What this prompt does
This prompt casts the AI as a senior product photographer and makes it write a DALL-E or Stable Diffusion prompt for a listing-ready 2000x2000 product shot, not a soft AI mockup. You provide the [product], [background], [surface], and [props]. It returns a finished image prompt with 3-point lighting, a soft shadow on the left and a specular highlight on the top edge, material-and-texture descriptions for the background and surface, prop placement, a lens and exposure spec (85mm, f/4), framing notes for a centred listing crop, and a negative list — plus a two-line note on swapping the background.
The structure works because it makes the lighting recipe reusable across a catalog. By fixing the 3-point lighting, the 85mm f/4 lens, and the centred 2000x2000 framing, the prompt lets a small shop generate a consistent set of shots before they can afford a photographer. [background] and [surface] are described by material and texture rather than just colour, [props] support the product without crowding it, and the negative list keeps logos, people, harsh reflections, and clutter out.
When to use it
- You need consistent, listing-ready product shots before hiring a photographer.
- Placeholder product images are hurting conversion and you want a real catalog look.
- You want a fixed lighting-and-lens recipe you can reuse across many items.
- You need a centred 2000x2000 crop with breathing room for e-commerce listings.
- You want background and surface described by material and texture, not just colour.
- You need a negative list to keep logos, people, and harsh reflections out.
Example output
You get a copy-ready DALL-E or Stable Diffusion prompt in a fenced block — 3-point lighting with a left soft shadow and a top-edge specular highlight, material-and-texture descriptions for the background and surface, prop placement that supports the product, an 85mm f/4 lens and exposure spec, framing notes for a centred 2000x2000 crop, and a negative list — followed by a two-line note on how to swap the background per item.
Pro tips
- Lock the lighting block and lens spec, then change only
[product]and[background]per item, so the catalog stays visually consistent. - Describe
[surface]by material and texture, like "brushed limestone slab," since a colour alone reads flat and generic. - Keep
[props]minimal — they should support the product, not crowd it, so a single styling element usually beats several. - Trust the centred 2000x2000 framing for listings, since the breathing room leaves space for marketplace crop requirements.
- Use the negative list to keep logos, people, and harsh reflections out, adding terms only when a specific artefact appears.
- Generate one item first to validate the lighting recipe before rolling it across the whole catalog.
