How do I write prompts that actually get good results from AI image generators?

Start by describing what you want to see, not what you don't want. Most beginners make the mistake of writing prompts like 'a dog but not a cartoon' — and then they're confused when the AI ignores the 'not' part. AI image generators work best with positive, descriptive language. Tell it exactly what should be in the frame. Instead of 'a dog not a cartoon,' try 'a golden retriever sitting on a wooden porch, photorealistic, afternoon sunlight, shot on 35mm film.' See the difference? One tells the AI what to avoid. The other paints a picture with words. The more specific you are about details like lighting, camera angle, texture, and mood, the closer you'll get to what's in your head. I've found that adding a style reference helps enormously. Something like 'in the style of a Wes Anderson film' or '1970s National Geographic photo' gives the AI a whole visual vocabulary to work with. You don't need to be an art director. Just borrow from things you've seen. A useful trick: most image generators let you use negative prompts separately. That's where you put the stuff you don't want — 'blurry, extra fingers, watermark, text.' Keep your main prompt positive and clean. And don't sleep on the order of your words. The AI pays more attention to what comes first. Put your subject up front. According to Adobe's latest research on their image tools, even professional designers are now building prompt libraries — saved collections of phrases that reliably produce certain styles. You can do the same. Start a notes file. When a prompt works, save it. You'll build your own shortcut system faster than you think.