Composition and Layout

The Director’s Eye

🔄 Quick Recall: In the previous lesson, we built a style vocabulary covering art movements, aesthetics, and photography styles. Now we’ll control the spatial arrangement—where things are and how the viewer’s eye moves through the image.

A well-styled image with poor composition still looks amateurish. Composition is the difference between a snapshot and a photograph, between a doodle and an illustration.

By the end of this lesson, you’ll direct AI image generators with the precision of a cinematographer—controlling angle, focus, framing, and spatial relationships.

Composition Principles

Rule of Thirds

The most fundamental composition technique. Imagine your image divided into a 3x3 grid. Place key elements along the grid lines or at their intersections.

In prompts:

• “Subject positioned to the left third of the frame”
• “Horizon line at the lower third”
• “Rule of thirds composition”

When to break it: Centered composition works for symmetrical subjects, formal portraits, and minimalist designs. “Perfectly centered, symmetrical composition” is a deliberate choice, not a mistake.

Leading Lines

Lines that guide the viewer’s eye toward the subject.

In prompts:

• “A winding road leading to a distant castle”
• “Railroad tracks converging toward the horizon”
• “Leading lines drawing the eye to the subject”

Leading lines create depth and visual flow. Roads, rivers, fences, architecture, and shadows all serve as natural leading lines.

Negative Space

Empty areas that give the subject breathing room.

In prompts:

• “Ample negative space around the subject”
• “Isolated subject against a vast empty background”
• “Minimalist composition with breathing room”

Negative space creates elegance, focus, and impact. It’s especially powerful for branding, editorial, and conceptual images.

Foreground/Midground/Background

Creating layers adds depth and dimension.

In prompts:

• “Wildflowers in the foreground, mountain in the background”
• “Blurred foreground elements framing the subject”
• “Three layers of depth: near, middle, far”

✅ Quick Check: How would you prompt for an image with a flower in sharp focus in the foreground and a castle blurred in the background?

Camera Angles

The angle dramatically changes how the viewer relates to the subject.

Eye Level

Effect: Natural, neutral, conversational Prompt: “Eye-level view,” “straight-on perspective” Use for: Portraits, everyday scenes, approachable compositions

High Angle (Bird’s Eye)

Effect: Subject appears smaller, vulnerable, or the viewer feels powerful Prompt: “Bird’s eye view,” “aerial perspective,” “shot from above,” “drone view” Use for: Maps, cityscapes, establishing shots, patterns

Low Angle (Worm’s Eye)

Effect: Subject appears powerful, imposing, monumental Prompt: “Low angle,” “worm’s eye view,” “looking up at,” “shot from below” Use for: Architecture, heroes, towering subjects, dramatic impact

Dutch Angle

Effect: Tension, unease, dynamic energy Prompt: “Dutch angle,” “tilted frame,” “canted angle” Use for: Action, horror, thriller, dynamic motion

Over-the-Shoulder

Effect: Viewer is part of the scene, observational Prompt: “Over-the-shoulder view,” “POV,” “second-person perspective” Use for: Conversations, workspace shots, interactive scenes

Depth of Field

How much of the image is in sharp focus.

Shallow Depth of Field

Effect: Subject sharp, background blurred (bokeh) Prompt: “Shallow depth of field,” “f/1.4,” “soft bokeh background,” “subject in sharp focus with blurred background” Use for: Portraits, product shots, isolating subjects

Deep Focus

Effect: Everything sharp from foreground to background Prompt: “Deep focus,” “everything in focus,” “f/16,” “landscape focus” Use for: Landscapes, architecture, scenes where context matters

Tilt-Shift

Effect: Makes real scenes look like miniature models Prompt: “Tilt-shift photography,” “miniature effect,” “selective focus” Use for: Cities, landscapes (creates a toy-like appearance)

Framing Techniques

Close-Up / Extreme Close-Up

Prompt: “Extreme close-up,” “macro shot,” “tight crop on face” Effect: Intimacy, detail, texture

Medium Shot

Prompt: “Medium shot,” “waist-up,” “half-body” Effect: Balanced view, subject with some environment

Wide / Establishing Shot

Prompt: “Wide establishing shot,” “panoramic view,” “full environment” Effect: Context, scale, sense of place

Frame Within a Frame

Prompt: “Framed through a doorway,” “viewed through a window,” “archway framing” Effect: Depth, focus, voyeuristic quality

Aspect Ratios

Aspect ratio affects composition dramatically:

• 1:1 (Square): Instagram, centered compositions, symmetry
• 16:9 (Widescreen): Cinematic, landscapes, panoramic
• 9:16 (Vertical): Mobile, stories, tall subjects
• 4:3 (Traditional): Balanced, versatile
• 2.35:1 (Ultra-wide): Epic cinematic, theatrical

Prompt: “Aspect ratio 16:9” or specify in the platform’s settings.

Putting It Together

Example: Product Photography

“A ceramic coffee mug on a wooden table, shallow depth of field, soft natural window light from the left, blurred kitchen background with warm bokeh, rule of thirds with mug at left intersection, eye-level angle, negative space for text placement, editorial product photography”

Example: Epic Landscape

“Snow-capped mountains reflected in a crystal-clear alpine lake, wide establishing shot, wildflowers in foreground creating depth layers, golden hour lighting, deep focus from foreground to background, 16:9 cinematic aspect ratio”

Example: Dynamic Action

“Parkour athlete mid-leap between rooftops, low angle shot from below, Dutch angle for dynamic tension, motion blur on background, sharp focus on athlete, dramatic sunset backlight, cinematic photography”

Try It Yourself

Create three prompts for the same subject with different compositions:

1. Intimate close-up — Focus on detail, shallow depth of field
2. Environmental wide shot — Subject in context, deep focus
3. Dramatic angle — Low or high angle, dynamic framing

Compare how composition alone transforms the same subject.

Key Takeaways

• Composition principles (rule of thirds, leading lines, negative space) guide the viewer’s eye
• Camera angle changes the emotional relationship between viewer and subject
• Depth of field controls focus and separation between subject and background
• Layered depth (foreground/midground/background) adds dimension to flat images
• Aspect ratio is a compositional choice, not just a technical setting
• Professional images combine multiple composition techniques intentionally

Up Next

In Lesson 5: Iterating and Refining, you’ll learn the workflow for improving AI-generated images—when to tweak prompts, when to regenerate, and how to use image-to-image techniques.