# Marketing hero image / banner template

**Default model:** Gemini Pro 4K for final, Gemini Flash 2K for concept exploration.

**Important:** Don't render headline text inside the image. Generate a text-friendly background plate, then composite headline copy in your design tool. Even Pro is unreliable for marketing-grade headline typography.

## Required inputs

- Brand / product name + what it sells
- Headline copy (for compositing in post — DO NOT include in the prompt)
- Visual concept (what's in the image)
- Mood (energetic / calm / aspirational / playful / serious / nostalgic)
- Color story (warm / cool / monochrome / brand palette with hex codes)
- Aspect ratio (16:9 web hero / 21:9 ultra-wide / 4:5 social / 9:16 vertical)
- Where headline goes (top-left / center / bottom-right) — affects composition

## Gemini variant (narrative, six-element)

```
[SUBJECT — what's in the hero, with concrete details]. [ACTION — what's
happening, mood and motion]. [LOCATION/CONTEXT — environment, setting,
time of day]. [COMPOSITION — framing, leading lines, where the eye lands.
INCLUDE: a clean text area in the (TOP-LEFT/CENTER/BOTTOM-RIGHT) sized
approximately (N%) of the canvas with (solid soft tone / gradient /
blurred backdrop) suitable for overlaying a headline in post-production.
Do not render any text in the image]. [STYLE — editorial photography /
cinematic illustration / 3D render / etc.]. [LIGHTING — golden hour /
soft overcast / studio three-point / rim light, etc.]. [COLOR GRADING —
warm/cool, palette references with hex codes].
```

**Run with:** `--model gemini-3-pro-image-preview --aspect 16:9 --size 4K`.

## OpenAI gpt-image-1.5 variant

```
Brief: marketing hero image for [BRAND], [PRODUCT/CAMPAIGN].
Subject: [WHAT IS IN THE IMAGE].
Setting: [ENVIRONMENT, TIME OF DAY, MOOD].
Composition: [FRAMING — e.g., "subject left third, negative space right
two-thirds for headline overlay"]. Leave a clean (TOP-LEFT / CENTER /
BOTTOM-RIGHT) area sized ~30% of the canvas with soft uniform backdrop
suitable for overlaying headline text in post.
Style: [STYLE — e.g., "editorial photography, shot on medium-format film,
cinematic color grading"].
Lighting: [LIGHTING DESCRIPTION].
Color: [HEX OR NAMED PALETTE].
Constraints: do not render any text or typography in the image. No
watermark, no logos.
```

**Run with:** `--quality high --size 1536x1024 --output-format png`.

## Filled example — SaaS landing hero

**Brief:** Hero for "MetricsCo" SaaS analytics. Headline "Stop guessing. Start measuring." (composited in post). Visual: a person at a desk looking at glowing data on a holographic display. Aspirational, modern. Cool blue palette. 16:9. Headline goes top-left.

**Gemini Pro prompt:**
```
A person in their late 30s sitting at a sleek wooden desk in a modern,
softly-lit office, leaning forward and studying a translucent floating
holographic display of glowing data charts and metrics. Their expression
is focused and intrigued, as if they just discovered a key insight.
Composition: subject placed in the right two-thirds of the frame, with a
clean text area in the top-left third sized about 30% of the canvas
showing a soft out-of-focus office wall in muted cool tones suitable for
overlaying a headline in post-production. Do not render any text in the
image. Style: editorial photography, shot on medium-format film, cinematic
color grading. Lighting: cool morning light from a large window on the
left, with subtle warm fill from the holographic display creating a soft
rim around the subject. Color palette: deep navy #0B5FFF accents from the
display, neutral cool grays for the office, subtle warm skin tones. 16:9
aspect.
```

**Then composite "Stop guessing. Start measuring." in the top-left text area via Figma / SVG / Canvas.**

## Hero with people — multi-character consistency

If the hero has multiple recognizable people, use Gemini Pro and pass character references (up to 5 character refs). See [../reference/gemini-image.md](../reference/gemini-image.md) §"Reference images / style consistency."

## Tips

- **Always reserve text space.** Even if the headline is composited in post, the model needs to know where to leave a clean area.
- **Specify the lighting concretely.** "Soft" alone is meaningless. "Soft cool morning light from a large window on the left" is actionable.
- **Avoid stock-photo aesthetics.** If output looks too "AI stock photo," append: *"Avoid generic stock-photo aesthetic, dramatic color grading, or stylized composition. Should feel honest and unposed."*
- **Aspect ratio is in the config**, not the prompt text. Setting `--aspect 16:9` and also writing "16:9 aspect" in the prompt is fine but the config field is what's enforced.
- **For ultra-wide 21:9 banners**, only Gemini supports it. OpenAI maxes at 3:2.