building image generation features.
---

# Prompting image models on Replicate

Distilled from Replicate's blog posts on prompting image models (2024-2026). Techniques are model-agnostic and focus on transferable principles.

## Choose a model with the API, not from memory

This skill describes general prompting techniques. To choose a model, use the [find-models](../find-models/SKILL.md) skill and query the Replicate API. The image model landscape changes weekly. Don't assume specific models exist or are still state-of-the-art based on names you've seen before. Always search the API for current options, then read the schema before running anything.

For pricing and feature comparison, see the [compare-models](../compare-models/SKILL.md) skill.


## Writing prompts

### Use natural language, not keyword lists

Write full sentences describing what you want. Modern image models understand grammar and context far better than keyword-stuffed prompts.

Good: "A woman standing in a Tokyo alleyway at dusk, neon signs reflecting off wet pavement"
Bad: "woman, Tokyo, alleyway, dusk, neon, wet pavement"

### Be specific and unambiguous

Name exact colors, materials, lighting setups, camera equipment, and spatial relationships. Vague terms like "make it better" or "artistic" give unpredictable results.

Good: "A brutalist concrete building reflected in a perfectly still puddle after rain. A single figure with a red umbrella walks along the edge, the only color in an otherwise monochrome scene. Overcast sky, flat diffused light, tilt-shift lens effect on the edges."
Bad: "Cool building with a person near it, rainy day"

### Name subjects directly

Use descriptive phrases like "the woman with short black hair" or "the red car." Avoid pronouns, which are often too ambiguous for image models.

### Use long, detailed prompts

Most modern models accept thousands of tokens. Long descriptive prompts with clear structure outperform short ones. A prompt with 12+ specific requirements (text on objects, labeled diagrams, color-coded elements, specific materials) can work if each requirement is stated clearly. But be aware: the longer and more complex the prompt, the more likely something will be missed.

### Start simple, then iterate

Begin with basic changes. Test small edits first, then build on what works. Most editing models support iterative editing, so take advantage of that.


## Photographic language

Modern image models understand camera and photography terminology deeply. Using this vocabulary gives you precise control over the look.

### Camera and lens

- Film stocks: Kodak Portra 800, Fuji Velvia 50, Ilford HP5
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE e3caeafebb6605a0

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