How to Use ChatGPT for Better Image Prompts

sora2hubon a month ago

By sora2hub

I wasted three months writing terrible AI image prompts before I figured this out.

My prompts looked like this: "A woman in a coffee shop, professional, modern." The results? Generic stock photo garbage. Every. Single. Time.

Then I started using ChatGPT to write my prompts before feeding them to Midjourney. My output quality jumped dramatically. My iteration rounds dropped from 15+ to about 4. I stopped wanting to throw my laptop out the window.

Here's what I learned.

TL;DR

Use ChatGPT or Claude to develop your visual concepts and refine your prompts before opening Midjourney or DALL-E. This guide gives you the exact frameworks, templates, and workflows to do it. Expect 50-70% fewer iterations and significantly better results.

Why ChatGPT Changes Everything

The hardest part of AI image generation isn't the technical stuff. It's knowing what to ask for.

I used to stare at Midjourney's prompt box for 20 minutes, trying to translate the vague picture in my head into words. The result was always disappointing because my descriptions were too generic.

ChatGPT solves this problem. It's not generating images—it's helping you think about images more precisely.

Three things it does exceptionally well:

1. Rapid concept exploration I can generate 20 variations of an idea in 10 minutes. Manually brainstorming the same list would take me 2+ hours.

2. Articulation assistance That "I'll know it when I see it" feeling in your head? ChatGPT helps you translate it into specific visual language that AI image generators actually understand.

3. Knowledge gaps It knows about lighting techniques, photography styles, and artistic movements I've never heard of. Last week it suggested "Wes Anderson symmetrical framing" for a project, and the results were perfect.

According to Adobe's 2023 Creative Trends Report, professional creatives spend 42% of their time on ideation and planning. ChatGPT compresses this phase dramatically.

The workflow shift looks like this:

Old way: Open Midjourney → Struggle with prompt → Generate → Hate it → Repeat 15 times

New way: Chat with Claude for 10 minutes → Get refined prompt → Generate → Minor tweaks → Done in 4 rounds

You're not outsourcing creativity. You're outsourcing the tedious translation work.

The 5-Layer Prompt Framework

Most creators only describe what's in the image. That's one layer out of five. The other four are where quality lives.

Layer	What It Does	Example
Subject	What's in the image	"A ceramic coffee cup on a wooden table"
Composition	How it's arranged	"Close-up, shallow depth of field, rule of thirds"
Lighting	Mood and dimension	"Soft morning light from left, warm highlights"
Style	Aesthetic reference	"Shot on Hasselblad, editorial photography"
Emotional tone	Feeling conveyed	"Peaceful, contemplative, intimate"

Here's a real comparison from one of my projects:

One-layer prompt: "A woman working at a coffee shop"

Five-layer prompt: "Professional woman in her 30s working on laptop at minimalist coffee shop window seat, soft diffused daylight creating gentle rim lighting on hair, shallow depth of field with bokeh background, shot from 45-degree angle, muted earth tones with warm highlights, editorial lifestyle photography style, Fujifilm film simulation aesthetic, contemplative focused expression, negative space on left third for text overlay"

The five-layer version took me 3 iterations to get right. The one-layer version? I gave up after 12.

Brainstorming Visual Concepts

Before you write a single prompt for Midjourney, spend 10-15 minutes in conversation with ChatGPT. This investment pays off immediately.

Mood Board Development

Instead of scrolling Pinterest for an hour, try this:

"I'm creating visuals for a meditation app targeting stressed millennials. 
The feeling should be: calm but not sleepy, modern but not cold, 
aspirational but not intimidating. 

Give me 5 distinct visual directions with specific color palettes, 
compositional approaches, and reference photographers or artists."

I used this exact prompt for a client project last month. ChatGPT suggested a direction I never would have considered—"Japanese ma (negative space) principles with warm terracotta accents." The client loved it.

Style Exploration

When you're working in unfamiliar aesthetic territory:

"Explain the visual characteristics of 'liminal space' photography. 
What specific elements make it unsettling? 
Give me 3 ways to adapt these principles for a tech brand 
that wants to feel innovative without being creepy."

This is faster than watching 5 YouTube videos on the topic, and you get actionable specifics instead of general theory.

Generating Variations

Never settle for the first idea. Here's my go-to prompt:

"Give me 10 visual concepts for [project]. 
For each, specify: dominant visual element, color mood, 
compositional style, and emotional impact. 
Make concepts 6-10 deliberately unconventional."

The best ideas usually show up in concepts 7-10, after the obvious options are exhausted.

This is the core workflow I use for every project. It takes a basic idea and transforms it into an optimized prompt.

Stage 1: Basic Concept

Start with your rough idea:

"I need an image of a woman working at a coffee shop for a productivity app"

Stage 2: LLM Expansion

Ask ChatGPT to expand it:

"Expand this into a detailed visual description including composition, 
lighting, style references, and emotional tone. 
Make it specific enough for Midjourney."

Stage 3: Technical Optimization

Final polish:

"Optimize this as a Midjourney prompt. Add technical parameters, 
style anchors, aspect ratio, and specify what to avoid in a negative prompt."

Real output from my last project:

Professional woman in her 30s working on laptop at minimalist 
coffee shop window seat, soft diffused daylight creating gentle 
rim lighting on hair, shallow depth of field with bokeh background 
of blurred patrons, shot from 45-degree angle, muted earth tones 
with warm highlights, editorial lifestyle photography style, 
Fujifilm film simulation aesthetic, contemplative focused expression, 
negative space on left third for text overlay --ar 16:9 --style raw --v 6

This three-stage process added maybe 5 minutes to my workflow. It saved me an hour of iteration.

Shot Planning for Video Projects

For video work, ChatGPT transforms storyboarding from a day-long process into a 30-minute conversation.

Scene-by-Scene Breakdown

Here's a prompt I used for a recent product launch video:

"I'm creating a 90-second product launch video for wireless earbuds. 
Narrative arc: problem (tangled wires, missed calls) → solution reveal → 
lifestyle benefits → call to action.

Generate a shot-by-shot breakdown with:
- Scene description
- Camera angle and movement
- Estimated duration
- Transition to next shot
- Audio/music notes"

Sample output:

Shot	Description	Camera	Duration	Transition
1	Extreme close-up of tangled earbuds in bag	Static, macro lens	2s	Hard cut
2	Person's frustrated expression, pulling at wires	Medium shot, slight push-in	3s	Match cut
3	Clean product on white surface	Top-down, slow rotation	4s	Dissolve
4	Hand reaching for product, seamless pickup	Tracking shot	2s	Continuous

This became my production bible. I printed it out and checked off shots as we filmed.

Reference Suggestions

For key shots, ask for specific references:

"For shot 7 (the hero product reveal), suggest 3 specific 
reference examples from existing commercials or films. 
Describe what makes each effective and how I can recreate it."

ChatGPT once pointed me to a specific Apple Watch commercial for a reveal technique. I watched it, adapted the approach, and my client asked how I came up with such a "cinematic" idea.

I didn't. ChatGPT did. I just had the taste to recognize it was good.

Building Your Prompt Templates

Consistency comes from templates. Here's how to build them.

Template Structure

For recurring content types, create a master template:

[STYLE ANCHOR]: Consistent aesthetic reference
[SUBJECT]: Variable per post
[COMPOSITION]: Platform-optimized framing
[BRAND ELEMENTS]: Colors, mood, tone
[TECHNICAL SPECS]: Aspect ratio, quality parameters
[NEGATIVE PROMPTS]: What to avoid

Example: Instagram Fitness Content

I helped a fitness brand build this template:

[STYLE]: Athletic editorial photography, Nike campaign aesthetic
[SUBJECT]: [INSERT SPECIFIC POSE/ACTIVITY]
[COMPOSITION]: Dynamic angle, rule of thirds, motion implied
[BRAND]: Deep navy and coral accents, high contrast, energetic
[SPECS]: --ar 4:5 --style raw --v 6
[AVOID]: cluttered backgrounds, unflattering angles, static poses

They now generate a week's worth of content prompts in 20 minutes.

Feedback Loops

When outputs don't match expectations, use ChatGPT to diagnose:

"This prompt produced [describe result]. I wanted [describe intention]. 
What elements likely caused this mismatch? How should I modify it?"

I keep a simple prompt journal: original prompt, result, what worked, what didn't, refined version. After 50 entries, patterns emerge. ChatGPT can analyze your journal and identify systematic improvements.

Common Mistakes That Kill Your Results

I've made all of these. Learn from my failures.

Mistake 1: Vague Emotional Words

❌ "Make it feel exciting"

This means nothing to an image generator. It has no visual anchor.

✅ "Dynamic diagonal composition, high contrast lighting, motion blur on edges, saturated colors"

Translate emotions into visual specifics.

Mistake 2: Contradictory Elements

❌ "Minimalist maximalist vintage futuristic cozy industrial"

The AI doesn't know what you want. Neither do you, apparently.

✅ Pick a lane. "Minimalist Scandinavian with warm wood accents and soft natural lighting."

Mistake 3: Skipping the Conversation

❌ Opening Midjourney immediately and hoping for the best

✅ Spending 10 minutes with ChatGPT first, every single time

I resisted this for months. "I don't need help brainstorming." I was wrong. The conversation surfaces ideas I wouldn't have found alone.

Mistake 4: Accepting the First Output

❌ "This is close enough"

✅ "Give me 10 more variations, completely different from the first batch"

The best concepts usually emerge in round 2 or 3.

Mistake 5: Not Specifying What to Avoid

❌ Only describing what you want

✅ Adding negative prompts: "Avoid: cluttered backgrounds, harsh shadows, oversaturated colors, stock photo aesthetic"

Negative prompts are half the battle.

Your Action Plan

This Week

Have one 15-minute conversation with ChatGPT about a current project's visual direction
Take one basic prompt you've used and run it through the 3-stage refinement process
Generate 10+ concept variations before committing to any direction

This Month

Build prompt templates for your 3 most common content types
Start a prompt journal—document 10 prompt-result pairs with analysis
Complete one video storyboard using ChatGPT assistance

Ongoing

Default to ChatGPT conversation before any visual production
Build a personal library of style anchors and negative prompts
Review your prompt journal monthly for patterns

Getting Started

If you want to try these workflows with actual AI video and image generation, sora2hub.org offers access to multiple generation tools in one place. It's where I test most of my refined prompts before committing to final production.

The tools are getting better every month. But the creators who win aren't the ones with the best tools—they're the ones who learn to direct these tools with precision.

Your competitive advantage isn't access. Everyone has that. Your advantage is learning to use ChatGPT as a creative thinking partner, not just a text generator.

Start with one project. Open a conversation. Describe what you're trying to create. See what emerges.

The results might surprise you.