Why People Scroll Past
Four reasons people scroll past an AI shot, each on a frame that does the opposite. Four stills, four prompts, Midjourney.
The prompts
Copy them, run them, change whatever you want. No signup.
cinematic film still, an immense wall of blue glacier ice hundreds of meters high shearing away into a black fjord, a tiny empty research vessel far below for scale with nobody on deck, warm low arctic sun catching the falling ice against the deep cold blue of the ice face and the water, immense scale and slow violence, photorealistic, shot on IMAX 70mm, film grain, cinematography in the style of Anthony Dod Mantle --ar 9:16 --style raw --stylize 250 --v 8.2 --relax --no painting, illustration, people
cinematic film still, a tight close-up of a scarred veteran commander's face at dusk, jaw set, eyes fixed on something off frame, ash settling on her shoulders, warm firelight on one side of her face against the cool blue of the failing light on the other, immense weight and resolve, shallow focus, photorealistic, shot on 35mm, film grain, cinematography in the style of Roger Deakins --ar 9:16 --style raw --stylize 250 --v 8.2 --relax --no painting, illustration, recognizable actor
cinematic film still, a customized armored war-rig cresting a desert dune backlit by a huge blazing setting sun, a lone figure standing on the roof with arms spread, rig and figure in near-silhouette, glowing rim-lit dust, deep orange sky against cool blue shadow, low hero angle, photorealistic, shot on film, anamorphic lens flare, in the style of Mad Max Fury Road --no painting, illustration, concept art --ar 9:16 --raw --v 8.1 --stylize 250
No borders, mattes, or bars. High fantasy pastoral setting. A rural woman standing in the low doorway of a thatched cottage, arms folded, watching someone pass on the lane, saying nothing. Coarse undyed wool, a linen headcloth, an apron. An ordinary weathered face, no glamour. Skin photographic: visible pores, vellus hair, blotchy uneven tone, broken capillaries, grime in the neck creases, chapped lips, red waterline, fine sclera vessels. No retouching. Shot straight on from the lane, a stone doorframe boxing her in the center of the frame, the dim interior behind her textured with faint haze and never flat black. Fully overcast, 6000K, near shadowless. Her pale linen headcloth is the brightest thing in frame. 50mm f/2.8, chest height, medium shot. Kodak Vision3 250D grain, mild chromatic aberration, gentle vignette, lifted blacks, restrained contrast. --no letterbox, black bars, borders, matte, split screen, diptych, triptych, collage, grid, cgi, 3d render, digital painting, illustration, concept art, fantasy art, plastic skin, airbrushed, smooth skin, beauty retouching --ar 9:16 --raw --stylize 50
Why it works
People decide in a second whether to stop on a frame. Each of these four reasons is a common one, and each prompt here names the thing that answers it.
Nothing is happening. The glacier prompt asks for ice shearing away into a black fjord. Catch an event halfway through. Ice that is still falling makes you stop and look.
There is no one to care about. The prompt asks for a scarred veteran commander's face, with ash settling on her shoulders. Show what the person has been through. A scar and ash tell you she has a story.
You don’t know where to look. The war rig is backlit by a huge blazing setting sun, with one figure on the roof. Put one dark shape against the brightest thing in the frame. The eye goes there first.
It looks like every other AI image. The cottage prompt asks for An ordinary weathered face, no glamour, then lists the pores, the uneven skin and the chapped lips. Unless you ask, faces come out smooth and young. Ask for wear, and you get a real person.
Before you run it
Check the settings on each prompt. The glacier and the commander were made with --style raw --stylize 250 --v 8.2. The war rig was made with --raw --v 8.1 --stylize 250, and the cottage door with --raw --stylize 50 and no version set.
Expect the boat to come back bigger than you asked. The glacier prompt asks for a tiny research vessel far below. In all three renders it is close and easy to see. The falling ice still carries the frame.
Run the face prompt more than once. The cottage prompt gave four renders. Two came back weathered, one came back in between, and one came back young with clear skin. Keep the render that matches the words.
Do not count on the eyeline. The commander prompt asks for eyes fixed on something off frame, and she looks almost straight into the lens. The scar and the ash still landed.
To make it yours, keep the answer and change the rest. Swap the place and the person, and keep the one phrase that gives the viewer a reason to stop.