A Clear Guide to AI Prompts – AI and AI Use in Practice

A Clear Guide to AI Prompts

Learn how to guide AI correctly – in images, videos, and texts

What are prompts – and why are they essential for using AI?

A prompt means an instruction or request you give to AI. Essentially, everything you get from AI – texts, images, videos, or ideas – is based on how well you can guide your AI.

AI doesn't think for itself. It reacts. That's why using AI is primarily about communication skills and clarifying thought.

💡 A good prompt is not a technical trick, but:

  • a clear idea
  • a verbalized need
  • a defined task

The better you can tell AI what you need and for what purpose, the more useful AI will be in your work and daily life.

The basic idea of a good prompt

Regardless of whether you use AI for creating images, videos, or generating text, a good AI prompt almost always contains the same elements:

🎯 Purpose – why this is being done
📍 Use Case – where the AI-generated content will go
👥 Target Audience – who the content is for
🎨 Tone and Style – how the end result should feel
📏 Constraints – length, format, detail

💬 A good rule of thumb: If you can't explain the task to another person, the AI probably won't succeed either.

🎨 1. AI prompts for images

When using AI to create images, the AI doesn't see your mental picture. It needs a detailed verbal description.

A good image prompt includes:

  • what is in the image (people, objects, environment)
  • visual style (photographic, illustrative, realistic, painterly)
  • mood and emotion
  • color scheme and lighting
  • possible use (website, brochure, social media)

💬 Example of a good image prompt:

“Create a calm and warm illustration featuring a social worker discussing with a family in a brightly lit room. Soft colors, natural light, realistic yet illustrative style. Image for website use.”

❌ Bad prompt: “create an image of social work”
💡 Experience tip: Image prompts improve when you add the phrase “the image evokes trust and a sense of security” at the end. AI responds surprisingly well to emotions.

🎬 2. AI prompts for videos

Using AI in videos requires temporal thinking. A video is not a single moment, but a series of scenes.

A good video prompt includes:

  • video duration
  • sequence of events
  • visual and narrative style
  • target audience
  • mood (calming, inspiring, instructive)

💬 Example of a good video prompt:

“Create a 30-second calm and informative video about using AI at work. The video starts with a desktop scene, continues with clear text animation, and ends with an encouraging message. The target audience is beginner users.”

❌ Bad prompt: “make a video about AI”
💡 Experience tip: In a video prompt, it's always worth mentioning whether the aim is to calm, inspire, or instruct. This affects the rhythm produced by the AI.

✍️ 3. AI prompts for text

Text prompts are the most common way to use AI. That's why most mistakes are made with them. The most common mistake is too vague a request.

A good text prompt includes:

  • the purpose of the text (instruction, article, message, draft)
  • target audience
  • tone and language level
  • length or structure

💬 Example of a good text prompt:

“Write a clear and calm article for beginners about what AI and its use mean in everyday life. Use plain language and divide the text into subheadings.”

❌ Bad prompt: “write something about AI”
💡 Experience tip: When you get text from AI, use a follow-up prompt: “Summarize, clarify, and make the tone more human.” This significantly improves quality.

⚠️ Common mistakes in using AI

❌ Too broad or vague a request
❌ No target audience
❌ No purpose
❌ Assumption that AI automatically understands context

AI works best when it is guided like a new colleague – clearly, kindly, and sufficiently precisely.

🧠 Summary: using AI is a thinking skill

Images, videos, and text are united by one core idea:
AI needs direction – not just a task.

A good AI prompt is created when you pause for a moment and ask yourself:

  • ✅ What am I actually doing?
  • ✅ Who is this for?
  • ✅ What do I want this to help with?

When these are clear to you, using AI becomes genuinely useful.

📚 Read more: Setting up an online store with AI – Shopify Guide 2026  |  How AI is revolutionizing app development