Magnific One · Prompting guide

    Make the image nobody else could.

    We gave Magnific One an art director's eye. This guide shows you how far you can take it.

    Portrait of Melissa Diago

    A note from one of the creatives who built it

    We spent months building Magnific One: a model with taste, one that surprises you and still stays true to your prompt. This guide is everything our team does with it, with the exact prompt behind every image. Copy them, break them, remix them.

    Made by creatives, for creatives. Now it's yours.

    Melissa DiagoCreative Technologist at Magnific. Artist first: photography, retouching, experimental art.@onismmn

    How to work with Magnific One

    Two modes, two moments in the work. Start in Draft to find the idea. Move to Final when you know what you want and it has to hold up in front of a client.

    To start and iterate

    Draft

    Throw an idea at it and get a grid of directions back: 4, 8 or 16. Fewer images, more detail in each. Iterate, compare, find the concept. When one clicks, recreate it in Final.

    Magnific One Draft mode: a grid of 8 close-up makeup portraits from the prompt ultra close up editorial, creative makeup, studio photoshoot

    For professional work

    Final

    One image, built to deliver. 2K High by default, up to 4K and Max. Working for a brand? Your Brand Kit applies here, in Final.

    Magnific One Final mode: the chosen draft recreated at 2K High, 1536x2048 px

    From one word to full direction

    Type one word and you already get a directed image. Every detail you add after that is you taking the wheel: the subject, the story, then the light and the angle. Same idea, four levels of direction.

    1. A man whispering into a woman's ear on a city street, she covers her face with her hand
      One wordMagnific One

      gossip

    2. Two grandmothers in floral dresses gossiping on a bench against a red wall
      The subjectYou

      two grandmothers gossiping on a bench

    3. Two grandmothers in matching lilac tracksuits gossiping on a bench, one hiding a croissant behind her back
      The storyYou

      two grandmothers in matching lilac tracksuits gossiping on a bench, one hiding a croissant behind her back

    4. Two grandmothers in matching lilac tracksuits laughing on a park bench in Madrid, one hiding a croissant behind her back, dappled afternoon light
      EverythingYou

      Two grandmothers in matching lilac tracksuits gossiping and laughing on a park bench in Madrid, one hiding a croissant behind her back. Side view at bench height, both in profile. Late afternoon sun through plane trees, dappled light on their faces. Soft pastel palette, lilac against warm terracotta.

    Say each thing once: the layout, the light, the mood. Describe the same idea three times in different words and the model starts dropping details instead of following them.

    The medium sets the world

    Photo, illustration, 3D or poster. Name the medium and you've picked the world your image lives in. Same cat, same croissant, four worlds.

    • Photo: a tabby cat biting a croissant on a Parisian café terrace table

      Photo

      • photo
      • editorial
      • film photography

      photo of a cat stealing a croissant from a café table

    • Illustration: an anime-style cat running off with a croissant as a girl reaches after it

      Illustration

      • illustration
      • gouache
      • risograph

      illustration of a cat stealing a croissant from a café table

    • 3D: a cartoon cat sneaking a croissant off a coffee table, framed through plant leaves

      3D

      • 3D render
      • claymation
      • diorama

      cute 3D render of a cat stealing a croissant from a café table

    • Poster: CROOK in dripping red type over a tabby cat stealing a croissant from a café table

      Design

      • poster
      • typography
      • magazine cover

      minimal bold poster of a cat stealing a croissant from a café table

    Name the medium first, then build on it. Describe causes, not effects: "premium" gives it nothing, brushed steel and a single window light do.

    Photography

    One sharp idea beats a list of specs. Give it the subject and the moment. Magnific One handles the light and the lens.

    • Surreal still life with papaya, spilled milk and a blue ball on a red wavy board

      Still life

      P01

      Surreal still life of half a papaya, a spilled glass of milk and a blue ball on a wavy red board over crumpled blue linen.

    • Abstract macro of iridescent liquid swirling in gold, magenta and teal

      Abstract

      P02

      Abstract macro photo of oil and soap film swirling in gold, magenta and teal, like a planet melting.

    • View from below a glass floor of a runner stepping over it

      Point of view

      P03

      Photo from below a glass floor as a runner steps over it, the worn sole of his sneaker against the city sky, motion blur and colorful light leaks.

    • Studio portrait of a muse with crystals in her hair holding a pomegranate

      Editorial

      P04

      Studio photoshoot of a mythical muse with crystals in her hair, eyes closed, holding a split pomegranate beside wild orchids.

    • A race mechanic in the pit lane carrying a tire through smoke

      Motorsport

      P05

      A race mechanic in the pit lane, grease on his cheek, a tire on his shoulder, smoke behind him.

    • A pink brutalist building with one open window and laundry drying outside

      Architecture

      P06

      Photo of a pink brutalist building with one open window and someone's laundry drying outside.

    Illustration

    Two or three words can be enough. Name a technique when you want a specific hand.

    • Painterly animation still of a young warrior looking back at riders on a canyon ridge

      Animation

      I01

      portrait, animation style

    • Gouache illustration of a girl slurping ramen against a pink background

      Gouache

      I02

      Gouache illustration of a girl slurping ramen in an oversized noodle-shop tee, flat pink background.

    • Concept art of a giant worn mech under a crane, a worker watching from a red railing

      Concept art

      I03

      illustration, scene

    • Bold flat illustration of a face wrapped in a blue beanie and scarf in the snow

      Winter

      I04

      winter, modern distorted bold illustration

    • Top-down illustration of a child in red by a pool inside mossy stone ruins

      Fantasy

      I05

      minimal colorful distorted illustration of a child standing by a pool in mossy ruins

    • Thick oil painting of a crouching red-skinned warrior with white hair and a spear

      Oil painting

      I06

      woman warrior, red skin and white hair, thick oil paint

    3D

    Two words or a whole world. Say what it's made of when the material matters: clay, knit, fur.

    • Claymation puppet of a boy staring at a tiny clay hill with a house

      Claymation

      D01

      claymation 3D puppet portrait

    • 3D render of a child facing a giant fluffy horned creature on a misty mountain

      Landscape

      D02

      landscape, fantastic creature, 3D render

    • Knitted miniature world with a teacup, a rain cloud, a lighthouse and a glossy toy sun

      Knitted world

      D03

      Knitted 3D miniature world: a teacup lake fed by a little rain cloud, a striped lighthouse, a rainbow and a glossy toy sun.

    • Claymation puppet of a bearded pirate captain in front of a skull flag

      Puppet

      D04

      claymation 3D puppet portrait of a pirate captain

    Design and type

    Two words get you a layout. Put the copy in quotes when the words matter.

    • Poster with LA CAÑA in yellow type over an aerial view of a beach and cliff

      Travel poster

      G01

      a view of the summer beach from above, poster with the title "LA CAÑA"

    • THE FORM CLUB serif and script poster over a misty beach with a woman walking

      Brand poster

      G02

      cool poster design

    • Pink poster with MAGNIFIC ONE headline over a collage beach and a gold script One

      Campaign

      G03

      poster "MAGNIFIC ONE, BY CREATIVES FOR CREATIVES", beach from above, pink and gold

    Styles

    A style is a look you give Magnific One with images instead of words. Upload up to 5 images that share a palette, a texture or a technique, and everything you make picks up that look. Use it for a series that has to feel like one hand made it, or for a look you can see but can't describe.

    1. 01Open the Style tabIn references, choose Style. Images added as normal references are read as content, not as a look.
    2. 02Add 1 to 5 imagesOr pick one of the styles by Magnific. Images that share a palette or a texture read as one clear direction.
    3. 03Write the sceneWho, doing what, where. The style takes care of the look. Want to push it? Add a medium like "watercolor" on top and see what the mix gives you.
    4. 04Explore, then finishFind the image in Draft and take it to Final. The style holds in both.
    Magnific One references panel with two style images grouped as #style and an empty prompt box
    Style
    Style image: top-down painted illustration of mossy ruins around a pool
    Style image: thick oil painting of a red-skinned warrior with white hair
    1 to 5 imagesDraft + Final

    Prompts made for a style

    The style handles the look, so spend your words on the scene: who, doing what, where, and what's around them. The richer the scene, the more the style has to work with.

    • Painterly portrait of a young warrior with a sword in sunlit ruins

      Warrior

      S01

      portrait of a warrior

    • Painterly aerial view of a herd of white horses with one black horse galloping through dust

      Herd

      S02

      An aerial shot of a herd of white horses galloping across a salt flat, one black horse in the middle, dust rising in the low sun.

    • Painting of a man in a silver puffer jacket watching a glowing UFO over a desert diner

      Close encounter

      S03

      A man in a silver puffer jacket standing in a desert parking lot at dusk, a glowing opalescent UFO hovering above a closed diner, cars parked in a perfect row, his shadow stretching across the asphalt.

    • Painterly scene of swimmers in red caps in a stone pool while a lifeguard sleeps on the rim

      Reservoir

      S04

      A synchronized swimming team in red caps floating in an empty concrete reservoir at dawn, one swimmer breaking formation to look straight up, a lifeguard asleep on a folding chair on the rim.

    • Painterly silhouette of a character with glowing eyes against bursts of color

      Void

      S05

      Character in a black void, silhouetted by shadow, eyes visible as a faint glow, and in a black and white stippling style. Heavy film grain aesthetic

    • High angle illustration of a small boat with two people gliding through giant lily pads

      Lily pads

      S06

      a high angle digital illustration depicting a small wooden boat traveling down a narrow water channel surrounded by large green lily pads. inside the boat, a person in a red outfit with a rounded japanese red hat, while one individual in white clothing handle oars at the back. numerous small red fish swim in the dark teal water around the boat in the same direction of the boat. the lily pads are circular with radial line patterns, creating a decorative, patterned effect across the entire composition.

    From Melissa's own prompts

    Melissa's secrets

    The lines I paste at the end of my prompts when an image is almost there. Each one fixes one thing and leaves the rest alone. They work on images you upload too: editing and relighting hold the quality. Steal them.

    1. #01When whites come out yellow

      Finish it under natural light (white balance around 5500K), with no yellowish tint or color cast.

    2. #02When the text has to be exact

      Reproduce the text exactly as written. No other logos or text.

    3. #03When it feels too centered

      Subject off-center on the right third, foreground elements out of focus.

    4. #04When it looks posed

      Make it feel like a still from a film: a moment caught mid-scene, with the light coming from what's already in the room.

    5. #05When the scene must stay empty

      No people, no vehicles, no text.

    6. #06When you only want new light

      Keep everything in the image exactly as it is. Change only the light: early morning, low sun from the left, long soft shadows.

    7. #07When you want to rework without moving anything

      Keep the exact camera angle, crop, horizon and the position, scale and silhouette of every object. Do not move, add or remove anything.

    8. #08When it looks too HDR

      Soft, natural contrast, no harsh outlines, real-world texture.

    Where to use it

    Magnific One works alongside Brand Kit and the video tools in Magnific, so an image can become a campaign or a shot without leaving. Brand Kit works in Final mode. Open it wherever you work.

    Pricing

    Your turn. Get your plan and start making.

    If you don't have a plan yet, this is the moment. Pick the one that fits how much you create and put everything in this guide to work with Magnific One, Brand Kit and the video tools.

    Get your planWe never train AI on your data. Everything you create stays private and secure.

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    Start with one word. See where it takes you.

    Melissa · @onismmn