The Ultimate AI Prompt Bible: 100+ Keywords, Styles & Formulas

In the world of Generative AI, words are your paintbrush. The difference between a blurry, generic image and an award-winning masterpiece often comes down to a single adjective. But with millions of potential combinations, how do you know which words trigger the best results? How do you stop guessing and start engineering?

This guide is your comprehensive encyclopedia of AI prompting. We have compiled the most powerful keywords, styles, and structural formulas used by professional AI artists. Unlike specific tool guides, this post covers the universal language of AI art. Whether you are using Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, or DALL-E 3, these principles apply. Bookmark this page; it will be your daily reference for lighting, camera angles, art styles, and texture modifiers.

The Universal Prompt Formula

Before memorizing keywords, you must understand structure. A "messy" prompt leads to messy results. The most effective prompts follow a specific hierarchy, moving from the most important elements to the least important.

The Formula:

• Subject: Who or what is in the image? (e.g., "A cyberpunk samurai")
• Medium: Is it a photo, a painting, or a 3D render? (e.g., "Oil painting on canvas")
• Style: Specific artistic influences. (e.g., "Impressionist, Van Gogh style")
• Lighting: How is the scene lit? (e.g., "Cinematic lighting, blue rim light")
• Color: The palette. (e.g., "Teal and orange, pastel tones")
• Composition: Camera angle and framing. (e.g., "Wide angle, rule of thirds")

Photography & Realism Keywords

When creating photorealistic images, you need to speak the language of a photographer. If you simply say "photo," the AI will give you a generic snapshot. Use these terms to upgrade your realism. (Great for our Photorealistic Generator).

Camera Films & aesthetics

• Kodak Portra 400: Gives a warm, grainy, vintage film look. Perfect for portraits.
• Fujifilm Velvia: High saturation and vibrant colors. Great for nature/landscapes.
• Polaroid / Instax: Soft focus, flash reflection, vintage border, nostalgia.
• GoPro Footage: Fisheye distortion, high action, extreme wide angle.
• CCTV Footage: Low resolution, grainy, high angle, surveillance aesthetic.

Example: The Vintage Portrait

"subject": "Portrait of an old sailor smoking a pipe",
"style": "Kodak Portra 400 film photography, vintage 1980s aesthetic",
"lighting": "Natural overcast light",
"details": "Film grain, light leak, motion blur"

Digital Art & Illustration Styles

Moving away from reality, these keywords define the texture of your image. Use these when you want to create concept art, anime, or stylized illustrations. (Perfect for the Anime & Manga Tool).

Popular Art Styles

• Ukiyo-e: Traditional Japanese woodblock print style (think "The Great Wave").
• Synthwave / Vaporwave: Neon pinks/purples, retro 80s grids, low-fi aesthetic.
• Double Exposure: Two images blended together (e.g., a bear silhouette filled with a forest).
• Papercut Craft: Images that look like layered paper shadows.
• Impasto: Thick, visible oil paint texture.

Render Engines (For 3D)

To get that "Pixar" or "Video Game" look, name-drop these engines:

• Unreal Engine 5: High fidelity, real-time lighting, "Fortnite" style.
• Octane Render: Glossy, high contrast, expensive-looking 3D.
• ZBrush: Clay-like digital sculpting, great for creatures.

Example: The Fantasy Landscape

"subject": "A floating castle in the clouds",
"style": "Studio Ghibli art style, hand-painted backgrounds",
"medium": "Digital painting, watercolor texture",
"color": "Pastel blue and soft pink palette"

Lighting & Atmosphere Cheat Sheet

Lighting is the single most important factor in AI art. It determines the mood. Never leave your lighting prompt blank. (Use our Lighting Studio to experiment with these).

Top 10 Lighting Keywords

1. Golden Hour: Warm, orange sunlight, long shadows. (Best for outdoor beauty).
2. Blue Hour: The deep blue twilight just before sunrise/sunset. (Best for moody cityscapes).
3. Volumetric Lighting: Visible beams of light (God Rays) cutting through fog.
4. Rim Lighting: A light behind the subject that creates a glowing outline. (Best for separating subject from background).
5. Bioluminescence: Glowing organic light (blue/green) from plants or creatures.
6. Cinematic Lighting: High contrast, dramatic shadows, "movie-like" quality.
7. Rembrandt Lighting: Specific portrait lighting with a triangle of light on the cheek.
8. Neon Noir: Dark scenes lit only by neon signs (Cyberpunk style).
9. Global Illumination: Soft, bouncing light that fills shadows (3D render style).
10. Caustics: The pattern light makes when passing through water or glass.

Camera Angles & Composition

Don't let the AI decide where to put the camera. Take control of the director's chair.

Essential Camera Terms

• Low Angle Shot: Camera looks UP at the subject. Makes them look powerful, heroic, or giant.
• High Angle Shot: Camera looks DOWN. Makes the subject look small, vulnerable, or cute.
• Dutch Angle: Tilted camera. Creates tension, chaos, or unease.
• Macro Shot: Extreme close-up. Shows texture, insect eyes, water droplets.
• Isometric View: 3D "game view" with no vanishing point. (Essential for Voxel Art).
• Knolling: Objects arranged neatly at 90-degree angles (Flat Lay). Great for product photography.
• Bokeh: The aesthetic quality of the blur in out-of-focus areas.

Graphic Design & Vector Prompts

When you need usable assets like logos or icons, you must disable the AI's tendency to make everything 3D. Use these negative prompts: "No shading, no shadows, flat, 2D". (See our Logo Generator).

Keywords for Clean Design

• Vector Art: implies infinite scalability and clean lines.
• Flat Design: Minimalist style used by modern tech companies (Apple/Google).
• Line Art: Black lines on white background only. No fill.
• Sticker Art: Adds a white die-cut border around the subject.
• Seamless Pattern: Creates a texture that can be tiled infinitely (great for wallpapers/textiles).

Example: The Tech Logo

{
  "subject": "Minimalist fox head logo",
  "style": "Flat vector art, geometric shapes, tech startup branding",
  "colors": "Orange and white",
  "background": "Solid white background (Hex #FFFFFF)",
  "modifiers": "No shading, no gradients, clean lines"
}

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even with the best keywords, you can fail if you overcomplicate things.

• Keyword Salad: Don't just paste 50 random words like "4k, 8k, hd, best quality, trending." Modern AI models (like Flux or Midjourney v6) prefer natural sentences over keyword spam.
• Conflicting Terms: Don't ask for "Minimalist" and "Intricate details" in the same prompt. They cancel each other out.
• Ignoring Aspect Ratio: A portrait looks bad in a wide landscape ratio. Always match your composition to your canvas shape.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do these keywords work on all AI models?

Yes, mostly. Concepts like "Cinematic Lighting" or "Macro Lens" are universal photography terms that every major AI model (Midjourney, DALL-E 3, Stable Diffusion) has been trained on. While the specific syntax might vary (e.g., --ar 16:9 vs aspect ratio: 16:9), the keywords themselves work everywhere.

How can I get consistent characters?

This is the hardest part of AI art. To keep a character consistent, use very specific descriptors (e.g., "Scar on left cheek, red scarf, green eyes") and try to use a "Seed" number if your tool allows it. Our Seed Finder tool is designed to help with this.

What is a "Negative Prompt"?

A negative prompt tells the AI what not to include. Common negatives are "blurry, low quality, deformed hands, watermark, text." Using our Negative Helper ensures you always have a clean output.

Tools You Can Use

Now that you have the keywords, you need the engines. Our suite of tools is pre-configured with these exact formulas to save you time:

• Cinematic Studio: For high-end movie lighting and composition.
• Photorealistic Generator: Tuned for specific lenses (85mm, 35mm) and film stocks.
• Game Asset Creator: Uses the Isometric and Sprite keywords automatically.
• Prefix/Suffix Tool: Quickly wrap your simple prompt in complex "Quality Booster" keywords.

Conclusion

Prompt engineering is a language. The more vocabulary you have—knowing the difference between "Softbox" and "Hard Light," or "Voxel" and "Low Poly"—the more precise your art becomes. Stop hoping for a lucky result and start dictating your vision.

Ready to test your new vocabulary? Open the AIvirsa Prompt Generator and start building.