---
title: "How to write image prompts: a five-line product brief"
canonical: https://withicarus.com/blog/how-to-write-image-prompts
site: Icarus
description: "How to write image prompts for product shots: a five-line brief covering the product, the setting, the light, the angle and what must not change."
---

# How to write image prompts: a five-line product brief

How to write image prompts for product shots: a five-line brief covering the product, the setting, the light, the angle and what must not change.

_October 11, 2026. Written with AI from the sources listed below, and checked automatically before it went live._

![Woman holding a small amber glass dropper bottle in both hands](https://icarus.b-cdn.net/blog/how-to-write-image-prompts/woman-holding-amber-dropper-bottle.png)

_Made with Icarus_

To write an image prompt, describe the picture the way you'd brief a photographer. Say what the product is, where it sits, what the light is like, where the camera is, and what has to stay exactly as it is. Five short lines in plain words get you a usable product shot more often than a long string of style words.

This post gives you the five lines to fill in, with before-and-after examples for a bottle, a shoe and a dress. It also covers the extra lines a marketplace listing needs and how to fix a bad result by changing one line at a time.

**Key takeaways**

- Write five plain lines: the product, where it sits, the light, the angle, what must not change.
- If you sell the thing in the picture, the last line matters most.
- A main listing image needs its own lines for the background, how much of the frame the product fills, and text.
- To fix a bad result, change one line, not all five.

## The five lines of a product brief

Google's docs for its Gemini image model give [a fill-in template for photorealistic scenes](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/image-generation). It goes from shot type and subject through setting, light, camera angle and lens. A photographer plans a shot in the same order. For a product shot, cut it down to five lines:

1. **What it is.** Name the product, what it's made of and its color, plus its size if that matters. "A small amber glass dropper bottle with a black cap."
2. **Where it sits.** The surface, and whatever is around it. "On a pale stone bathroom shelf, a folded white towel behind it."
3. **The light.** Where it comes from and how soft it is. "Soft morning light from a window on the left."
4. **The angle.** Where the camera is and how close. "Eye level, close, the bottle filling most of the frame."
5. **What must not change.** "Keep the label, the cap and the glass color exactly as in my photo."

Write each line as a plain sentence. You don't need art terms, artist names or lens settings. If you'd say it to a photographer on the phone, it'll work in a prompt.

Keeping one idea per line also makes the brief easy to fix later. When the light comes out wrong, you know which sentence to rewrite.

## Why the last line matters most

Most prompt guides stop at line four. They're written for art, where made-up details are part of the fun. When you sell something, a made-up detail means the picture shows the wrong product. The logo moves, a seam disappears, or the red comes out a shade too orange.

So say what stays. Google's docs do the same thing in an editing example: ["Update this infographic to be in Spanish. Do not change any other elements of the image."](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/image-generation) For a product, name the parts a buyer checks:

- the label and any printed text
- the logo and where it sits
- the exact color
- the stitching, seams or hardware
- the shape and proportions

For everything else, describe what you want instead of listing what you don't. A long run of "no this, no that" makes the brief hard to read and pulls attention away from the scene. Save "do not change" for the product itself.

Words only go so far. If the tool lets you add a photo of your product, add one. A photo shows the label far more clearly than any sentence can.

## Before and after: a bottle, a shoe and a dress

Here's what the five lines do to three typical first prompts.

![Amber glass dropper bottle on a pale stone shelf with a folded white towel, lit by soft window light](https://icarus.b-cdn.net/blog/how-to-write-image-prompts/amber-bottle-stone-shelf.png)

_Made with Icarus_

**The bottle.** Before: "skincare bottle, aesthetic, high quality, beautiful lighting." That gives the tool a mood and leaves the rest to guesswork. After:

> A small amber glass dropper bottle with a black cap, standing on a pale stone bathroom shelf with a folded white towel behind it. Soft morning light from a window on the left. Shot close at eye level, the bottle filling most of the frame. Keep the label, cap and glass color exactly as in the product photo.

Try this prompt in Icarus: https://withicarus.com/dashboard?prompt=A%20small%20amber%20glass%20dropper%20bottle%20with%20a%20black%20cap%2C%20standing%20on%20a%20pale%20stone%20bathroom%20shelf%20with%20a%20folded%20white%20towel%20behind%20it.%20Soft%20morning%20light%20from%20a%20window%20on%20the%20left.%20Shot%20close%20at%20eye%20level%2C%20the%20bottle%20filling%20most%20of%20the%20frame.%20Keep%20the%20label%2C%20cap%20and%20glass%20color%20exactly%20as%20in%20the%20product%20photo.

**The shoe.** Before: "cool sneaker street photo." After:

> A white leather low-top sneaker with a gum sole, worn by a person stepping off a concrete curb on a quiet city street. Late afternoon sun from behind, long soft shadows. Low angle at ankle height, the shoe sharp and the street blurred behind it. Keep the stitching, sole color and side logo exactly as in the product photo.

Try this prompt in Icarus: https://withicarus.com/dashboard?prompt=A%20white%20leather%20low-top%20sneaker%20with%20a%20gum%20sole%2C%20worn%20by%20a%20person%20stepping%20off%20a%20concrete%20curb%20on%20a%20quiet%20city%20street.%20Late%20afternoon%20sun%20from%20behind%2C%20long%20soft%20shadows.%20Low%20angle%20at%20ankle%20height%2C%20the%20shoe%20sharp%20and%20the%20street%20blurred%20behind%20it.%20Keep%20the%20stitching%2C%20sole%20color%20and%20side%20logo%20exactly%20as%20in%20the%20product%20photo.

**The dress.** Before: "model wearing summer dress beach." After:

> A knee-length linen dress in sage green with a square neckline, worn by a woman walking along the edge of a sandy beach. Warm early evening light, low in the sky to her right. Full-length shot from chest height, a little in front of her. Keep the fabric color, neckline and button placket exactly as in the product photo.

Try this prompt in Icarus: https://withicarus.com/dashboard?prompt=A%20knee-length%20linen%20dress%20in%20sage%20green%20with%20a%20square%20neckline%2C%20worn%20by%20a%20woman%20walking%20along%20the%20edge%20of%20a%20sandy%20beach.%20Warm%20early%20evening%20light%2C%20low%20in%20the%20sky%20to%20her%20right.%20Full-length%20shot%20from%20chest%20height%2C%20a%20little%20in%20front%20of%20her.%20Keep%20the%20fabric%20color%2C%20neckline%20and%20button%20placket%20exactly%20as%20in%20the%20product%20photo.

Each "after" takes a little longer to write. But it answers every question a photographer would ask before a shoot, so the tool has less to make up.

## Extra lines when the picture is for a listing

A lifestyle shot can look however you like. A main listing image has rules, and your prompt should include them.

![White leather low-top sneaker with a gum sole alone on a pure white background](https://icarus.b-cdn.net/blog/how-to-write-image-prompts/white-sneaker-on-white.png)

_Made with Icarus_

- Amazon's seller photography standards ask for [a pure white background, RGB 255, 255, 255, on main images](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/0149bdb3-2056-42ce-b0bb-9eef94e3d2b8).
- The same standards say the product should [fill 85-100% of the image frame](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/0149bdb3-2056-42ce-b0bb-9eef94e3d2b8). The image needs [a minimum of 1000 pixels on the longest side, with 1600 or more as optimal](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/0149bdb3-2056-42ce-b0bb-9eef94e3d2b8).
- Google Merchant Center asks that the product [take up no less than 75% and no more than 90% of the image](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324350).
- Google also tells you to keep [calls to action such as "Buy" or "Shop now"](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324350) and [stock photo watermarks, copyright symbols or graphic stamps](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324350) off product images.

The two platforms ask for different amounts of fill, so make a separate main image for each place you sell. For a main image, rewrite lines two and four:

- Line two: "Alone on a pure white background, no props, no text."
- Line four: "Straight on at eye level, the product filling most of the frame."

Then check the file before you upload it. The [product image requirements checker](https://withicarus.com/tools/marketplace-image-requirements) shows you the size, file type, file size and background. Platforms change their rules, so read each one's current page before you publish.

## Fix one line at a time, then keep the product in every shot

Your first result won't always be right. Don't start again from scratch. Work through it like this:

1. Write the five lines and make one image.
2. Put it next to your real product and ask which line it got wrong.
3. Rewrite only that line, and make it again.
4. Once one shot is right, keep those five lines and change only the setting for the rest of the set.

If you change everything at once, you won't know what fixed it. Change one line and you'll learn what each line does, so your next brief comes faster.

In Icarus, you write the same brief in plain words on the [start page](https://withicarus.com/dashboard/home). Add one clear photo of your product from one angle and press Generate. [Product pinning](https://withicarus.com/features/exact-product) keeps your real color, logo and stitching in every image, so the photo backs up your fifth line. Compare each result with the real product before you publish anyway, just as you would after any shoot.

Testing doesn't cost much. On the AI Icarus starts you on, an image at 1K costs $0.02, or $0.03 when it holds a saved product. You see each shot's price before you make it, and every plan and price is on the [pricing page](https://withicarus.com/pricing).

Write your five lines and try them in Icarus.

## Questions

### What should a good image prompt include?

For a product shot, cover five things: what the product is, where it sits, the light, the camera angle, and what must not change. Write each one as a short, plain sentence. That's enough for most shots.

### How long should an AI image prompt be?

Long enough to answer what a photographer would ask, and no longer. Four or five sentences usually does it. Extra style words rarely help, and they make the prompt harder to fix.

### Do I need prompt skills to make product photos with AI?

No. Icarus is built for people who have never used an AI tool. You describe the shot in plain words, add a photo of your product if you want it in the picture, and Icarus makes it.

### How do I stop AI from changing my product?

Say which parts must stay the same, such as the label, logo, color and stitching, and add a clear photo of the product. In Icarus, product pinning keeps your real product in every image. Check each result against the real thing before you publish.

## Sources

- [Image generation with Gemini (Google AI for Developers)](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/image-generation)
- [Image requirements - Google Merchant Center Help](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324350)
- [Product Photography Standards: What's New in 2026 (Amazon Seller Forums)](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/0149bdb3-2056-42ce-b0bb-9eef94e3d2b8)

---

Site: Icarus (https://withicarus.com)
Canonical: https://withicarus.com/blog/how-to-write-image-prompts
Contact: tanmay@onai.studio