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To create a complex AI image, plan the scene and the relationships between its parts before generating: specify the subjects, their positions, and what each reference image should control. Then guide the overall layout with a sketch or composition reference, generate a draft, and refine only the areas that need work. This staged approach is more dependable than packing every detail into one long prompt.
How to plan a complex AI image
Start with the image’s purpose, main subject and action, setting, and intended style. Add framing, lighting, materials, or constraints when they affect the result. OpenAI Academy recommends keeping most image prompts to one to three clear sentences; clarity about the scene matters more than prompt length.
For a scene with several elements, describe their spatial relationships explicitly. Say what belongs in the foreground or background, which side an object should occupy, and what overlaps what. Adobe’s composition guidance recommends describing proportions, placement, and contrast when those details matter.
A useful prompt scaffold is:
- Purpose and format: What the image is for and its intended shape or use.
- Main subject and action: Who or what is central, and what is happening.
- Setting and arrangement: Where the subjects are, how they relate, and what appears in front or behind.
- Style and constraints: Visual treatment, framing, lighting, materials, and details that must remain.
How to use multiple reference images
Give each reference a specific job in your prompt. For example, state that the first image guides the layout, the second supplies the color palette, and the third informs the visual style. OpenAI’s image-creation guidance illustrates assigning one reference to preserve a layout and another to provide style.
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Do not assume an image upload tells the model what to preserve. Midjourney’s Image Prompts documentation describes references as inspiration for new creations, not a way to copy them exactly. When using several references, explain in text which visible details matter and what role each image plays. Keep only the references needed to communicate those roles.
How to control where elements go
If placement is important, use a sketch, rough block-in, or existing image as a structure reference in a tool that supports it. Adobe defines composition as the structure of an image and the arrangement of subjects within its frame. Its Firefly guide, last updated June 16, 2026, describes uploading or selecting a reference in the Composition control and adjusting a strength slider to influence how closely the result follows it. Adobe notes that outline and depth affect structure matching.
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A rough layout can be enough to communicate relative scale, position, and depth; it need not be a finished illustration. Where available, use a reference that makes the important shapes and overlaps easy to read, then reinforce those relationships in the prompt.
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How to refine an image without starting over
Treat the first generated image as a draft. OpenAI recommends making small, targeted revisions, changing one element at a time, and repeating essential details when they risk drifting. A revision might ask for brighter lighting, less intense color, or a simpler background; avoid changing several unrelated parts at once if you need to identify what improved the result.
Fix one area
When the composition is mostly right but one region is wrong, use a selection, mask, or erase-and-regenerate feature if your tool provides one. Describe the intended replacement and how it should fit the surrounding scene. Midjourney’s Editor documentation describes expanding the canvas when needed, erasing the area to change, and prompting for what should appear there.
Change the whole image or expand the canvas
For a whole-image style change, Midjourney’s Editor supports retexturing without selecting a specific area. Its editor can also expand the canvas and work with layers; submitting an edit flattens the result so you can continue from the combined image. Midjourney’s Edit Model documentation covers reference-driven editing, including targeted inpainting and outpainting.
Choose a workflow by the control you need
| Need | Control to look for | Documented example |
|---|---|---|
| Separate style, layout, or subject guidance | Reference images with roles that can be stated in text | OpenAI’s image-creation guidance shows assigning distinct jobs to references; Midjourney describes image prompts as inspiration. |
| Keep a particular arrangement | A sketch or composition reference, ideally with an adjustable influence setting | Adobe Firefly’s Composition control accepts a reference and provides a strength slider. |
| Repair or extend part of an image | Selection, erasing, layers, inpainting, or outpainting | Midjourney’s Editor documents layers, erasing, and canvas expansion; its Edit Model supports targeted editing. |
| Revise without losing the rest of the scene | Focused edits and an iteration workflow | OpenAI recommends small, one-element-at-a-time revisions; Midjourney documents editor-based changes. |
These controls describe different workflows, not a promise that different platforms will produce the same result. Prompt behavior and available settings vary by tool and model version. Midjourney lists version-specific image-weight ranges, so check the documentation for the version you are using before relying on a parameter.
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A practical sequence to follow
- Write the scene brief. State the image’s purpose, main subject and action, setting, arrangement, and essential style or constraints.
- Assign reference roles. Identify which image guides layout, palette, style, or another specific element.
- Add a structure reference if placement matters. Use a sketch, block-in, or image in a tool with composition-reference controls, and adjust its influence where possible.
- Generate a base image. Judge whether the main subjects and their spatial relationships are working before adding extra detail.
- Make focused edits. Change one meaningful issue at a time, using a local selection for a local problem or a whole-image edit for a global change.
- Check version-specific controls. Confirm that the model supports the reference and editing features you intend to use.
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