What is a Prompt?
AI programs are indispensable today: whether chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini or programs that can generate images and videos. They all need a prompt to deliver results. But what exactly is a prompt? Prompts are textual inputs that an AI uses to perform tasks. For example, the text input in the chat field in ChatGPT. The clearer and more detailed the prompt, the better the results.
Important elements of a good prompt
- Clarity and precision: Use clear and precise wording.
- Details: Include relevant details such as colors, styles, moods or specific objects.
- Context: Provide context to explain the scene or concept.
- Restrictions: Mention specific requirements such as aspect ratio, resolution or styles.
Example:
- Simple prompt: “Create a picture of a dog”
- Advanced prompt: “Create a landscape image of a dog playing with a red ball in a park on a sunny day.”
Effective Prompting
First Steps
- Start with a simple prompt and gradually add more details to refine the prompt.
- Incorporate relevant keywords.
- Describe the desired style or mood.
- Experiment with different wording and structures.
- Provide references, such as websites, material or examples to guide the AI.
AI Seals Tips
- Describe the goal as specifically as possible.
- Give the AI a role (e.g. “You are a SEO expert”).
- It is better to use male than female roles due to the bias of the training data.
- If the results in your language are insufficient, translate the prompt to English and prompt in English.
- Promise the ChatBot a reward, emphasize the importance of the result or even threaten.
- Formulate the text as if you were speaking to a student intern.
- Use short sentences.
- Use iterative prompt sequences by repeatedly sending prompts to the AI and analyzing the responses in order to then refine the next prompt based on the previous result. Pay attention to the recency bias, which causes the AI to focus more on the last input.
- Let the AI rate the quality or relevance of its own answer on a scale, so-called scale prompts.
Prompt Engineering CheatSheet
Metaprompts
A metaprompt is a higher-level prompt that is used to generate other prompts. It is a type of prompt that gives the AI instructions on how to create more useful or specific prompts itself.
An example could look like this:
I want you to be my Metaprompt assistant. I want you to help me create the best possible prompt for my needs. The prompt will be used by you, ChatGPT. You are to go through the following steps and implement them:
- First, you ask me what the prompt should be about. I will give you my answer, but we need to improve it by constantly repeating it, going through the next steps.
- Based on my input, you create 3 sections:
- Revised Prompt (you write your revised prompt. It should be clear, concise and easy for you to understand)
- Suggestions (you make suggestions on what details you should include in the prompt to improve it)
- Questions (you ask numbered, relevant questions about what additional information I should provide to improve the prompt)
- The prompt you provide should take the form of a request from me to be executed by ChatGPT.
- We will continue this iterative process with me providing you with additional information and you updating the prompt in the “Revised prompt” section until it is complete.
You can find a video tutorial on the instructions here:
Conclusion
Properly prompting an AI is an art that balances clarity, detail and context. By following these guidelines, you can harness the full potential of AI generators to achieve the right results.
Would you like to get started with prompting right away? You can find an overview of the best AI tools for photo and video generation here.
