AI Image Generator: Create Images from a Prompt
Use an AI image generator to turn a prompt or reference image into a finished visual, choose the right format, and improve weak results with focused revisions.
How-to By Pipe2.ai Updated September 9, 2026
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An AI image generator turns a text description or visual reference into a new still image. With Pipe2, open Image Generator, describe the result you want, choose the frame, and run the pipeline. A specific brief and a deliberate review usually matter more than piling on extra adjectives.
Generate an AI image in five steps
- Define the job. Decide where the image will appear and what it must communicate. A product hero, character concept, editorial illustration, and vertical social post need different framing.
- Write the prompt. Name the subject, setting, composition, style, and lighting. Include exact visible copy in quotation marks when the image needs text.
- Add references when they have a purpose. Use them to anchor identity, shape, pose, color, or art direction. Do not combine references that ask for conflicting results.
- Choose the aspect ratio and quality. Set the final frame before generating. Start with the economical quality option when exploring, then increase quality only for a composition worth keeping.
- Generate, inspect, and revise. Check the whole frame at normal size and zoom in on faces, hands, product details, typography, reflections, and edges.
The pipeline accepts a prompt, reference images, or both and returns one generated image. Leave the model on Auto for routing based on the request, or choose a model when a documented capability matters. Model availability, reference limits, and credit estimates are shown on the pipeline and can change, so check them before each production run.
Write a prompt like a visual brief
A useful prompt gives the model decisions it can actually render. Put the most important facts first:
- Subject: what is present, including defining materials, colors, clothing, or product details.
- Scene: where the subject is and which background elements matter.
- Composition: close-up or wide shot, camera angle, subject placement, and empty space.
- Style: photograph, editorial illustration, watercolor, 3D render, or another coherent medium.
- Lighting: soft studio light, overcast daylight, hard flash, golden hour, or another clear direction.
- Constraints: what must stay unchanged and what must not appear.
For example:
A cobalt-blue ceramic teapot on a pale limestone table, photographed at eye level as a clean editorial product image. Soft window light from the left, gentle shadow, warm cream background, generous empty space on the right, no text or logo.
That prompt describes one interpretable scene. A loose list such as “teapot, beautiful, premium, 8K, trending” leaves the composition unresolved and makes useful revision harder.
Use reference images without losing control
References are most useful when words alone cannot define the target. A product photo can anchor shape and color; a character sheet can anchor identity; a separate mood reference can establish palette or lighting. Tell the generator what each reference contributes and which details may change.
Avoid treating a reference as a silent instruction. Write something explicit such as: “Preserve the bottle shape and label colors from the reference; place it in a bright tiled kitchen; do not add new branding.” If several references disagree about the subject or style, remove the least important one before adding more prompt text.
The number and type of supported references depend on the selected model. Check the current model card rather than assuming every option accepts the same files.
Choose the frame before you generate
Use 1:1 for a square composition, 16:9 for a wide hero or presentation frame, 9:16 for vertical stories and short-form covers, 4:3 for a landscape editorial frame, and 3:4 for a portrait-oriented image. These are composition choices, not just export settings.
If you generate square and crop to vertical later, a face, hand, headline, or product may fall outside the useful area. State the intended placement in the prompt—such as “full body centered with space above and below”—and review the preview in the same shape as its destination.
Improve one variable at a time
When the first image is close, preserve the parts that work and make one focused correction. Change the camera angle, background, lighting, or one subject detail rather than rewriting the entire brief. This makes it easier to learn which instruction caused the improvement.
Use this review order:
- Does the image communicate the intended idea at a glance?
- Is the subject recognizable and correctly shaped?
- Does the composition fit the destination without an awkward crop?
- Are hands, faces, repeated objects, reflections, and edges plausible?
- Is every visible word spelled and placed correctly?
Generation is probabilistic, so a good prompt can still produce a weak attempt. Do not hide defects with sharpening or upscaling. Revise the instruction or reference set and generate again.
Know when editing is the better workflow
Use Image Generator when the job starts with an idea and needs a new visual. If you already have the correct photo and only need to remove an object, replace a background, change a material, or restyle the scene, follow the AI image editor guide and use the editing pipeline instead.
If model selection is the main decision, the AI image generator comparison explains how to compare options with the same prompt, references, framing, and attempt count. Whichever route you take, judge the result against the final use—not against how impressive it looks in isolation.
Frequently asked questions
What does an AI image generator need as input?
A clear text prompt is enough for a new image. You can also add reference images when you need to preserve a subject, product shape, palette, pose, or visual direction.
Can an AI image generator create different image sizes?
Pipe2 Image Generator offers five aspect ratios: 1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 4:3, and 3:4. Choose the ratio for the destination before generating so important content is composed inside the final frame.
How do I get more consistent AI-generated images?
Keep the subject and art direction stable, use the same references, and change one instruction at a time. Review identity, geometry, text, edges, and small details after every run.
Should I use an AI image generator or an AI image editor?
Use a generator when you need a new visual from an idea or reference. Use an editor when you already have the right image and need a targeted change such as replacing a background, removing an object, or restyling the scene.