Creative Direction
Studio-quality controls for lighting, camera, color, and materiality.
The skill
Studio-quality controls for lighting, camera, color, and materiality. ## Lighting Design Tell the model exactly how the scene is illuminated. **Studio setups:** - "Three-point softbox setup" — even product/portrait lighting - "Single key light from upper left" — dramatic shadow - "Ring light, frontal" — beauty/fashion, flat lighting **Dramatic effects:** - "Chiaroscuro lighting with harsh, high contrast" - "Golden hour backlighting creating long shadows" - "Rim lighting, subject silhouetted against bright background" - "Volumetric god rays through window" - "Neon underglow, cyberpunk street" **Natural:** - "Soft overcast daylight, even diffusion" - "Dappled sunlight through trees" - "Blue hour, cold ambient light" ## Camera & Hardware Specify camera type to change the visual DNA of the image. **Hardware names that work:** - GoPro — immersive, wide-angle distortion, action feel - Fujifilm — authentic color science, warm tones - Disposable camera — raw, nostalgic flash aesthetic, grain - Hasselblad — medium format, shallow DOF, fashion/portrait - iPhone — casual, smartphone aesthetic - Polaroid — instant film, white border, faded colors **Angles:** - "Low angle" — power, drama - "Aerial view" / "bird's eye" — scale, pattern - "Eye-level" — neutral, relatable - "Dutch angle" — tension, unease - "Worm's eye view" — extreme drama **Shot types:** - Close-up, medium shot, wide shot, extreme close-up - "Waist-up portrait", "full body", "over-the-shoulder" **Focus:** - "Shallow depth of field" — blurred background - "Deep focus" — everything sharp - "Rack focus" — shift attention - "Tilt-shift" — miniature effect > Note: Named lens parameters (50mm, f/2.8) are less reliable than > descriptive terms. Prefer "shallow depth of field" over "f/1.8". ## Color Grading & Film Stock Set emotional tone through color and texture. **Film stocks:** - "Shot on 1980s color film, slightly grainy" — nostalgic - "Kodak Portra 400" — warm skin tones, pastel highlights - "Fuji Velvia" — hyper-saturated, vivid - "Ilford HP5" — classic B&W grain - "Cinestill 800T" — tungsten, halation around lights **Digital grades:** - "Cinematic color grading with muted teal tones" - "High contrast, desaturated" — gritty, editorial - "Warm analog tones, lifted blacks" — vintage - "Cool blue shadows, warm highlights" — modern cinema - "Cross-processed, shifted greens" — experimental ## Materiality & Texture Define physical makeup of subjects. Don't just say the thing — describe what it's MADE of. | Vague | Specific | |-------|----------| | "a suit" | "navy blue tweed suit, visible weave" | | "armor" | "ornate elven plate armor, etched with silver leaf patterns" | | "a mug" | "minimalist ceramic coffee mug, matte glaze, slight imperfections" | | "skin" | "weathered, sun-damaged skin, deep expression lines" | | "metal" | "brushed steel with matte finish, fingerprint smudges" | **Surface properties:** - Matte / glossy / satin - Rough / smooth / textured - Translucent / opaque / refractive - Worn / pristine / aged / patinated ## Creative Prompt Examples **Cartoon Portrait (3D + Real):** ``` Based on the uploaded reference image, create a photorealistic scene featuring the real human standing next to a giant 3D animation-style version of themselves. Both must have identical facial structures, clothing, and poses. Clean gray-blue studio background, cinematic lighting. ``` **Animation → Photorealistic:** ``` Convert this uploaded animated still into an ultra-realistic, cinematic scene. Transform the animated characters into real humans while preserving their original identities, facial structures, outfits, and expressions. ``` **Historical Maps (Google Street View style):** ``` Generate a hyper-realistic image of [HISTORICAL EVENT], perfectly replicating a Google Maps Street View capture. Include wide-angle barrel distortion, semi-transparent Maps UI overlay (compass, chevron arrows), and '© Google [YEAR]' watermark. Automatically blur faces for privacy. ``` **Kindergarten Filter:** ``` A child's crayon drawing on white lined notebook paper of [SUBJECT]. Use chunky wax-crayon strokes, wobbly outlines, bold colors that overflow the lines. Visible pressure marks, waxy smudges, uneven scribble shading. Joyful, naive art style. ``` **Fashion Editorial:** ``` [Subject description]. [Action/pose]. [Setting]. Medium-full shot, center-framed. Fashion magazine style editorial, shot on medium-format analog film, pronounced grain, high saturation, cinematic lighting effect. ``` --- *Author: Serge Shima ([t.me/aimastersme](https://t.me/aimastersme) · [sergeshima.com](https://sergeshima.com) · [aimasters.me](https://aimasters.me)) · License: CC BY 4.0 — attribution required · Source: [smixs/visual-skills](https://github.com/smixs/visual-skills)*
How to install it
Gemini 1. Open Gems → New Gem. 2. Paste the text below into the instructions field. 3. Save. The Gem appears in the sidebar and keeps the instructions across conversations. In Google AI Studio the same text goes in System instructions.