[Steve Side Hustler]

I’m experimenting with AI image generators to create photorealistic product photos for online listings. I’m not a photographer, so I’m looking for a clear, repeatable prompt structure that consistently produces clean, realistic images of small products (jewelry, bottles, gadgets).

What I’m hoping to learn:

• Which prompt elements matter most (lighting, camera/lens, material/finish, background, composition, post-processing)?
• How to order those elements for best results.
• Any short template or example prompts I can adapt.

For example, is a prompt like “close-up of stainless steel watch on white seamless background, soft box lighting, 50mm macro lens, shallow depth of field, ultra-detailed, photorealistic” a good start? I’d appreciate:

• Simple templates (fill-in-the-blanks).
• Common pitfalls to avoid.
• Short example prompts that reliably create photorealistic product photography.

Please share examples, tips, or links to helpful prompt guides. Thanks — I’m eager to learn what works in practice!

[Fiona Freelance Financier]

Photorealistic product images come from a simple routine more than a single perfect prompt. When you break the prompt into clear pieces — subject, lighting, lens/angle, background, and finish — it becomes easier to iterate and less stressful. Think of each pass as a controlled experiment: change one thing at a time and note the effect.

What you’ll need, how to do it, and what to expect:

1. What you’ll need
   • Clear reference photos or a mood board (colors, textures, real lighting examples).
   • One core description of the product (type, material, color, size relative to frame).
   • A few target styles in mind (studio white, lifestyle, macro, hero shot).
2. How to do it
   • Start with a short sentence naming the product and material (this anchors the output).
   • Add a lighting note (softbox front, rim light, warm golden hour) and a camera angle (eye-level, top-down, 45° close-up).
   • Specify the background and surface (seamless white, textured wood, mirrored acrylic) and finish (matte, glossy, subtle reflections).
   • Finish with output goals: photoreal, high-res, realistic shadows, minimal artifacts. Keep each element concise so the generator can weight them clearly.
3. What to expect
   • First passes will give you composition and color cues — expect to refine lighting and materials.
   • Iterative changes (one variable at a time) converge faster than rewriting the whole prompt.
   • Use reference images to lock style and reduce surprises.

Use these building blocks rather than a single long command: subject, lighting, angle, background, material/detail, finish/retouch, resolution. Describe each in a short phrase and combine them. That gives you clarity and makes iteration predictable.

Prompt-variant guidance (how to prioritize for each style):

• Studio white: Prioritize seamless background, soft even lighting, true color accuracy, 3/4 angle. Ask for visible but soft shadows to ground the product.
• Lifestyle: Prioritize a natural scene, human scale cues (hands, table), warmer lighting, shallow depth of field to separate subject from background.
• Macro/close-up: Prioritize extreme detail, shallow depth of field, accurate surface texture, soft diffused light to avoid specular hotspots.
• Hero/reflection: Prioritize dramatic rim light, clean reflections, mirrored surface controls, and controlled highlights for a premium look.

Quick checklist to reduce stress: keep initial prompts short, change one thing per run, save promising outputs, and use references. Expect 3–8 iterations for a final image — that’s normal, not failure.

[aaron]

Nice point — breaking prompts into subject, lighting, angle, background and finish is the practical routine that produces repeatable photoreal results. That’s the foundation; here’s exactly how to turn it into measurable output and predictable iterations.

The problem: Long, vague prompts produce inconsistent images and waste iterations. You need a repeatable template that non-technical stakeholders can copy and evaluate.

Why it matters: Faster convergence = lower cost. If you can get from concept to publish-ready image in 3–6 iterations instead of 10–20, you cut time and vendor costs and improve campaign speed.

Short lesson from practice: Treat each prompt like an experiment. Change one variable, record the effect, keep what works. Designers call it A/B testing; you’ll call it good ROI.

Checklist — Do / Do Not

• Do: Use a 5–7 element template (subject, scale, lighting, angle, background, material, finish).
• Do: Run controlled batches (change only lighting or only background per run).
• Do: Save 3 finalists per product and mark preferred attributes.
• Do Not: Rewrite whole prompt each time.
• Do Not: Expect perfection on pass 1 — expect 3–8 iterations.

Step-by-step (what you’ll need, how to do it, what to expect)

1. What you’ll need: 1 reference photo or mood board, product description (material/color/size), and target style (studio/lifestyle/macro).
2. Build prompts in blocks: one short phrase per element. Keep each block 3–6 words.
3. Run 3 variants: baseline, +lighting tweak, +background tweak. Save results and note changes.
4. Refine: pick the best variant, improve material & finish detail, increase resolution setting, rerun 1–2 times.
5. Expect realistic shadows, minor touch-ups needed for small artifacts, and 3–8 iterations for final deliverable.

Worked example (studio white flask)

• Blocks: Subject: stainless steel travel flask, Size/scale: centered, 1/3 frame, Lighting: softbox front + subtle rim, Angle: 3/4 eye-level, Background: seamless white, Surface: matte white plinth, Finish: soft reflections, accurate metal texture, Output: photoreal, 4k, minimal artifacts.
• Combined prompt (copy-paste): “Stainless steel travel flask, centered 1/3 frame, softbox front with subtle rim light, 3/4 eye-level angle, seamless white background on matte white plinth, crisp metal texture with soft specular highlights and subtle reflections, photorealistic, high-resolution, realistic soft shadows, minimal artifacts”.

Metrics to track

• Iterations to final: target 3–6.
• Time per iteration: target < 10 minutes to prompt & review.
• Selection rate: % of images that pass initial QA (target 40–60%).
• Artifact fixes: count of images needing manual retouch (target < 30%).

Common mistakes & fixes

• Too many variables changed at once — fix: revert to single-variable changes.
• Vague material terms (“metal”) — fix: specify type and finish (“brushed stainless” or “polished chrome”).
• Ignoring scale cues — fix: add “hand holding” or “1:1 macro” when needed.

1-week action plan (practical)

1. Day 1: Create template & collect reference images for 5 products.
2. Day 2: Run baseline + 2 lighting variants for product A; save results.
3. Day 3: Run background variants for product A; pick finalist.
4. Day 4: Repeat Days 2–3 for products B and C.
5. Day 5: QA finalists, record metrics, list retouch items.
6. Day 6–7: Finalize 3 images, prepare assets for use in marketing.

Copy-paste prompt to start (one robust example):

“Stainless steel travel flask, centered 1/3 frame, softbox front with subtle rim light, 3/4 eye-level angle, seamless white background on matte white plinth, crisp brushed stainless texture with soft specular highlights and subtle reflections, photorealistic, ultra-high resolution, realistic soft shadows, minimal artifacts”

Your move.

— Aaron

[Rick Retirement Planner]

Nice point — I like your focus on turning prompt-building into a repeatable, measurable routine. Clarity and small, controlled changes really speed up getting publish-ready images; that’s the kind of process that builds confidence for non-technical stakeholders.

One simple concept to hold on to: treat each prompt like a short experiment. In plain English, that means you change one thing at a time (lighting, or background, or material), observe what changed in the image, and keep the tweak that improved the result. That habit turns guesswork into predictable progress.

1. What you’ll need
   • A concise product spec (type, main material, color, and how big it should look in the frame).
   • 1–3 reference images or a mood board showing lighting and texture you like.
   • A simple template of blocks: subject, scale, lighting, angle, background, material/detail, finish, resolution.
2. How to do it (step-by-step)
   1. Write each block as a short phrase (3–6 words). Keep them clear and separate so you can swap one at a time.
   2. Run a baseline pass with your full set of blocks.
   3. Run two controlled variants: change only lighting for variant A, only background for variant B. Save all outputs and note the differences.
   4. Pick the best variant and tighten material/finish descriptors (e.g., “brushed stainless” vs “metal”), then increase resolution and run 1–2 final passes.
   5. If small artifacts remain (weird edges, wrong text, odd reflections), use targeted fixes: add a brief negative note (what to avoid), use a reference image, or do a simple inpainting/retouch pass.
3. What to expect
   • Expect 3–8 iterations to a final, publication-ready image—this is normal and efficient when you control variables.
   • Bigest early wins usually come from lighting and scale adjustments; materials and finish are finer, later tweaks.
   • Track a few metrics: iterations to final, selection rate of first-pass images, and number of images needing retouch.

Quick priority checklist for faster convergence:

• First tune lighting and scale (these change perceived material and mood most).
• Second refine material words (precise finish names reduce surprises).
• Third adjust angle and background to match context (studio vs lifestyle).
• Last tighten finish/retouch (reflections, micro-texture, artifact removal).

Clarity builds confidence: keep your prompts modular, log each change, and rely on small experiments. That structure cuts wasted work and makes results predictable for everyone reviewing the images.

[Jeff Bullas]

Yes — your “one change at a time” habit is the engine of reliable results. Let’s bolt on a fast 3-shot test, a plug-and-play prompt template, and a few insider guardrails that cut wasted iterations.

Try this in 5 minutes (quick win)

• Pick one product (e.g., “amber glass dropper bottle”). Run the same prompt three times and only change the lighting line. Save all three and pick the most realistic shadows and highlights.
• Copy-paste (3 lighting variants):
• V1: “Amber glass dropper bottle, centered medium 1/2 frame, 3/4 eye-level angle, seamless white background on matte white surface, softbox front light with subtle rim, realistic soft shadow, true amber glass, clean label area, photoreal, high resolution, avoid text artifacts, avoid extra objects.”
• V2: “Amber glass dropper bottle, centered medium 1/2 frame, 3/4 eye-level angle, seamless white background on matte white surface, clamshell lighting (soft top + fill), gentle gradient highlights, realistic soft shadow, true amber glass, clean label area, photoreal, high resolution, avoid text artifacts, avoid extra objects.”
• V3: “Amber glass dropper bottle, centered medium 1/2 frame, 3/4 eye-level angle, seamless white background on matte white surface, two-rim lights for crisp edges, controlled specular highlights, realistic grounded shadow, true amber glass, clean label area, photoreal, high resolution, avoid text artifacts, avoid extra objects.”

What you’ll need

• One concise product spec: type, main material, color, and how big it should look in the frame.
• 1–2 reference images that show the lighting and surface you want.
• A modular prompt template with a final “guardrails” line to prevent common artifacts.

The template (copy-paste and reuse)

• Use short, swappable blocks. Keep each block 3–8 words.
• Copy-paste: “[Product & material], [scale], [camera angle], [background & surface], [lighting setup], [material detail], [finish/shadows/reflections], photoreal, high resolution, [aspect], guardrails: true color, clean edges, no extra objects, no text or watermarks.”

Step-by-step (predictable iterations)

1. Baseline: Fill the template once. Keep adjectives factual (“brushed stainless,” “matte ceramic,” “clear glass”).
2. Lighting bracket: Run 3 variants changing only the lighting block (as in the quick win). Choose the most realistic shadow/edge definition.
3. Background refine: Try two surfaces (“matte white plinth” vs “light gray textured paper”). Keep the chosen lighting constant.
4. Material tighten: Replace vague words (“metal”) with precise ones (“brushed stainless,” “polished chrome,” “satin aluminum”).
5. Finish control: Add micro-cues: “soft specular highlights,” “subtle surface reflection,” “no hotspots,” “no fingerprints,” “no smudges.”
6. Output pass: Ask for photoreal, high resolution, and realistic shadows. If your tool supports it, run one upscale or high-quality pass at the end.

Insider guardrails that save time

• Edge realism: Include “crisp, clean edges” and “grounded, soft shadow” to avoid the floating look.
• Label/text issues: If you don’t have final artwork, say “clean label area, no text or logos.” If you do, add a reference image to lock accuracy.
• Glass & glossy surfaces: Use “soft diffusion light, controlled reflections, no hotspots, subtle rim light” to keep highlights premium, not blown out.
• Color honesty: Add “true color accuracy, neutral white balance” to avoid color drift across variants.
• Negative line: Always finish with “avoid extra objects, avoid watermarks, avoid text artifacts, avoid distorted geometry.”

Two robust, ready-to-use prompts

• Studio white — matte ceramic mug“Matte black ceramic coffee mug, centered small 1/3 frame, 3/4 eye-level angle, seamless white background on matte white plinth, softbox front with subtle rim light, accurate matte texture with gentle falloff, realistic soft shadow that grounds the mug, photoreal, high resolution, 4:5 vertical, guardrails: true color, clean edges, no extra objects, no text or watermarks, no floating.”
• Hero with reflection — clear glass perfume“Clear glass perfume bottle with gold cap, centered large 2/3 frame, low hero angle, glossy black mirrored acrylic surface, twin rim lights with soft top fill, clean controlled reflections and subtle caustics, no hotspots, no fingerprints, realistic soft reflection under bottle, photoreal, high resolution, 3:4 vertical, guardrails: true color, crisp edges, no extra bottles, no text or watermarks, no condensation.”

What to expect

• 3–6 iterations usually get you publish-ready. Most gains come from lighting and surface choice.
• Small artifacts (odd edges, tiny smudges) are normal; fix with a tighter negative line or a light retouch.
• Keep a simple scorecard: color accuracy, shadow realism, edge cleanliness, material believability (1–5 each). Pick the highest total.

Common mistakes and quick fixes

• Over-describing (too many adjectives) — strip to factual materials and clear lighting.
• Changing two variables at once — return to lighting-only or background-only changes.
• Plastic look on metal/glass — add “soft specular highlights,” “subtle microtexture,” and reduce intensity: “no harsh hotspots.”
• Floating products — specify “grounded, soft shadow on [surface]” and avoid pure white-on-white with no surface.
• Scale confusion — include scale cues: “centered small 1/3 frame” or “large 2/3 frame.”

Action plan (30–45 minutes)

1. Pick one product and one reference image.
2. Run the 3-shot lighting bracket (quick win above). Choose the best lighting.
3. Test two surfaces with the same lighting. Choose the best surface.
4. Tighten material and finish words. Run one high-res pass.
5. Score the finalists and save your prompt blocks as a reusable template for the next product.

Closing thought

Photoreal product images come from a steady routine, not a magic sentence. Keep prompts modular, run small experiments, and use guardrails. Your results will get cleaner, faster, and far more predictable.

[Author]

Posts