GPT-4o Image Generation: A Complete Guide + 12 Prompt Examples

Valeriia Kuka

April 2, 2025

8 minutes

🟢easy Reading Level

OpenAI has released GPT-4o Image Generation, which is probably the most advanced, natively multimodal image generator to date. In this guide, we'll explore a variety of applications for GPT-4o image generation and provide detailed prompt examples to help you create the exact image you envision.

Why GPT-4o Image Generation?

By integrating both text and image processing in one system, GPT-4o Image Generation delivers unprecedented flexibility in creating visuals. Its native multimodal design allows creators, educators, and professionals to transform textual descriptions into high-quality images while maintaining accurate text rendering and stylistic consistency.

Core Capabilities

GPT-4o is designed to support a wide range of creative and practical applications. Its major capabilities include:

• Accurate text rendering: Integrates text into images seamlessly—from clear signage to complex infographics.

• Creative image synthesis: Transforms written prompts into detailed and stylistically varied images, enabling everything from artistic illustrations to realistic photographs.

• Iterative refinement: Supports multi-turn interactions, so users can request revisions to fine-tune compositions, layout, or style.

• Contextual awareness: Leverages in-context learning to produce images that are not only visually compelling but also contextually accurate and meaningful.

Let's dive into some examples of how to use GPT-4o Image Generation.

Text Rendering and Infographics

You can create diagrams, educational posters, or detailed infographics that combine clear imagery with precise text annotations.

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Template

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Create a [content_type] explaining [subject] in [detail_level]. The background should be [background_style], and include [text_elements] with [annotation_style]. [Additional_specifications]

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Example

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Create an infographic explaining Newton's prism experiment in great detail. The background should be pure white, and include neatly rendered text labels with step-by-step annotations. Each step should be numbered and connected with subtle gradient arrows, and include both the theoretical explanation and practical observations.

Creative Illustrations and Posters

You can design artistic posters, wedding invitations, or remixed images that blend traditional elements with modern design.

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Template

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Generate a [style] image of [subject] positioned on [background/setting]. The [subject] should have [texture/material] and [design element] with [style] [decorative elements]. Include the text: [text content] with [typography style] typesetting.

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Example

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Generate an oil painting style image of a music festival poster floating in space. The poster should have a metallic sheen and holographic effects with psychedelic swirling patterns. Include the text: 'Cosmic Soundscape 2025: A Journey Through Time' with retrofuturistic typography.

Produce marketing materials such as menus, logos, and branding assets that require both accurate text and custom illustrations.

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Template

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Design a [document type] for a [business type] named [name] in [location/style]. The style should be [style descriptor 1] yet [style descriptor 2]. Incorporate [illustration style] illustrations for [elements], with all text rendered [text style] on [background]. Include [content elements].

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Example

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Design a wine list for a Mediterranean tapas bar named Olive & Vine in Barcelona. The style should be contemporary yet romantic. Incorporate watercolor illustrations for wine regions, with all text rendered in elegant calligraphy on aged parchment. Include wine names, regions, tasting notes, and vintage years.

UI/UX and Game Design Prototypes

Develop digital interfaces, game overlays, or interactive elements that require consistency in both design and text.

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Template

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Create a [platform] interface for a [genre] [application type]. The design should include [UI element 1] and [UI element 2] at [position], and [UI element 3] with [style] at [position]. Render the interface in [style], ensuring all [important elements] are [quality descriptors].

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Example

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Create a mobile app interface for a zen meditation tracker. The design should include a breathing visualization circle and progress bar at the center, and customizable mood icons with minimalist line art at the bottom. Render the interface in a soft, monochromatic style, ensuring all animations and transitions are smooth and calming.

Photorealistic Scene Generation

Generate detailed, lifelike scenes for advertising, digital art, or realistic photography.

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Template

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Generate a photorealistic image of [scene/location] during [time/condition] with [included elements] and without [excluded elements]. The image should have [mood/quality], emphasizing [focus elements] and [technical aspects].

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Example

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Generate a photorealistic image of an abandoned space station orbiting Jupiter during a solar eclipse, with floating debris and emergency lights, but without any human figures or Earth visible. The image should have an eerie, isolated quality, emphasizing the scale of Jupiter and the play of light on metallic surfaces.

Creative and Abstract Compositions

Construct abstract compositions or conceptual images that bring together multiple distinct elements in a coherent arrangement.

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Template

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Create a [shape] image containing a [layout] of [number] objects on [background]. Include: [list of objects with specific attributes], arranged in [arrangement style] with [composition rules].

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Example

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Create a circular image containing a spiral arrangement of 12 objects on a deep space background. Include: a crystalline hourglass, a mechanical butterfly, a floating quantum computer, a DNA helix made of stars, a Klein bottle filled with rainbow liquid, a Möbius strip of sheet music, a fractal tree growing circuit boards, a time-worn pocket watch showing impossible hours, a Klein bottle filled with aurora borealis, a tesseract casting shadows in multiple dimensions, a perpetual motion machine made of clouds, and a cosmic egg containing a miniature universe.

Advanced Use Cases

GPT-4o's versatility allows for innovative projects that push the boundaries of creative AI:

Style Transfer and Animation

Transform content from one visual style to another while maintaining core elements and narrative.

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Template

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Transform [source_media] into [target_style], preserving [key_elements] while adapting [style_elements]. Apply [specific_technique] to maintain [core_features] and enhance [artistic_elements]. Include [technical_requirements] for [output_format].

Sreenshot or find the picture of the scene of your choice. Add it as an input to ChatGPT along with the prompt.

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Example

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Transform this detective film scene into the style of traditional Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, preserving the dramatic shadows and character expressions while adapting the color palette to traditional pigments. Apply flowing line work to maintain the sense of mystery and enhance the atmospheric tension. Include multiple panels showing key moments, formatted as a vertical scroll composition.

Conceptual Marketing

Create innovative marketing visuals that challenge traditional advertising conventions.

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Template

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Design a [content_format] campaign for [product/service] using [artistic_movement] aesthetics. Incorporate [visual_elements] with [style_attributes] to convey [brand_message]. Feature [key_product_aspects] through [artistic_technique], emphasizing [brand_values].

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Example

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Design a holographic campaign for a sustainable ocean cleanup initiative using solarpunk aesthetics. Incorporate bioluminescent sea creatures with crystalline structures to convey hope for the future. Feature cleaning drones through iridescent animations, emphasizing the harmony between technology and nature.

Dynamic Asset Creation

Create versatile visual assets that can be repurposed across different contexts.

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Template

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Generate a collection of [asset_type] inspired by [theme/concept]. Each piece should feature [design_elements] and [style_characteristics], optimized for [use_cases]. Include variations in [variable_aspects] while maintaining [consistent_elements].

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Example

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Generate a collection of procedural textures inspired by microscopic cellular structures. Each piece should feature organic patterns and phosphorescent color schemes, optimized for architectural surface mapping. Include variations in scale and density while maintaining the biological authenticity of the patterns.

Educational Visualization

Create engaging visual explanations of complex concepts.

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Template

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Create an [format_type] visualization of [complex_concept] using [visual_approach]. Structure the information through [organization_method], incorporating [interactive_elements]. Use [visual_style] to highlight [key_relationships] and demonstrate [learning_points].

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Example

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Create an immersive visualization of quantum entanglement using fractal mathematics. Structure the information through interconnected probability clouds, incorporating particle interaction simulations. Use neon-traced sacred geometry to highlight wave-particle duality and demonstrate quantum measurement effects.

Immersive Environments

Generate detailed environmental concepts for virtual worlds or real spaces.

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Template

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Design a [environment_type] set in [setting/context] during [time/condition]. Include [architectural_elements] with [atmospheric_effects]. Feature [dynamic_elements] and [environmental_interactions], emphasizing [mood/theme] through [technical_approach].

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Example

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Design a bioengineered meditation sanctuary set in a terraformed Martian crater during dust storm season. Include living crystal formations with bioluminescent pollen effects. Feature shape-shifting architecture and psycho-responsive plant life, emphasizing tranquility through volumetric dust and light interplay.

Experimental Fusion

Push boundaries by combining different art movements and techniques.

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Template

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Create a [format_type] that synthesizes [style_1], [style_2], and [style_3]. Apply [technique_1] to [element_1], [technique_2] to [element_2], while using [unifying_element] to maintain cohesion. Incorporate [interactive_aspect] to enhance [artistic_goal].

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Example

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Create a dynamic mural that synthesizes Byzantine iconography, cyberpunk aesthetics, and quantum visualization. Apply gold leaf techniques to circuit patterns, holographic projections to religious figures, while using fractal mathematics to maintain cohesion. Incorporate reactive light patterns to enhance the intersection of ancient wisdom and future technology.

Best Practices for Prompting GPT-4o

To maximize the potential of GPT-4o, consider these strategies when crafting prompts:

• Be specific: Clearly define requirements such as background color, text style, layout, and artistic influences.

• Provide context: Explain the purpose of the image. Whether it's for educational content, branding, or creative storytelling, context helps the model tailor its output.

• Iterate and refine: Use multi-turn conversations to adjust outputs. If the initial result isn't perfect, request further details or modifications.

• Use step-by-step instructions: For complex images, break the task into parts—first generate the background, then add text, and finally incorporate additional objects or effects.

• Specify technical details: Mention technical requirements such as aspect ratio, resolution, or color codes to ensure the output meets your design standards.

Conclusion

GPT-4o Image Generation provides useful capabilities for combining text and visual elements. Its key features include:

• Text and image integration for clear communication
• Flexible creation options from realistic to abstract styles
• Interactive refinement through conversation with the model

GPT-4o can help create educational materials, UI mockups, and various artistic works. The prompt examples and best practices in this guide provide a starting point for exploring what this image generation model can do.