How to use AI image tools to explain ideas visually
Sometimes words aren’t enough to get the job done. You try to explain why your sourdough failed or what it’s like to juggle parenting and work, and your listener’s eyes widen. And that’s when the visual explanation saves the day.
It’s the difference between a tangled explanation and a single image that instantly clicks. AI image generators can help translate these ideas into images that speak volumes.
Frame the story
You wouldn’t tell a story out of order unless you wanted to confuse everyone, and the same goes for explanatory images. When you’re illustrating a concept that involves change over time, cause and effect, or a process, framing the image as a short visual story works wonders. This is not about adding a caption. It involves structuring the image to show a clear sequence or progression.
Imagine you want an image that illustrates how a sourdough develops over a week. If you write your prompt simply asking for a jar with bubbles, the image may show a generic jar floating in space.
But if you guide the AI by describing the starter’s history from day one to day seven in a sequence on a horizontal layout, the result will show the progression. You can describe each step in the prompt as a series of pots with changing textures and bubble formations. By giving the model a sense of movement over time, you are effectively writing a micro-storyline for the image to follow.
A narrative frame can be as simple as specifying the order of events or the flow from one state to another. Suppose you are trying to demonstrate your personal theory of time dilation: five minutes spent microwaving food seems longer than five minutes waiting for a bus.
Here’s a helpful prompt: “Side-by-side comparison image. Left: a person looking at a microwave, surrounded by melting clocks in Dali’s surrealism. Right: the same person at a bus stop, the clocks move fast like the wind, everything blurred with the movement.” The result becomes a visual argument.
Analogy scaffolding
If your idea is abstract, anchor it to something familiar. This is where the analogy comes in. Humans are good at understanding one thing in relation to another. The same goes for image generators, if you write the prompt accordingly. The trick is to choose a metaphor with a strong visual identity, then spell it out.
Let’s say you’re trying to explain the mental load of parenting. Rather than just saying it’s a lot, you could write: “A medieval knight juggling flaming swords, school permits, a toddler, a grocery list, and a laptop as he rides a unicycle across a rope bridge, dramatic lighting, Renaissance painting style.” »
It’s not just an exaggeration, it’s a visual metaphor that people can understand at a glance.
Organize the space
Spatial composition is important. If you want your idea to come true visually, think of the image as a small stage. Where are the important players going? Who is in front? What is looming? A prompt that includes layout orientation gives the AI a framework to build from and avoids those clunky, cluttered collages where everything is fighting for attention.
It’s also useful for describing a choice. Let’s say you’re torn between moving to a city or staying in a small town. You can explain how you feel by asking the following: “Split-screen image: Left side shows a bustling city apartment. Right side shows a quiet country house. Same person in both scenes, looking uncertain.”
Instead of just listing the pros and cons, you’ve created a mood board that tells your emotional truth.
Style sets the mood
An idea explained visually is as much about how it feels as it is about its content. Style is a secret weapon in this regard. Do you want your concept to appear serious, playful, dreamy or scientific? A watercolor gives softness, a diagram gives clarity, and a vintage illustration style adds charm. Don’t leave this to chance. Specify the tone.
Suppose you are explaining how friendships change over time. You might get sentimental: “A gentle watercolor showing two children as saplings growing side by side, then moving away as tall trees whose roots are still tangled underground.” » It works because the style complements the metaphor.
Even mundane tasks benefit. Let’s say you’re explaining how to get through airport security without losing your mind. You might ask to get: “A mid-century travel poster style image showing a calm traveler going through checkpoints like an Olympic diver, surrounded by chaotic travelers in sepia tones.” » It’s a fun way to express your feelings, and the aesthetic does a lot of the work.
Ideas get stuck in our heads all the time, half-formed and hard to explain. But when you turn these ideas into images, they become easier to share and remember. Framing your prompt correctly gives the AI something to build on beyond your initial idea.
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