Gen-AI has made place in everyday workflow now. And the real edge now isn’t access, it’s prompt clarity. We put this together the same way we share notes or insights over chai at Monsoonfish. It’s an easy read with quick takeaways. Inside, you’ll find prompts, templates, and guardrails for image generation and edits; tool-agnostic, fast, and repeatable. They have helped us make our own processes faster, lighter, and smarter. We hope they do the same for you.

Formula: Subject + Action + Environment + Style + Lighting + Detail/Constraints
Edits: Change + Element/Region + Effect/Style + Key details (+ what to keep/avoid)

Fill these blanks, left → right.

• Subject: who/what?
• Action/Intent: doing what / what moment?
• Environment: where/when/context?
• Style: photography/illustration/3D/art direction?
• Lighting/Color: mood, time of day, palette?
• Detail/Constraints: angle, composition, texture, aspect ratio, “avoid …”
• Example (vague → specific)

• Vague: “Cup of tea.”

Specific: “Cutting-chai glass (subject) being poured (action) at a street-stall counter in monsoon Mumbai, traffic bokeh (environment); 35 mm DSLR product look (style); soft diffused light with warm practicals (lighting); low-angle, rule-of-thirds, 4:5, avoid text/watermarks (detail/constraints).”

Change + Element/Region + Effect/Style + Key details (+ keep/avoid)

Examples

• “Increase steam over the chai; subtle, realistic; keep glass highlights; maintain current colors.”
• “Replace background with clean white studio sweep; soft diffusion; don’t alter glass shape.”
• “Add light drizzle streaks on the window; cinematic, shallow DOF; retain existing palette.”

Product hero (photo look)
“{product} on {surface}, being used {moment}. {location/season}. Editorial product style, shallow DOF. Soft diffused light. 3/4 angle, clean composition, aspect 4:5. Avoid text/watermarks.”

Human portrait (editorial)
“{role/persona} candid, {setting}. Editorial fashion vibe. Soft backlight + practicals. 85 mm look, shallow DOF. Neutral skin tones, aspect 4:5. Avoid harsh HDR.”

App/UI hero (abstract brand visual)
“Abstract geometry for {brand/theme}. Flows diagonally. Brand palette on dark gradient mesh. Subtle glow, no text. Smooth depth, aspect 1920×1080.”

Texture tile (backgrounds)
“Macro {material} texture, seamless, natural variation, neutral color cast, soft light, minimal specular highlights.”

Icon set (consistent line style)
“Infographic icons, mono-weight stroke, rounded caps/joins, consistent corner radius, aligned grid, flat fill optional, no shadows.”

Scene (mood/story)
“{place} in {weather/season}, {time of day}. Candid street mood, shallow DOF, natural grain, realistic reflections, aspect 16:9.”

• Set aspect ratio early (so composition lands right for your channel).
• Be concrete, not flowery (“brass kettle” > “nice vibe”).
• Reference images/boards when consistency matters (look, pose, palette).
• Lock reproducibility using your tool’s repeatable setting (seed/preset/template).
• Name what to avoid (e.g., “no text, no watermark, no heavy HDR”).
  
• One big idea per prompt; iterate with small deltas instead of cramming.

• Aspect: 4:5 (post) / 16:9 (video)
• Lighting: soft diffused / golden hour / hard studio (pick one)
• Composition: low-angle / rule-of-thirds / centered (pick one)
• Constraints: “no text, no watermark, clean edges”
• Consistency: “match palette: {#hex1 #hex2}” (if branding)
• Paste this header, then your main prompt. It acts like a checklist baked into your text.

1. Cinematic portrait, soft rim light, shallow DOF, 4:5
2. Isometric desk scene, clean vector, brand palette
3. Flat-lay product on linen, natural window light, subtle grain
4. Editorial hero for app UI, glassmorphism, gentle depth
5. Minimal LinkedIn banner, abstract geometry, gradient mesh
6. Macro texture (paper/linen/metal), seamless, neutral
7. City street in rain, neon reflections, shallow DOF
8. Hand-drawn storyboard frames, black ink, rough edges
9. 3D clay-style mascot, friendly, studio light, 1:1
10. Infographic icon set, mono-weight stroke, consistent grid

• Aspect ratio set for where it’ll live?
• One clear style direction (not three competing ones)?
• Lighting and color specified (not implied)?
• Any don’ts stated (artefacts you hate)?
• If you’ll need to repeat, did you save your settings?

• Weird crops → set aspect first; add a composition cue (low-angle/thirds/center).
• Style drifts between versions → add a style reference or palette note; reduce variability; iterate small.
• Plastic/over-processed look → ask for soft/diffused light, natural textures; avoid “HDR/glossy.”
  
• Hard to reproduce → keep prompts short, log the settings you changed, reuse them.

• Avoid trademarked IP or real people’s likeness without permission.
• Disclose AI-generated imagery when required by your org/client.
• Keep a short “prompt log” (what worked, settings used) so work is auditable.

We believe AI is not going to replace the craft of building good products,  but it CAN give us back the hours to focus on what really matters: clarity, creativity, and impact.

At Monsoonfish, that’s the work we love, helping product teams design clarity. We hope this playbook gives you a few building blocks to do the same.