Peek into any AI art community, and you'll be wowed by the surprisingly unique image generations. While there's a lot that goes into a successful AI art prompt, I've found that most of the time, those wow images are so good because they use style words in the prompt.

It's a simple trick, but it's one you can start using right now to improve your AI-generated images.

Note: Each image generator will interpret the styles in a different way. In all the examples below, I've used Midjourney Version 6, but I spot-checked in other art generators, and most of these should work in whatever app you're using—it'll just look a bit different.

What are AI art styles?  

AI art styles are specific terms that refer to mediums, materials, photography concepts, lighting, color palettes, or other art-related descriptors. These words can give you precise control over the resulting image, transforming your outputs from average to amazing. 

But to achieve the best effects, you'll need to build up a specialized vocabulary of styles. I've split it up into five categories of AI image styles, each with loads of examples. Read on for specifics on what the results look like for each, or scroll to the end for a list of all the different art styles.

Types of art styles for AI

• Medium

• Material

• Photography style

• Lighting

• Color and palette

Medium

When specifying a medium in your AI prompts, you're guiding the AI to mimic the appearance and characteristics of traditional art methods. This can drastically alter the feel of your generated image, making it resemble a watercolor painting, a detailed charcoal sketch, or any other artistic approach. 

Stencil

Usually associated with street art, stencils are created by spraying or rolling paint over a cutout shape. The results are bold, minimalist designs, with flat, overlapping colors. They work best for simple subject matters.

"A bluebird, stencil"

Watercolor

Watercolors are made with translucent layers of paint that produce soft gradients. Although the colors tend to be more muted than other media, bright, bold colors can sometimes highlight parts of an image.

"A bluebird, watercolor"

Papercraft

Usually three-dimensional, papercraft involves cutting, folding, and gluing paper. In AI image generation, it means the subject is typically depicted as three-dimensional.

"A bluebird, papercraft"

Marker illustration

Marker illustrations use colored markers to create vibrant illustrations commonly seen in fashion design and comic art. They feature sharp edges and unique shading effects created by blending colors on top of each other. 

"A bluebird, marker illustration"

Risograph

Known for unique textures and vibrant colors, Risographs are similar to screen printing and are typically used for posters and art prints. Unlike stencils, they feature variations in color due to slightly unpredictable ink coverage.

"A bluebird, Risograph"

Other medium-focused AI art styles to try

• Graffiti

• Ink wash

• Quilling

• Charcoal

• Oil painting

• Collage

• Mosaic

Material

One of the most fun ways to enhance your AI images is by introducing unexpected materials. You can use traditional materials like porcelain, wood, or ceramics, or venture into strange materials like candy or crystals—or even impossible materials like bubbles or light.

When prompting, you can simply mention the materials at the end of a prompt separated by a comma (e.g., "a pineapple, porcelain"), but it often helps to add the phrase "made of" to ensure the AI tool recognizes it as a material rather than a component of the image—especially if it's a unique or whimsical material like light or bubbles.

Porcelain

Glossy, smooth, and usually white, porcelain is a type of ceramic glass that is highly decorative and usually used to make figurines and other decorative items. Try specific styles like the prominent "blue and white" style from the Ming Dynasty or "celadon," known for its jade green glaze.

"A pineapple, porcelain"

"A pineapple, celadon porcelain"

"A pineapple, blue and white porcelain"

Light

Adding "made of light" to your prompt instructs the AI image generator to render your subject as a glowing, ethereal object. Specify the color of the light for added effect, and consider using light for clothing, like "a dress made of light."

"A pineapple made of light"

"A pineapple made of white light"

Candy

Candy is one of my favorite materials for generating fun, cheerful, bright images. Use it to depict interesting landscapes or whimsical elements like letters and numbers.

"A pineapple made of candy"

"The letter 'B' made of candy"

Bubbles

Generate strange, surreal images by asking the AI to create a subject "made of bubbles." It's also fun for letters, numbers, environments, and furniture. For more uniform bubbles, consider using "bubble wrap."

"A pineapple made of bubbles"

"A pineapple made of bubble wrap"

"The letter 'B' made of bubbles"

Crystals

Think glass with more facets. The images are usually white or light yellow, but you can specify the type of crystals (ruby, emerald) or give them a specific color.

"A pineapple made of crystals"

Other material-based AI art styles to try

• Ceramic

• Plastic

• Wood

• Metal

• Water

• Glass

• Sand

• Rain

Photography style

Even if you're not a professional photographer, learning the terminology and styles around photography will help you generate better images and evoke certain emotions or moods. Photography styles are particularly important to use when you're generating portraits, but they can be used for any kind of image.

High key/Low key photograph

In photography, "key" refers to the amount of light in the photograph. In a high key photograph, the subject is well illuminated and there are fewer sharp shadows, making it generally lighter with a more optimistic feel. In a low key photograph, the shadows are very apparent, and the resulting photo is darker and has a moodier or mysterious feel.

"A man wearing a blue suit, high key photograph"

"A man wearing a blue suit, low key photograph"

Low angle/high angle photograph

Photographers can shoot from various angles. A low angle shot, taken from below the subject, makes the subject appear imposing or powerful. A high angle shot, taken from above, makes the subject look more vulnerable or isolated.

"A man wearing a blue suit, low angle photograph"

"A man wearing a blue suit, high angle photograph"

Extreme close-up 

An extreme close-up fills the image with a small detail, often cutting off part of the subject to focus on one area. This is used to show specific details.

"A man wearing a blue suit, extreme close-up"

Low shutter speed photography

With the camera's shutter open longer, more light hits the sensor, creating motion blur and light trails. This effect is often used to show motion or the passage of time.

"A man wearing a blue suit, low shutter speed photograph"

Bokeh photograph

In bokeh photography, the subject is in focus while the background is blurred, drawing attention to the subject. This style is common in portrait and macro photography.

"A man wearing a blue suit, bokeh photograph"

Other photography-related AI art styles to try

• Silhouette photography

• Studio lighting 

• Black and white photography

• Bird's-eye view 

• Worm's-eye view 

• Dutch angle 

• Long exposure photography

Lighting

Lighting is another element that can dramatically alter the mood and impact of your AI-generated images, running from a more natural look to something highly stylized. By playing with light and shadows, you can add (or remove) depth and create a specific atmosphere in your images.

Natural lighting

The use of natural light (usually sunlight, but also sometimes moonlight) to illuminate the subject adds a feeling of authenticity and can add depth to portraits.

"A woman wearing a blue suit, natural lighting"

Light and shadow

If you're aiming for a moody or dramatic composition, "light and shadow" provides dramatic contrasts between illuminated parts of an image and those in darkness.

"A woman wearing a blue suit, light and shadow"

Volumetric lighting

Volumetric lighting uses visible beams of light to add a three-dimensional effect. The beams are often illuminated with dust, smoke, or fog for added drama.

"A woman wearing a blue suit, volumetric lighting"

"A woman wearing a blue suit, volumetric lighting through fog"

Neon lighting

Neon lighting, known for its bright, saturated colors, is often used for retro-futuristic, science fiction, and edgy urban themes.

"A woman wearing a blue suit, neon lighting"

Golden hour

Golden hour is the time just after sunrise or before sunset when the sun is low on the horizon, giving off a warm, golden light. The lighting is soft and diffused with long shadows. This is a really common lighting style to use for portraits and creates a romantic or serene mood.

"A woman wearing a blue suit, golden hour"

Other lighting-related AI art styles to try

• Blue hour

• Backlighting

• Chiaroscuro

• God rays

• Studio lighting

• Candlelight

• Street lighting

• Softbox lighting

• Moonlight

• Fairy lights

Color and palette

To get even finer control over your images, you can use specific color palettes. The colors you use can completely change the emotional impact of the image, like using cool tones to make the generation more tranquil, or vibrant, saturated tones to give it more energy. You can specify color tones or palettes, or even mention specific colors, to set the overall mood of the image. Or you might match specific brand colors or use color to create consistency across generations of different subjects.

Cool tones/Warm tones

By specifying cool or warm colors, you can change the feel of the image. Warm tones are inviting and comfortable, while cool tones are usually used to evoke a sense of calm and tranquility.

"A living room in a luxury apartment, cool tones"

"A living room in a luxury apartment, warm tones"

Pastels/Vibrant

You can specify the vibrancy or saturation of the colors you want. For example, pastels are typically muted and soft, while vibrant is usually strongly saturated oranges and pinks.

"A living room in a luxury apartment, vibrant"

"A living room in a luxury apartment, pastels"

Earth tones/Jewel tones

Earth tones are colors inspired by the natural world, including sand, wood, stone. Jewel tones are usually deeply saturated greens, blues, purples, and reds evoking precious stones like emeralds, sapphires, and rubies.

"A living room in a luxury apartment, earth tones"

"A living room in a luxury apartment, jewel tones"

Specific colors

If you want a specific color or multiple colors, you can also mention them directly. Be as specific as you want by using specific hues, or use color categories. Hex codes also work!

"A living room in a luxury apartment, saffron yellow"

"A living room in a luxury apartment, forest green"

"A living room in a luxury apartment, peacock blue and saffron yellow"

Other color-related AI art styles to try

• Monochromatic blues

• Earthy reds and oranges

• Neon graffiti

• Autumn leaves

• Deep sea blues

• Grayscale

• Sepia

• Primary colors

• Rainbow spectrum

• Metallics

AI art styles list

Here's a full list of all the AI art style words I've mentioned in the article, so you can use it as a cheat sheet as you're generating your images.

Build your AI art style vocabulary

By building your AI art style vocabulary, you can get better at fine-tuning your prompts to generate exactly what you want in terms of the mood and emotional appeal of the images you generate. Don't be afraid to experiment! The fun in creating images comes partially from combining things in unexpected ways. So combine AI art styles, and see what happens. Your next "wow" image is just a prompt away.

Automate your AI images

Creating images with AI art styles is fun, but it can also be a critical part of your work. If you generate images as part of your regular workflows, you can automate the process, so you spend less time hopping back and forth between apps. Learn more about how to automate AI image generation with Zapier, or get started with one of these pre-made templates.

Related reading:

• The top AI art generators

• Midjourney vs. DALL·E 3: Which image generator is better?

• Midjourney vs. Stable Diffusion: Which should you use?

• Stable Diffusion vs. DALL·E 3: Which is better?