Sci-fi AI image prompts: 40 tested frames for AI films and vertical dramas

Cinematic medium-wide film still, 16:9. A young woman with platinum-blonde hair in a high bun walks in profile from right to left, wearing an ivory silk Victorian gown with puffed sleeves, a high lace collar, black leather gloves and black heeled boots, her long train trailing behind. Beside her, towering over her, walks her companion: a spider-like machine the size of a carriage, with a domed ivory enamel shell trimmed in gilded rococo scrollwork, dark exposed clockwork and pistons underneath, and six long tapered porcelain-and-gold legs with round glass lenses at the joints. An empty stone courtyard with a weathered, rust-stained plaster wall. Soft directional light from the left, long soft shadows. Muted cream, gold and grey palette, 50mm lens, shallow depth of field, painterly cinematic realism. No text, no watermark.

Cinematic medium close-up, 9:16 vertical film still. A languid noblewoman with long silver-white hair reclines on gold satin pillows in a dim palace bedchamber. Her face is covered by a transparent sculpted glass skull mask with gilded teeth, held in place by a thin gold filigree circlet. She wears a glossy black lacquered ribcage corset trimmed with gold baroque embroidery over a sheer white silk blouse with gold-thread embroidery, and holds a heavy gilded goblet of amber liquid toward camera. Her eyes glance sideways, utterly bored. Warm candlelight key from the right, soft gold bounce, deep shadows, highlights glinting on the glass mask and goblet rim. Rich amber, gold and black palette, 50mm lens, shallow depth of field, soft film grain and halation. Photorealistic, decadent, no text, no subtitles, no watermark.

Cinematic formal portrait, 9:16 vertical film still, an aristocratic couple standing before a mint-green rococo stucco wall with gilded relief. Left: an elderly gaunt nobleman with deeply lined skin, a tall swept-back pompadour and long pointed ears, wrapped in a deep crimson fur collar over a black velvet coat, with stacked brass rings around his neck and a bronze mechanical chest plate fitted with gauges and cables. Right: a young pale woman with white braided hair crowned with gold filigree, red glass beads and translucent dragonfly wings, a segmented chrome coil neck, ivory mechanical ribs visible through her bodice, and a black velvet gown heavy with gold baroque embroidery. Soft north window light from the left, gentle shadows, polished brass highlights. Mint, crimson, gold and black palette, 50mm lens, painterly film grain. Photorealistic, regal and uncanny, no text, no subtitles, no watermark.

Cinematic medium shot, 9:16 vertical film still, in a cold teal clinical chamber lit by tall vertical fluorescent tubes. A pale woman with porcelain skin, red lips and a sculptural black lacquered headdress stands calmly in the left of the frame. The back of her skull is a transparent glass shell revealing chrome circuitry, and fine coloured wires run down her neck into a glowing translucent yellow chest panel beneath an embroidered gold brocade coat with a fur collar. She cradles an android infant: a clear glass dome head with a solemn baby face, a small white plated body with red and blue wires at the joints. Cold teal fluorescent backlight, soft frontal fill, yellow glow under-lighting her chin. Teal, ivory and gold palette with yellow accent, 50mm lens, 1980s film stock, light chromatic aberration, fine grain. Photorealistic, quiet and unsettling, no text, no subtitles, no watermark.

Cinematic extreme close-up, 9:16 vertical film still. A bald middle-aged man throws his head back in a wild, delighted laugh, mouth wide open over perfect white teeth, both eyes squeezed shut, his skin glossy as if freshly oiled. The left side of his skull and cheek is made of cream-coloured porcelain panels fitted together like a cracked eggshell and held with tiny chrome screws, and a small round brass camera lens with a pink glass iris is set into the porcelain above his brow. Behind his jaw and neck, a dense cluster of polished chrome pistons, coiled cables and small gears fans out like a mechanical ruff. Warm golden party lights blur into large soft bokeh circles behind him. Warm key light from above, wet speculars on the skin and the porcelain. Rich amber, cream and chrome palette, 85mm lens, very shallow depth of field. 1980s film stock, fine grain, soft halation. Photorealistic, joyful and unsettling, no text, no subtitles, no watermark.

Cinematic medium shot, 9:16 vertical film still, inside a scuffed white retro spaceship laboratory with beige wall panels, small square vents and tiny green and red indicator lights. A gaunt pale cyborg scholar with deeply lined skin and pale blue eyes stands behind a steel examination table, seen from a low three-quarter angle, holding up an ancient brown human skull at eye level in one hand and studying it closely. A glossy black skullcap covers the top of the head, with round brass ear modules bolted on either side and thin red wires running down into the neck. Scuffed white ceramic armour plates with black hairline cracks sit over the shoulders and chest of a dark ribbed synthetic bodysuit, and bundles of red and purple cables run along the forearms into mechanical hands. Soft overhead fluorescent light, cool fill, warm bounce from the steel table. Ivory, gunmetal and deep red palette, 35mm lens, shallow depth of field, 1970s sci-fi film stock, grain, slight chromatic aberration. Photorealistic, solemn, no text, no subtitles, no watermark.

Cinematic close-up, 9:16 vertical film still, against a flat bright mustard-yellow studio backdrop. A pale young android woman with smooth porcelain skin and grey-green eyes looks upward in a three-quarter view, lips slightly parted, a white fabric cap pulled tight over her hair. The back of her head and her left cheek are a glossy industrial yellow casing, the same yellow as the backdrop, with rivets, round chrome bolts and a small glowing cyan lens at the temple. Through a cutaway in the casing along the jaw, an intricate chrome mechanism of tiny pistons, gears and red and black wires is visible, and thick bundles of cables trail from the back of the skull out of frame. Soft frontal studio light, crisp speculars on the chrome and the lacquered yellow, a faint cyan glow. Yellow, chrome, porcelain and red palette, 85mm lens, shallow depth of field, fine film grain. Photorealistic, clean and uncanny, no text, no subtitles, no watermark.

Cinematic wide film still, 9:16 vertical. An elderly statesman in a long cream wool coat with a high collar embroidered in gold thread stands at a curved concrete balustrade high above a vast retro-futurist art deco city, seen from behind and slightly to the side in the lower right of the frame. Below him, crowds in dark coats fill a ceremonial plaza. Stepped deco towers with tall glowing amber window strips rise into grey haze, thin radio masts on their crowns, steam drifting between them, and a pale second moon hangs low and enormous in the misty sky. Dawn light diffused through haze, warm amber glow from the towers, soft round globe lamps on the terrace. Muted grey-green, cream and amber palette, 35mm lens, deep focus, 1970s film stock, grain, gentle halation. Photorealistic, grand and melancholy, no text, no logos, no watermark.

Cinematic wide interior film still, 9:16 vertical. A 1970s observation cocktail lounge at the top of a tower, wrapped in tall curved glass panels with thin steel ribs. Low rounded booths in orange-red leather and small round tables run along the glass, a circular bar with bottles glows on the left, and globe pendant lights hang from a curved green-painted metal ceiling. One waitress in a cream uniform stands at the glass with an empty tray, looking out. Beyond the glass, a rain-soaked megacity at blue hour stretches to the horizon in thousands of tiny lights, and across from the lounge rises a single colossal rounded monolith tower, half lost in fog. Rain streaks on the glass, warm tungsten light inside against cold blue-grey outside. Teal-grey, red leather and warm amber palette, 24mm lens, 1970s film stock, fine grain. Photorealistic, quiet and lonely, no text, no logos, no watermark.

Cinematic low-angle film still, 9:16 vertical. From the foot of a monumental concrete station staircase covered in a red carpet, the camera looks up at a colossal streamlined art deco land liner parked on an elevated platform: a long glossy black body with a single thin red stripe, a row of small round portholes, chrome grille louvres and one giant spoked wheel taller than a man. Passengers in 1930s coats and hats climb the stairs, tiny against the machine. Behind it, stepped stone deco facades with tall narrow windows and long crimson banners with no lettering. Steam rolls across the platform. Overcast diffuse daylight, soft haze, chrome highlights. Desaturated grey stone, black and deep red palette, 24mm lens, deep focus, subtle film grain. Photorealistic, majestic, no text, no logos, no watermark.

Cinematic studio portrait, 9:16 vertical film still, against a pure black background. Two identical slender female androids stand facing each other in profile, foreheads almost touching, eyes closed. Their bodies are glossy ivory-white porcelain plates edged with polished gold, their necks are open gold filigree lattice, and gold spiral ornaments curl around the ears like jewellery. One has a face of smooth ivory, the other a face of polished gold. Fine gold inlay traces the seams of the arms down to delicate articulated gold fingers, and small round gold-rimmed pearl lenses sit at the shoulders and hips. Soft overhead key light, thin warm rim light outlining both profiles, deep black shadows. Ivory, gold and black palette, 85mm lens, crisp detail, subtle film grain. Photorealistic, serene and uncanny, no text, no logos, no watermark.

Cinematic symmetrical medium-wide film still, 9:16 vertical, inside an underwater command hall with a polished white marble floor inlaid with gold circles. A silver-haired woman admiral in her sixties sits upright on a tall white-and-gold chair at the centre, wearing a fitted ivory uniform dress with gold braid and a long white fur stole over her shoulders, red lipstick, holding a single glass of champagne. Behind her, two tall white-and-gold armoured robot guards stand to attention holding ceremonial halberds, their faceless helmets glowing faintly. Behind them a vast curved glass wall looks out into deep blue water, with shoals of fish and the towers and domes of an underwater city lit in pale gold. Cool blue light from the water, warm gold practical lights, glossy reflections on the marble. White, gold and deep ocean blue palette, 35mm lens, 1980s film stock, fine grain. Photorealistic, cold and powerful, no text, no logos, no watermark.

Cinematic film still, 9:16 vertical. A white baroque palace floats high above a sunlit bay, seen from a stone seaside promenade below. Its ornate white facade of carved stucco and columns ends in round tiered balconies, and beneath them hang mechanical gondolas of brass and black iron with portholes, propellers and dangling chains, tiny passengers waving from the railings. Big white cumulus clouds drift behind it against a deep blue sky. In the foreground, an Edwardian couple stands at the promenade railing seen from behind: a man in a dark frock coat and cap, a woman in a white lace dress holding a white parasol. Bright midday sun, crisp shadows, sea haze on the horizon. White, brass, navy and sea blue palette, 35mm lens, deep focus, 1970s film stock, soft grain. Photorealistic, sunny and dreamlike, no text, no logos, no watermark.

Cinematic medium-full film still, 9:16 vertical. A slender android made entirely of glossy white porcelain sits upright on a gilded rococo chair in a dim museum gallery, hands resting on her knees, gazing straight at camera with a calm doll-like face. Her porcelain plates are hand-painted with soft pink roses and pale blue forget-me-nots and edged with gold rims at every joint. A tall fluted porcelain collar frames her face, a crown of sculpted pale porcelain roses sits on her head, and a heart-shaped window of cobalt blue enamel glows softly on her chest. A single spotlight from above, soft falloff into a warm grey background, glossy highlights on the glaze. Ivory, gold, blush pink and cobalt palette, 50mm lens, shallow depth of field, subtle film grain. Photorealistic, delicate and uncanny, no text, no logos, no watermark.

Cinematic film still, 9:16 vertical. A woman officer with long silver hair, in a dark green greatcoat with brass shoulder plates and a peaked cap, stands on a rain-soaked iron gantry in the lower left of the frame, seen from behind, one gloved hand on a brass railing. Before her rises a dark steampunk industrial capital: black iron cathedral towers with gilded trim, tall smokestacks pouring black smoke, steam pipes and catwalks. Three long riveted dirigibles hang in the stormy sky, each trailing a long crimson banner with a simple gold gear emblem. Heavy rain, wet reflections on the iron, warm amber windows glowing in the towers, cold grey storm light. Black, gunmetal, crimson and gold palette, 24mm lens, deep focus, fine film grain. Photorealistic, grim and epic, no eagles, no text, no logos, no watermark.

Cinematic low-angle full-body film still, 9:16 vertical. A 1950s housekeeper robot stands in the abandoned showroom of a retro-futurist department store, one hand resting on a dusty chrome kitchen counter. Her body is cream enamel worn down to bare steel at the edges, with brass gears visible at the elbows and knees, big glass doll eyes with brass rims, painted red lips and sculpted blonde victory-roll curls. She wears a faded mint-green dress with a white apron and polka dots, and low cream heels. Around her: toppled mannequins, peeling pastel wallpaper, a dusty atomic-age refrigerator, and shafts of light through broken skylights onto drifting dust. Soft volumetric light from above, warm rust tones, cool shadows. Cream, mint, rust and brass palette, 24mm lens, 1950s Kodachrome look, fine grain. Photorealistic, nostalgic and eerie, no text, no logos, no watermark.

Cinematic medium shot, 9:16 vertical film still. An old humanoid robot sits on a wooden stool in a bare backstage dressing room, seen in profile, its round helmet-like head bowed toward its folded hands. Its shell is ivory enamel with copper-brass trim, chipped and scratched down to bare metal, with exposed copper gears and black cables at the neck and a round speaker-like eye. It wears a faded dusty-pink ballet tutu with a torn lace hem, and satin ballet ribbons are tied around its metal ankles. A cracked grey plaster wall with water stains behind it, a small mirror with dead bulbs at the edge of the frame. Soft overcast light from a high window on the left, gentle shadows, dust in the air. Ivory, copper, dusty pink and grey palette, 50mm lens, shallow depth of field, fine film grain. Photorealistic, melancholy and tender, no text, no logos, no watermark.

Cinematic full-body shot, 9:16 vertical film still, on a rain-wet checkered marble loggia above a misty Venetian-style canal at dusk, a domed basilica and a gondola with masked passengers soft in the background. A tall automaton woman with pale freckled porcelain skin and copper-red hair braided into a crown walks toward the balustrade in three-quarter view, looking out over the water, holding a black lace carnival mask loosely at her side. Her body is a slender hourglass figure of glossy ivory porcelain panels caged in an ornate antique-bronze filigree framework set with small emeralds, from a high filigree collar down to bronze-and-porcelain heeled feet. A long sweeping skirt of dark emerald velvet embroidered with gold thread hangs from her hips and trails across the wet marble, open at the front as she steps. Overcast evening light, cool silver sky, warm glow from iron lanterns along the canal, reflections on the wet floor. Ivory, antique bronze, emerald and slate grey palette, 50mm lens, shallow depth of field, fine film grain. Photorealistic, elegant and uncanny, no text, no subtitles, no watermark.

Cinematic full-body shot, 9:16 vertical film still, in a bare grey robotics test bay with a faint white calibration grid painted on the back wall. A female android with a smooth bald porcelain head, a calm young face and pale lips stands with her weight on one leg, turning her head to look past the camera. A round black audio disc replaces one ear, with thin black cables running from it down behind her neck. Her body is an athletic hourglass figure assembled from matte gunmetal-grey armour panels with small rivets and scuffs: sculpted rounded chest plates, a narrow segmented waist of exposed black mechanics, broad curved hip and thigh plates, and articulated mechanical hands. Small orange lights glow through the gaps between the plates. Soft even overhead studio light, cool grey fill, warm orange glow in the seams. Gunmetal grey, porcelain and ember orange palette, 50mm lens, shallow depth of field, subtle film grain. Photorealistic, clinical and uncanny, no text, no subtitles, no watermark.

Cinematic full-body shot, 9:16 vertical film still, against a cold blue-grey studio backdrop with a soft gradient. A pale cyborg woman with short messy black hair, dark smoky eyes and dark lips kneels on the floor seen from behind in three-quarter view, sitting back on her heels, looking back over her shoulder at the camera. Her hands rest on her knees. She has a curvy hourglass figure in a seamless glossy pearl-white synthetic bodysuit with long sleeves that covers her from neck to ankles, with a narrow open panel down her upper back revealing a chrome spinal port. A dozen thick black and translucent cables plug into the chrome port and arc up and out of frame like a cluster of umbilical cords. Soft cool key light from above, a glossy sheen on the bodysuit, a faint teal glow inside the translucent cables. Pearl white, chrome, black and cold blue palette, 85mm lens, shallow depth of field, fine grain, slightly faded film look. Photorealistic, moody and uncanny, no text, no subtitles, no watermark.

Cinematic full-body shot, head to toe, 9:16 vertical film still, on the polished black floor of a high-rise atrium at golden hour, a hazy skyline of needle towers through the glass behind her. A tall female android with a calm, severe face and short sculpted hair, her whole body cast in iridescent holographic silver that shifts from pale blue to rose in the light, stands facing the camera in a wide, powerful stance, feet apart, arms loose at her sides. She has an athletic, muscular fit build: broad sculpted shoulders, defined arm plating, a strong rounded chest plate, a narrow waist with segmented abdominal panels, and long powerful legs with knee joints like polished armour. Fine engraved seams in pale gold trace her body like a circuit, and a short pleated tunic of the same holographic metal falls from her hips. Thin gold cuffs on both wrists. Warm low sun from the side, crisp reflections of the floor lights on the metal, rainbow sheen on every curve. Holographic silver, pale gold and graphite palette, 35mm lens, low camera at knee height, deep focus, fine grain. Photorealistic, heroic and cold, no text, no subtitles, no watermark.

Cinematic full-body shot, head to toe, 9:16 vertical film still, against a flat olive-grey studio backdrop. A female android in her thirties with mature features, eyes lowered and dark red lips stands in three-quarter view, arms loose, as if waiting for a command. A glossy pale-grey helmet with a round ear module covers her head. She has an athletic, muscular fit build covered in synthetic muscle: bundles of glossy red fibre in the shape of real muscle groups over the shoulders, arms, torso and long legs, held by grey polymer straps and a central grey spine plate down the front, with black mechanical joints at the neck, elbows, wrists and knees, and black mechanical hands. Soft directional studio light from above, glossy highlights along each fibre. Muscle red, pale grey, black and olive palette, 85mm lens, full figure in frame, fine grain. Photorealistic, anatomical and elegant, no text, no logos, no watermark.

Cinematic full-body shot, head to toe, 9:16 vertical film still, against a cool grey studio backdrop. A cyborg woman in her early thirties with mature, defined features and a black bob turns her head to the side in profile, her body seen from behind. A black jaw brace runs from her ear along her chin. She has a slim, athletic build: an open back panel reveals a black mechanical spine and ribs of curved pale-grey struts, with black hydraulic arms running from her shoulder blades down both arms, a small printed serial code on her shoulder. She wears a black fitted open-back top and high-waisted black trousers, with black mechanical hands and black boots. Soft overhead studio light, gentle shadows inside the ribs, a cool sheen on the black metal. Black, pale grey, warm skin and cool grey palette, 50mm lens, full figure in frame, fine grain. Photorealistic, quiet and clinical, no text other than the small serial code, no watermark.

Cinematic full-body shot, head to toe, 9:16 vertical film still, against a pale warm-grey studio backdrop. A tall woman in her early thirties with dark brown skin, close-cropped hair and a calm, regal expression stands facing the camera, arms long at her sides. She has a slim build with very long legs, wearing a full-length biomechanical bodysuit like a second skin: glossy oxblood and black organic leather textures, a sculpted exterior ribcage of dark curved bones across the chest, two curved bone ridges rising above the shoulders, ribbed tubes running down the waist and legs, ringed cuffs at the wrists, and long tapering clawed fingers. Soft diffused studio light, wet-looking highlights on the oxblood surfaces. Oxblood, black, bone and warm grey palette, 85mm lens, full figure in frame, fine grain. Photorealistic, regal and unsettling, no text, no logos, no watermark.

Cinematic full-body shot, head to toe, 9:16 vertical film still, against a charcoal studio backdrop. A biopunk cyborg woman in her thirties with mature features and red lips crouches low on the balls of her feet facing the camera, knees wide, both black mechanical hands hanging down between her knees, staring straight into the lens. Her head is a chipped white porcelain helmet with small lenses and a brass ear dial, and around one eye the porcelain is broken away to show soft red living tissue around a clear blue eye. She has a curvy, fit hourglass figure in chipped white porcelain armour stained with faint red: rounded shoulder plates, sculpted rounded chest plates, a narrow waist of exposed black and red mechanics and fine cables, full sculpted hip plates with a small glowing red lens, and long legs in porcelain panels with red-lit joints. Soft key light from the left, glossy highlights on the porcelain, a red glow from the lens. Porcelain white, deep red, black and brass palette, 50mm lens at her eye level, full figure in frame, fine grain. Photorealistic, beautiful and grotesque, no text, no logos, no watermark.