Eight references, each run through the same four steps: the reference, what Promptify reads from it, the prompt that comes out, and what that prompt will and won't carry over. Each one teaches a different habit.
Case 1 · Lock the light and backdrop, vary only the person.
A corporate headshot, rebuilt for a whole team
1 · Reference
2 · Promptify analysis
Composition
Head-and-shoulders, centred, eyes on the upper third, square-on to camera.
Lighting
Large soft key from front-left, subtle rim separating hair from the backdrop.
Palette
Neutral mid-grey backdrop, dark tailoring, white shirt, natural skin.
Camera
85mm look, shallow depth of field, focus on the eyes.
3 · Generated prompt
Create an image based on the following guidelines: a head-and-shoulders team portrait of [name, age, hair] in a navy jacket over a plain light top, facing camera with a relaxed closed-mouth smile. Centred framing, eyes on the upper third. Large soft key light from front-left, a gentle rim light from behind right, seamless mid-grey backdrop evenly lit. 85mm look at f/2.8, eyes sharp, ears softening, natural skin texture, consistent exposure, no text.
4 · Result — what carries over
Light direction, backdrop tone and crop stay identical, so twelve people generated separately still look like one photo session.
What deliberately changes
Faces, hair and outfit details come only from the bracketed placeholder — the reference person is never described.
Case 2 · Separate the light from the scene so it can move anywhere.
Golden-hour lifestyle without the picnic
1 · Reference
2 · Promptify analysis
Lighting
Low sun directly behind the subjects, warm hair-light, gentle flare across the frame.
Palette
Amber, honey and soft green; shadows lifted rather than black.
Composition
Vertical, subjects mid-frame, long grass in the soft foreground.
Finish
Documentary feel, slight film grain, shallow depth of field.
3 · Generated prompt
Create an image based on the following guidelines: two cyclists pausing on a gravel road beside a vineyard, laughing as one passes the other a water bottle. Vertical frame, subjects mid-frame, out-of-focus vine leaves in the foreground. Low sun directly behind them, warm rim light on hair and shoulders, a soft veil of flare across the upper frame, shadows lifted and warm. Palette: amber, honey, dusty green. 50mm at f/2, candid documentary feel, light film grain, no text.
4 · Result — what carries over
The backlight, flare and warm lifted shadows — the parts that made the reference feel like late summer.
What deliberately changes
Location, people and activity are entirely new; the meadow and picnic never appear.
Case 3 · Describe what is left unpainted, not just what is painted.
Watercolour that stays loose
1 · Reference
2 · Promptify analysis
Medium
Wet-on-wet washes bleeding into cold-press paper, visible blooms and drips.
Palette
Orange against teal, everything else diluted to tints.
Composition
Vertical, subject low-centre, large areas of untouched white paper.
Texture
Paper grain shows through every wash; branch detail kept minimal.
3 · Generated prompt
Create an image based on the following guidelines: a loose watercolour of a heron standing in shallow reeds, painted wet-on-wet on textured cold-press paper. Vertical composition, bird low in the frame, at least half the sheet left as untouched white paper. Palette limited to slate blue and burnt orange with diluted tints. Soft blooms where washes meet, a few drips, minimal reed detail, visible paper grain, storybook feel, no outlines, no text.
4 · Result — what carries over
The economy of the style — the white paper and limited palette are explicit, so the model doesn't fill every corner.
What deliberately changes
Subject and accent colour change; naming 'no outlines' stops a common slide into ink-and-wash.
Case 4 · Give a fixed palette with roles so a series stays consistent.
A flat vector scene for a blog header
1 · Reference
2 · Promptify analysis
Style
Simple geometric shapes, minimal shading, friendly character design.
Palette
Coral, mustard, teal and cream — four colours, nothing else.
Composition
Character centred with floating UI elements and plants around her.
Finish
Flat fills, no gradients, no texture.
3 · Generated prompt
Create an image based on the following guidelines: a flat vector illustration of a man watering plants on a small apartment balcony while a phone shows a weather icon floating beside him. Simple geometric shapes, friendly rounded character, minimal shadows. Strict palette: cream background, coral for clothing, teal for plants and sky details, mustard for small accents. Horizontal 16:9 blog-header crop with space on the left for a title, flat fills only, no gradients, no text.
4 · Result — what carries over
Exact palette roles and the flat, gradient-free finish, so a run of headers can share one look.
What deliberately changes
Scene and crop change for the new use; copy space is requested deliberately.
Case 5 · Imperfections are a style instruction — ask for them.
Claymation that reads as handmade
1 · Reference
2 · Promptify analysis
Material
Visible fingerprints and slight lumps in the clay; glass bead eyes.
Set
Miniature rocky diorama with tiny plastic plants.
Lighting
Warm soft studio light, gentle shadows under the figure.
Camera
Macro framing, shallow depth of field, softly blurred green backdrop.
3 · Generated prompt
Create an image based on the following guidelines: a stop-motion clay octopus reading a tiny newspaper on a miniature sandy seabed set with pebbles and felt seaweed. Visible fingerprint marks and small lumps in the clay, glossy bead eyes, slightly uneven paint. Warm soft studio light from the upper left, small contact shadows. Macro framing at the figure's eye level, shallow depth of field, softly blurred blue-green backdrop, tactile handmade feel, no text on the newspaper.
4 · Result — what carries over
The tactile signals — fingerprints, lumps, bead eyes — that stop the render turning into smooth CGI.
What deliberately changes
Character and set are new; the newspaper is kept blank to avoid garbled lettering.
Case 6 · For layouts, describe the grid before the decoration.
A 1920s front page for a launch announcement
1 · Reference
2 · Promptify analysis
Grid
Full-width masthead, central illustration, dense multi-column body with thin rules.
Typography
Ornate blackletter-style masthead, bold old-style headlines, small body type.
Palette
Yellowed sepia paper, black ink only.
Finish
Letterpress texture, foxing and worn edges.
3 · Generated prompt
Create an image based on the following guidelines: a fictional 1920s newspaper front page announcing the opening of a public library. Ornate masthead across the full width, a large engraved illustration of a columned building in the centre, six narrow columns of dense body type separated by thin rules, two bold old-style headlines above the fold. Black ink on yellowed sepia paper, letterpress impression, light foxing and worn edges, portrait page, invented headlines only, no legible small text.
4 · Result — what carries over
Grid, column rhythm and print ageing — the structure that makes it read as a real period page.
What deliberately changes
Story and illustration are new; legible small text is excluded because generators can't set it reliably.
Case 7 · Annotations and line weight carry a diagram style.
A technical blueprint for a non-technical subject
1 · Reference
2 · Promptify analysis
Line work
Fine white lines, dimension lines, callout arrows, cutaway gears.
Layout
Central subject, small inset diagrams in the corners, faint grid.
Palette
Deep blueprint cyan with white only.
Text
Fictional labels and measurements, small and uniform.
3 · Generated prompt
Create an image based on the following guidelines: an engineering blueprint of a vintage espresso machine in side elevation, a cutaway revealing the boiler and pipes, fine white line work with dimension lines and callout arrows. Three small inset details in the corners: the portafilter, a valve and the pressure gauge. Faint square grid across a deep blueprint-cyan background, white only, uniform small fictional labels, portrait poster composition.
4 · Result — what carries over
Line weights, insets and the two-colour palette that make it read as a technical drawing.
What deliberately changes
The subject is everyday rather than mechanical-fantasy, which the same structure handles without change.
Case 8 · Name where each type element sits, not just that it exists.
A magazine cover layout for a portfolio piece
1 · Reference
2 · Promptify analysis
Hierarchy
Masthead across the top, model filling the centre, cover lines down the left edge.
Typography
Large elegant serif masthead, bold sans cover lines.
Palette
White background, a single strong red in the clothing.
Photography
Dramatic studio light, high-end editorial finish.
3 · Generated prompt
Create an image based on the following guidelines: a modern architecture magazine cover, vertical format. A large elegant serif masthead across the top, a dramatic photograph of a concrete spiral staircase filling the centre from a low angle, three short cover lines stacked down the left edge in a bold sans, barcode and issue date bottom right. White border, one deep cobalt accent used only for the cover lines, crisp editorial print finish, no readable small text.
4 · Result — what carries over
Exact placement of masthead, cover lines and barcode, plus the one-accent colour rule.
What deliberately changes
A person becomes architecture; the layout instructions transfer untouched.
