The Prompt Engineering Guide: FLUX vs Midjourney vs Stable Diffusion vs DALL-E 3
If you've used AI image generators, you know the frustration: the same prompt gives wildly different results across models. What works on Midjourney looks terrible on Stable Diffusion. What works on DALL-E 3 doesn't work on FLUX.
I've spent months testing across all four major models. Here's what I've learned about crafting prompts that work — and the patterns that transfer across models.
The Universal Prompt Architecture
Every great prompt follows this structure, regardless of model:
[SUBJECT] + [ACTION] + [ENVIRONMENT] + [LIGHTING] + [STYLE] + [MOOD] + [COMPOSITION] + [COLORS] + [QUALITY]
Component Breakdown
| Component | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Main focus | "A Siberian husky" |
| Action | What they're doing | "running through snow" |
| Environment | Background | "in a dense pine forest" |
| Lighting | Light source | "golden hour, soft volumetric" |
| Style | Aesthetic | "cinematic, photorealistic" |
| Mood | Emotional tone | "peaceful, majestic" |
| Composition | Framing | "wide angle, rule of thirds" |
| Colors | Palette | "cool blues and warm oranges" |
| Quality | Technical | "8K, highly detailed" |
The secret most people miss: lighting alone can transform a mediocre prompt into a stunning image.
Model-Specific Strategies
FLUX — Best for Photorealism
FLUX excels at hands, faces, and text rendering. It's the best choice for photorealistic results.
Best prompt structure for FLUX:
cinematic photograph of [subject], [action], [environment], [lighting],
ultra-detailed, 8K, shot on Sony A7R IV, 85mm lens, f/1.8, shallow
depth of field, natural textures
Strengths: Anatomy, text in images, complex compositions
Weaknesses: Less style flexibility than Midjourney
Midjourney — Best for Artistic Work
Midjourney shines at stylized, creative, and artistic outputs. Use parameters for control.
Best prompt structure for Midjourney:
[subject] [action], [environment], [lighting], [style], [mood]
--ar 16:9 --v 6.1 --s 250 --style raw
Key parameters:
-
--ar— aspect ratio (16:9, 4:3, 1:1, 9:16) -
--s— stylization (0-1000, higher = more artistic) -
--style raw— more photorealistic, less "beautification" -
--no— what to exclude
Stable Diffusion — Best for Control
SD gives you the most control through CFG scale, samplers, and LoRA models.
Best prompt structure for SD:
masterpiece, best quality, [subject], [action], [environment],
[lighting], [style], [colors]
Negative prompt: ugly, tiling, poorly drawn, deformed, blurry, bad anatomy
Key settings: CFG scale 7-12, DPM++ 2M Karras sampler
DALL-E 3 — Best for Complex Scenes
DALL-E 3 understands natural language best. Write in complete sentences.
Best prompt structure for DALL-E 3:
[Detailed natural language description of the scene, including
subject, action, environment, lighting, style, and mood.
Be specific about composition and details.]
The Lighting Cheatsheet
The single highest-ROI change you can make to your prompts:
| Lighting Type | Effect | Prompt Keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Hour | Warm, soft, directional | "golden hour, warm sunlight, long shadows" |
| Blue Hour | Cool, moody, twilight | "blue hour, twilight, cool tones, dusk" |
| Rembrandt | Classic portrait | "Rembrandt lighting, triangle of light" |
| Backlight | Silhouette, rim light | "backlit, rim light, dramatic silhouette" |
| Soft Diffuse | Even, flattering | "soft diffused lighting, overcast, softbox" |
| Hard Light | Harsh shadows, dramatic | "hard light, harsh shadows, high contrast" |
| Volumetric | Light rays | "volumetric lighting, god rays, crepuscular" |
Pro tip: Always specify lighting. It's the most underused prompt component.
Common Mistakes and Fixes
| Mistake | Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Overloaded prompt | Weird combinations | 1 subject + 3-4 max descriptors |
| Conflicting styles | Mushy results | Pick ONE style and commit |
| Wrong aspect ratio | Cropped subjects | Specify --ar or "wide shot" |
| Too many quality words | No effect | "8K, highly detailed" once is enough |
| Missing lighting | Flat, boring | Always specify lighting source |
100+ Templates at Your Fingertips
I've compiled all of this knowledge — and much more — into a AI Prompt Engineer skill for Claude Code, available for $10.
It includes:
- 100+ template prompts organized by category (portraits, landscapes, sci-fi, product shots, etc.)
- Model-specific prompt structures for FLUX, Midjourney, SD, and DALL-E 3
- Complete lighting reference with keywords
- Style reference guide (20+ styles with model recommendations)
- Prompt testing workflow for iterative refinement
# Installation is one command:
mv ai-prompt-engineer ~/.claude/skills/
# Then ask Claude: "Create a cinematic portrait prompt for FLUX"
Better prompts, better images. 🎨
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