Every recipe below is a starting prompt with fill-in-the-blanks. Swap in your product and paste your brand base on the end. The failure/fix pair is the part people pay for — it's the difference between a nice test and something you'd actually publish.
RECIPE 01
Product mockups
Format 1:1 or 4:5 · your digital or physical product, styled
[your product] displayed on a [styled surface — plaster tray / open linen book / wooden easel], editorial product photography, soft window light from the left, shallow depth of field, generous negative space, 4:5 + [brand base]
Common failure
The product looks fake or floating — wrong scale, no shadow, plastic sheen.The fix
Add "resting naturally with a soft contact shadow, realistic scale, matte finish." Ground it to the surface.RECIPE 02
Pinterest graphics
Format 2:3 · generate the background, add text in Canva
a [scene matching your topic], vertical composition with clear empty space in the [top third / bottom third] for text overlay, soft editorial styling, 2:3 + [brand base]
Common failure
You ask AI to put the words in the image and it garbles the text or crowds the frame.The fix
Don't. Generate a clean 2:3 background with reserved empty space, then set the headline in Canva with your real brand fonts. Reliable every time.RECIPE 03
Blog headers & section images
Format 16:9 header · 4:5 or 1:1 section images
a wide atmospheric [scene related to the post topic], calm editorial mood, horizontal composition with breathing room on the [left/right] for a title, soft natural light, 16:9 + [brand base]
Common failure
The header is busy edge-to-edge, so your title has nowhere to sit.The fix
Explicitly ask for "clean negative space on one side" and keep the scene simple. Headers are backdrops, not hero shots.RECIPE 04
Brand "photos" — the faceless look
Format 4:5 · hands, desks, interiors — no identifiable faces
close-up of hands [doing the action — pouring coffee / wrapping an order / holding the product], natural skin, cozy [setting], lifestyle photography, warm window light, shallow depth of field, no face visible, 4:5 + [brand base]
Common failure
Distorted hands, or a face sneaks in that looks like a real (unusable) person.The fix
Say "hands only, no face, natural fingers." Crop tight. Regenerate rather than fighting a bad hand — it's faster.RECIPE 05
Social carousel backgrounds
Format 4:5 · a matching set for a multi-slide post
a simple textured [surface — plaster / linen / stone] background, soft even light, minimal, lots of empty space for text, subtle and non-distracting, 4:5 + [brand base] — generate 5 variations with the same palette and light
Common failure
Each slide looks like a different brand because you re-prompted from scratch.The fix
Generate the set in one batch with the same base, or use one slide as a style reference for the rest. Keep them quiet — they're backdrops for text.RECIPE 06
Seasonal refreshes
Same subject, new season — reuse, don't rebuild
[your winning product prompt], refreshed for [autumn / the holidays / spring]: add [seasonal touches — dried leaves / evergreen sprigs / soft blossoms] and shift the light [warmer / cooler], keep the same palette, styling, and composition + [brand base]
Common failure
The "seasonal" version drifts so far it no longer matches the rest of your feed.The fix
Change only the seasonal props and light — hold everything else. Season is an accent, not a redesign.RECIPE 07
Etsy / shop listing lifestyle scenes
Format 1:1 · the "in real life" shot buyers want
[your product] in use in a real [home setting — styled shelf / bedside table / kitchen counter], lifestyle context shot, natural light, realistic scale and materials, inviting and aspirational but believable, 1:1 + [brand base]
Common failure
The scene looks staged and unreal, which reads as "AI" and lowers trust on a listing.The fix
Add "believable, lived-in, subtle imperfections." For physical products, consider editing your real product photo into a scene (Gemini/Nano Banana) instead of inventing it.RECIPE 08
Email header strips
Format wide banner (≈3:1 or 16:5) · calm, on-brand top-of-email
a wide minimal banner of [a simple on-brand still life or texture], lots of horizontal negative space, soft light, understated, designed to sit above email text, wide 16:5 aspect ratio + [brand base]
Common failure
The banner is too busy or too tall and swamps the email.The fix
Keep it wide, simple, and low-contrast. If your tool won't do the exact ratio, generate wider and crop the strip in Canva.Why AI text still burns you (verified July 2026)
Text rendering has improved a lot — a couple of tools now spell reliably. But for your exact brand font, size, and wording, baked-in AI text is still a gamble across most tools. The safe, professional move for anything with words on it: generate the image clean, add the text yourself in Canva. You keep pixel-perfect control and never ship a typo the model invented.
Do this now · 12 minutes
Pick the one job you need most this week — probably product mockups or Pinterest graphics. Run its recipe with your product and brand base, hit the common failure on purpose, then apply the fix and watch it resolve. Save the winner to your brand-approved folder. One real asset, done.