Okay, so yesterday I was messing around with image generation, specifically trying to create some cool “running race images”. It was more of a fun little side project than anything serious, but I learned a few things along the way, so I thought I’d share.
First things first, I fired up my usual image generation tool. I’ve been using this one for a while, and it’s pretty decent for what I need. I started with a basic prompt: “a group of runners competing in a marathon, sunny day, dynamic action shot”.
The initial results were… not great. Lots of weird anatomy, distorted faces, and backgrounds that looked like they were melting. Typical AI image quirks, you know?
So, I started tweaking the prompt. That’s where the real fun began. I tried adding more specific details. For example: “runners wearing colorful athletic clothing”, “crowd cheering in the background”, “finish line with a banner”.
That helped a bit, but the images were still kind of generic. They lacked that feeling of speed and intensity I was going for. I then thought, okay, maybe I need to specify the type of race. So I tried prompts like: “track and field race”, “cross country running competition”, “urban street race”. Each one gave me slightly different results, which was cool.
Then I discovered negative prompting! I’d heard about it but never really used it seriously. I started adding things like “deformed faces”, “extra limbs”, “blurry”, “bad anatomy” to the negative prompt. Holy moly, what a difference! The images instantly got cleaner and more realistic-looking.
I kept playing around with the prompts, adding more and more details. I even started experimenting with different artistic styles. I tried prompts like “photorealistic”, “oil painting”, “comic book style”. The “photorealistic” ones were the most impressive, but the “comic book style” ones were pretty fun too.
One thing I struggled with was getting the right composition. Often, the runners were positioned awkwardly in the frame, or the background was too distracting. I tried adding terms like “wide shot”, “close-up”, “action shot”, “dynamic angle” to the prompt. That helped somewhat, but it was still a bit hit or miss.
I also realized that the “seed” value matters a lot. I started keeping track of the seeds that generated particularly good images, so I could go back and iterate on them later. It’s like finding a good starting point for a painting, you know?
After a few hours of experimenting, I finally got some images that I was pretty happy with. They weren’t perfect, but they captured the energy and excitement of a running race. Plus, I learned a ton about prompt engineering and how to get the most out of my image generation tool.
Here are some key takeaways from my little experiment:
- Be specific with your prompts. The more details you provide, the better the results will be.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment with different artistic styles.
- Use negative prompting to remove unwanted elements.
- Pay attention to composition. Try different camera angles and shot types.
- Keep track of your seeds. They can be a valuable starting point for future iterations.
I’m still a long way from being an expert, but it was a fun and rewarding experience. I encourage you to give it a try yourself. You might be surprised at what you can create!
