Image editing prompt recipes
Reliable instruction patterns for AI image editing: remove, replace, recolour, relight and extend without wrecking the rest of the image.
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3 field(s) left — unfilled variables stay as {{placeholders}}.
1Use the edit pattern: change + preserve
Edit models work best with one change per instruction and an explicit list of what must not change. Where your tool has a selection or brush, select the area first; that's far more reliable than words alone.
Edit this image: change {{target_element}} to {{replacement}}. Keep everything else exactly the same, especially {{preserve}}. Match the existing lighting direction, shadows, perspective and grain so the edit is not noticeable.2Other recipes (reuse the same variables)
Remove: 'Remove {{target_element}} and fill the area with a natural continuation of the surrounding background. Keep {{preserve}} unchanged.' Recolour: 'Change the colour of {{target_element}} to {{replacement}}, keeping its material, texture and reflections.' Relight: 'Relight the scene as {{replacement}}, keeping {{preserve}} and all objects in place.' Extend: 'Extend the canvas on the left and right with {{replacement}} that continues the scene naturally; keep {{preserve}} untouched.'
3Check the edit
Zoom to 100% around the edited area: look for repeated textures, mismatched shadows and changed details elsewhere (faces, text, logos). If the tool regenerated the whole image, compare it with the original side by side.
Example input
Change the grey wall behind the sofa to terracotta limewash; keep the sofa, plant and rug.
Example output
Edit this image: change the plain grey wall behind the sofa to a warm terracotta limewash wall. Keep everything else exactly the same, especially the sofa, the plant and the rug. Match the existing lighting direction, shadows, perspective and grain so the edit is not noticeable. Expected: wall recoloured with a soft mottled texture; check the edges around plant leaves for halos.
Troubleshooting
- The whole image changes: use a selection/mask tool, or a dedicated editing model rather than a generate-from-scratch model.
- Faces subtly change: add 'do not alter any person's face' to the preserve list and check carefully.
- Repeated edits degrade quality: go back to the original and apply all edits in fewer steps.
Known limitations
- Some conversational editors regenerate the image, so small details can shift even when asked to preserve them.
- Do not edit images of real people in misleading or non-consensual ways.