✨Prompt Engineering for ImagesLesson 3 of 5

Style Keywords That Work

10 min

basics

Style keywords are your secret weapon. A single word like "cyberpunk" or "art nouveau" activates thousands of learned visual patterns. But not all keywords are created equal. Some are highly specific ("Baroque"), others are vague ("cool"). Learn which ones to use.

Key Concepts

1
Art movements: Impressionist, Surrealist, Art Deco, Bauhaus
2
Artist references: "in the style of [artist]"
3
Medium keywords: oil painting, watercolor, digital art, pencil sketch
4
Era keywords: 1950s, Victorian, futuristic, prehistoric
5
Mood keywords: ethereal, gritty, whimsical, ominous

Examples

Prompt

portrait of a woman, Baroque style, Rembrandt lighting, oil painting texture

Result

Rich, dramatic portrait with classic painting aesthetics

Prompt

portrait of a woman, vaporwave aesthetic, neon lighting, 80s retrofuturism

Result

Stylized, colorful portrait with synthwave vibes

Pro Tips

Stack compatible styles: "Art Nouveau + watercolor" works, "Baroque + minimalist" fights itself

Artist names are powerful but use living artists ethically

Medium keywords (oil, digital, pencil) affect texture dramatically

Combine era + mood: "Victorian gothic" is more specific than either alone

Summary

Style keywords compress thousands of visual decisions into single words. Learn the vocabulary and your prompts become exponentially more powerful.

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Anatomy of a Great Prompt

Negative Prompts