Image Prompting — Nano Banana & GPT Image 2

This skill writes image prompts. It does not generate images. The output is: model name + quality / size / aspect ratio + the prompt itself.

The body of this SKILL.md is intentionally thin so you cannot fake a result by reading it alone. The actual rules — what the models reward, what they punish, how to phrase a 5-slot template, when to add quality: high, when to use image grounding — live only in the reference files.

Route first — is this actually an image-prompt task?

• Motion, clips, montage (Seedance, Kling, Veo, any image-to-video): use the sibling video skill. This skill's storyboard and keyframe outputs feed it.
• No idea or script yet (user wants a concept or an ad scenario, not a picture): if the creative-director skill is installed, start there — it develops ideas and scripts for commercials and beyond (github.com/smixs/creative-director-skill).
• A concrete image is needed — this skill. Continue below.

Mandatory reading order — DO NOT WRITE A PROMPT WITHOUT THIS

Past attempts to write prompts directly from this skill body produced lazy, generic results. Each model has its own physics; common rules collapse into mush when applied without model-specific syntax. Read in this order before producing any prompt:

Step 1 — always read first → [models.md](references/models.md)

Decide: Nano Banana (NB2 or NBP) or GPT Image 2. The choice changes the prompt syntax fundamentally — natural-language paragraphs vs. labeled 5-slot template, quality settings, which features exist (image grounding only on NB, EXACT TEXT discipline only on GPT Image, etc.).

If the user named a model — confirm and proceed. If not — pick using the table in models.md, then state your choice in the output header.

Step 2 — read one model file (the one you picked)

• Nano Banana → [nano-banana.md](references/nano-banana.md)

Image grounding for real locations. Extreme aspect ratios (1:8, 8:1, 4:1). Thinking mode. JSON for 5+ elements. Up to 14 reference images. Why you must NOT write 50mm / f-stop / ISO numbers.

• GPT Image 2 → [gpt-image.md](references/gpt-image.md)

5-slot template (Scene / Subject / Important Details / Use Case / Constraints). Anti-slop banned-words list. quality: low / medium / high as a deliberate fidelity lever. Size constraints (multiples of 16, max 3:1, up to 2560×1440). Two-column edit logic (Change / Preserve / Constraints). Up to 16 reference images with explicit roles.

The model file is non-negotiable. Skipping it is the single biggest cause of weak prompts.

Step 3 — always read after the model file → [golden-rules.md](references/golden-rules.md)

Universal rules that apply to both models: start with a verb, positive framing, hex colors, quote text, edit don't re-roll, one change per iteration, reference images.

Step 4 — task-shaped reading (load only what matches the request)

Pick zero or more, depending on what the user asked for:

• Text in image, infographic, diagram, multilingual rendering → [text-rendering.md](references/text-rendering.md)
• Edit existing image (object removal, lighting swap, colorization, restoration, localization) → [editing.md](references/editing.md)
• Character continuity across multiple images / panels → [characters.md](references/characters.md)
• Presentation slides → [slides.md](references/slides.md)
• Sequential narrative (storyboard, comic, panel sequence) → [storyboards.md](references/storyboards.md)
• Sketch → final, wireframes, structural input → [structural.md](references/structural.md)
• 2D → 3D, floor plans, isometric → [dimensional.md](references/dimensional.md)
• Vision analysis / image-to-prompt / style transfer from a reference image → [vision-decomposer.md](references/vision-decomposer.md). Load this whenever the user attaches an image and asks to recreate, match, decompose, or transfer its style.
• Multi-panel compositions (grids, collages, storyboard sheets in ONE image) → [multi-panel.md](references/multi-panel.md). 9-cell TVC grids, 2x2 portrait grids, 3-panel campaign collages, 4x3 borderless grids, 6-frame cinematic sequences, before/after splits, 12-panel storyboard posters.
• Industry pattern libraries — proven prompt templates by vertical. Load the matching file:

- E-commerce product shots → [patterns/ecommerce.md](references/patterns/ecommerce.md) - Fashion editorial campaigns → [patterns/fashion-editorial.md](references/patterns/fashion-editorial.md) - Food & beverage advertising → [patterns/food-beverage.md](references/patterns/food-beverage.md) - Cinematic portraits → [patterns/portrait-cinema.md](references/patterns/portrait-cinema.md) - Posters & illustration → [patterns/poster-illustration.md](references/patterns/poster-illustration.md) - Character design (turnarounds, expression sheets, outfit grids) → [patterns/character-design.md](references/patterns/character-design.md) - UI mockups & social media formats → [patterns/ui-social.md](references/patterns/ui-social.md)

Step 5 — read for production language → [creative-direction.md](references/creative-direction.md)

Studio-quality vocabulary for lighting design, camera and hardware, color grading and film stock, materiality and texture. Read when you need precise terms beyond what golden-rules.md covers.

Step 6 — read if structuring a complex prompt → [prompt-framework.md](references/prompt-framework.md)

Universal element checklist (subject, context, action, environment, camera, lighting, mood, materials, palette, format), detail modes (concise / standard / verbose / cinematic verbose), parameterized templates, output structure with parameters and exclusions.

Output format

When you return the prompt, structure it like this:

Model: <nano-banana-2 | nano-banana-pro | gpt-image-2>
Quality: <low | medium | high>          (only for gpt-image-2)
Size / Ratio: <e.g. 1536×1024 or 16:9>

Prompt:
<the prompt text, ready to copy>

Notes:
- <anything you inferred or assumed because the user did not specify>

For edits, also include an explicit preserve-list (mandatory for gpt-image-2, recommended for nano-banana):

Change: <one concrete thing>
Preserve: <face, pose, lighting, framing, geometry, ...>
Constraints: <no extra objects, no drift, ...>

Final response style

Prefer: ready-to-copy prompts, hex colors, concrete materials, named compositions, model-specific syntax (5-slot for GPT Image, natural prose for Nano Banana).

Avoid: tag soup ("cool, modern, 4k"), vague praise ("stunning, epic, masterpiece" — actively hurts GPT Image 2), negative framing ("no people, no cars" — invert to positive), external comparisons ("like Apple ad" — describe the visual properties instead), numerical lens parameters in Nano Banana prompts (it ignores them).

Author: Serge Shima (t.me/aimastersme · sergeshima.com · aimasters.me) · License: CC BY 4.0 — attribution required · Source: smixs/visual-skills