Use Cases
Correctly sized, on-brand visuals for Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Short answer
For social images use Canva or Ideogram: state the platform's ratio in the prompt (Instagram post 4:5, story 9:16, LinkedIn 1.91:1, YouTube thumbnail 16:9) and leave empty space for text. For brand consistency, repeat the same palette and style description in every prompt; that is what makes different posts look like one account.
Social media is where AI image generation is used most, because production speed matters more than anything here. An account posting five times a week needs two hundred and fifty images a year; covering that with photo shoots or stock purchases is expensive.
But the real problem here is not generating images — it is making the generated images look like one brand together. An account where every post has a different style reads as scattered and amateur in the feed.
So this page focuses on consistency: correct sizing, a repeatable style and space planned for text.
4:5 for an Instagram post, 9:16 for stories and Reels, 1.91:1 for a LinkedIn post, 16:9 for a YouTube thumbnail. An image generated at the wrong ratio gets cropped in the feed and the composition breaks.
Add an instruction like "empty space at the top for text" to the prompt. If the image is full edge to edge, overlaid type becomes unreadable; planning empty space beats cropping later.
Save your brand colours and visual style as a text block and paste it at the end of every prompt. What creates consistency is not the tool but that repetition.
An image generated at the wrong ratio is cropped by the platform, and the most important part of the composition can be lost. Setting the ratio at generation time always beats cropping afterwards.
| Placement | Ratio | Recommended pixels |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram post (portrait) | 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 |
| Instagram story / Reels | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 |
| LinkedIn post | 1.91:1 | 1200 × 627 |
| YouTube thumbnail | 16:9 | 1280 × 720 |
| X (Twitter) post | 16:9 | 1200 × 675 |
| Pinterest pin | 2:3 | 1000 × 1500 |
AI gives a slightly different result on every generation. That is not a problem for a single image, but it is a serious one for ten posts sitting side by side in a feed.
The fix is to make the style description a fixed part of the prompt. Write your brand colours, light character and composition preference as a text block: "muted terracotta and cream palette, soft natural window light, generous negative space, shot on 50mm". Paste that block at the end of every prompt and change only the subject.
A stronger method is style reference. Midjourney's --sref parameter carries the style of an image you like into new generations. In Leonardo and Recraft you can define and save your own style. If you generate regularly, that feature is more reliable than repeating prompts.
If the image becomes part of a design (text, logo or frame goes on top), Canva is fastest because generation and layout live in the same place. If the image itself is the deliverable and quality matters, Midjourney or Flux give better results. To stay free, Leonardo AI's daily allowance covers an account's weekly needs.
Because the style description changes with every prompt. Turn your brand colours, light character and composition preference into a fixed text block and append it to every prompt, changing only the subject. A stronger fix is Midjourney's --sref parameter or Leonardo's saved-style feature.
Instead of having AI render the text, leave empty space in the image and add the copy afterwards in a design tool. That gives error-free typography and lets you change the text later. Adding "empty space at the top for text" to the prompt guarantees that area.
Prompts are written in English because most tools give markedly better results with English prompts.
flat lay of a ceramic coffee cup and an open notebook on a warm oak table, soft morning window light, muted terracotta and cream palette, generous empty space in the upper third, shot on 50mm, shallow depth of field, 4:5 ratio
Works well in these tools: canva, ideogram, google-gemini
Note: The phrase "generous empty space in the upper third" guarantees the area where you will place the headline.
high contrast YouTube thumbnail, a single glowing lightbulb on a deep navy background, dramatic rim light, bold composition with the subject on the right third, empty space on the left for large text, saturated colours, 16:9 ratio
Works well in these tools: canva, ideogram, google-gemini
Note: Pushing the subject to one side and leaving the other empty is the standard approach for thumbnails carrying large text.
Image generation, design templates and publish-ready output in one interface, with the generated image landing straight into a layout.
For logos, posters and typographic design: the one tool that gets the lettering right.
Free with a Google account; generate and edit images by talking inside a chat.
Free credits that renew daily, a large model library and dedicated tooling for game assets.