AI Prompts for Nano Banana Prompts for Food Photography

Photograph [DISH NAME]: [DESCRIPTION: COMPONENTS, COLORS, TEXTURES, SAUCE]. Style it like a professional food shoot: served on [PLATE / SURFACE], shot at [ANGLE: 45 DEGREES FOR DEPTH / OVERHEAD FLAT LAY / STRAIGHT-ON FOR STACKED FOOD], soft directional window light from the [SIDE / BACK] creating gentle highlights on moist surfaces, shallow depth of field with the [KEY ELEMENT] in crisp focus. It must look freshly made seconds ago.

This is a real photo of my [DISH] and it must stay recognizably this exact dish: same plating, same portions, same components. Upgrade everything around the food: relight with soft directional light that flatters the textures, clean the plate rim and surface of smudges and crumbs, blur and warm the background, and correct the color so the dish looks fresh instead of [CURRENT PROBLEM: YELLOW FROM RESTAURANT LIGHTING / FLAT FROM FLASH].

Make this [DISH] photo look just-served by adding the freshness cues it is missing: [CUES: GENTLE STEAM RISING FROM THE SURFACE / A GLOSSY SHEEN ON THE SAUCE / CONDENSATION DROPLETS ON THE COLD GLASS / A FRESH HERB GARNISH PLACED ON TOP / MELTED CHEESE WITH A VISIBLE PULL]. Add them with restraint and physical realism. The dish itself does not change.

Shoot an extreme close-up of [DISH], filling the frame with its most appetizing texture: [TEXTURE MOMENT: THE CRISPY EDGE OF THE CRUST / THE FORK PULLING A BITE WITH THE CHEESE STRETCHING / SAUCE BEING DRIZZLED MID-POUR / THE CROSS-SECTION SHOWING THE LAYERS]. Macro detail, soft light raking across the surface to reveal texture, background fully blurred. This is the shot that triggers craving.

This food photo has the classic problems: [PROBLEMS: HARSH OVERHEAD RESTAURANT LIGHT WITH UGLY SHADOWS / THE FOOD LOOKS GREY AND DEAD / CLUTTERED BACKGROUND WITH NAPKINS AND PHONE / SHOT FROM A BAD ANGLE]. Fix them all while keeping the actual dish unchanged: soft appetizing light, true vivid food color, clean simple background, and if possible improve the apparent camera angle to [ANGLE].

Create the delivery platform photo for [DISH NAME]: [DESCRIPTION]. Platform conventions: bright even appetizing light, the dish filling most of the frame, shot at [45 DEGREES / OVERHEAD], on a clean [WHITE / NEUTRAL] surface with no props competing for attention, colors vivid and true. Square crop. It must look delicious at thumbnail size in a scrolling list of competitors.

I am shooting my full menu and every photo must match. Using this photo of [FIRST DISH] as the style anchor, define the catalog standard: same angle [ANGLE], same surface [SURFACE], same light [LIGHT DIRECTION AND QUALITY], same plate style, same crop. Now generate [NEXT DISH: DESCRIPTION] following that standard exactly. I will repeat this prompt for each dish, so consistency is the top priority.

Photograph the [COMBO NAME] as one composed shot: [ITEMS: THE BURGER, FRIES, AND DRINK]. Arrange them with the hero item [HERO] dominant in front and supporting items behind, all clearly identifiable, on [SURFACE] with [LIGHTING]. Everything in believable proportion. This sells the complete meal, so it should read as generous but real.

Take my standard photo of [DISH] and create the [PROMOTION: HOLIDAY SPECIAL / SUMMER EDITION / GAME DAY DEAL] version: keep the dish identical but restyle the scene around it with [SEASONAL ELEMENTS: SUBTLE PINE AND WARM LIGHTS BOKEH / BRIGHT PICNIC SETTING / DARK MOODY BACKDROP FOR A PREMIUM PUSH]. The dish stays the hero; the seasonal styling stays in the background layer.

Compose a shot of [DISH] built for print layout: the dish positioned in the [LEFT / RIGHT] third of the frame with clean negative space in the remaining area for menu text, background a consistent [COLOR / TEXTURE] that text can sit on legibly, light and styling matching a premium menu design. Landscape orientation, high detail for print.

Create an overhead flat lay for Instagram: [MAIN DISH] centered, surrounded by [SUPPORTING ELEMENTS: SIDE DISHES, DRINKS, SCATTERED INGREDIENTS, LINEN NAPKIN, CUTLERY] arranged with intentional asymmetry on [SURFACE: RUSTIC WOOD / MARBLE / DARK SLATE]. Natural window light from one side, colors coordinated around [PALETTE]. Square format, styled like a food magazine editorial, generous but not cluttered.

Capture [DISH] at its most dramatic action moment: [ACTION: HONEY DRIZZLING IN A RIBBON ONTO THE STACK / THE KNIFE CUTTING THROUGH REVEALING THE MOLTEN CENTER / CHEESE PULL LIFTING FROM THE SLICE / SAUCE BEING POURED TABLESIDE]. Freeze the motion sharply, macro focus on the action point, everything else softly blurred. This is the thumbnail that stops the scroll.

Photograph [DISH] in a lived-in scene: [SETTING: A SUNLIT BRUNCH TABLE / A COZY DINNER SPREAD / A PICNIC BLANKET], with natural human presence, [PRESENCE: HANDS REACHING FOR A SLICE / A HAND HOLDING THE BOWL TOWARD CAMERA], real-world props that tell the story. Warm candid mood, like a moment from a food blogger’s life rather than a studio. Vertical 4:5 crop for feed.

Create the step image for a recipe post: step [NUMBER] of making [DISH], showing [THE STEP: THE DOUGH BEING FOLDED / VEGETABLES MID-CHOP ON THE BOARD / EVERYTHING SIMMERING IN THE PAN]. Overhead angle on a consistent [SURFACE], same lighting as the rest of my series, hands visible doing the work. Clean enough to read instantly, real enough to feel like an actual kitchen.

Create a two-image story of [DISH]: first the pristine untouched presentation styled perfectly, then the same dish a few bites in, fork resting on the plate, a little sauce smeared, napkin used, telling the story that it was irresistible. Identical setting, lighting, and angle in both so they read as seconds apart. The second image sells it as honestly delicious.

Define my food brand’s visual identity as a reusable style block: light [QUALITY: BRIGHT AIRY DAYLIGHT / MOODY DARK AND DRAMATIC], surfaces [SURFACES], color mood [PALETTE], plating style [MINIMAL / ABUNDANT / RUSTIC], and signature detail [DETAIL: ALWAYS A LINEN NAPKIN / ALWAYS SHOT ON THE SAME OAK TABLE]. Write it as one paragraph I paste into every food generation, then demonstrate it on [DISH].

From this hero shot of [DISH], build the complete content set keeping the dish and style identical: the delivery app square on a clean background, the Instagram 4:5 lifestyle version in a styled scene, the 9:16 Story version with space at top for text, and the texture close-up detail shot. Four assets, one dish, one visual identity.

Here is a photo representing my established feed style and here is a new [DISH] photo that does not match. Regrade and restyle the new photo to fit: match the light quality, color grading, surface treatment, and mood of the reference exactly, while keeping the new dish itself completely unchanged. My grid should look like one photographer shot everything.

Here is my current photo of [DISH] and here is the standard I am competing against: [COMPETITOR LEVEL: TOP DELIVERY APP LISTINGS / FOOD MAGAZINE FEATURES]. Diagnose the specific gaps: light quality, styling, color, angle, garnish, background. Then produce the upgraded version of my photo that closes each gap while keeping my actual dish honest and recognizable.

Write my repeatable food photo workflow as a one-page operating doc based on what we produced: the identity style block, the standard prompt template per shot type (delivery square, feed lifestyle, close-up, flat lay) with [BRACKETED SLOTS] for the dish, the edit checklist for real photo upgrades (relight, clean, color, background), and the consistency check before publishing. Anyone on my team should produce on-brand food photos from this doc alone.