Tattoo Prompt Builder

Build production-ready tattoo embedding prompts. Fully customizable with built-in guidance.

Skin & Model REQUIRED

Preset Options

  • White — Fair/pale Caucasian skin. Auto-applies anti-redness correction (AI tends to add pink undertones near tattoo).
  • Asian — Warm yellow-undertone, light to medium. Covers East Asian, Southeast Asian, and similar complexions. Smooth, even texture.
  • Medium Tan — Mid-range warm skin. Good contrast with black ink. Most versatile default.
  • Olive — Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, or Southern European. Green-yellow warm undertone.
  • Light Brown — Warm brown, lighter than medium tan. Common in South Asian, Latino, and mixed heritage skin.
  • Black — Rich, deep dark brown skin. Matte diffused lighting is essential — specular highlights destroy tattoo visibility on dark skin.
  • Custom — Write your own. The value is inserted into: "The model has a [your value] skin tone..."
⚠️ White skin: AI consistently generates redness/pink around tattoo sites. Auto-corrected in the prompt, but review outputs.
Black skin: Matte diffused lighting is auto-enforced to prevent specular highlights from hiding tattoo detail.

Custom Skin Tone — How to Write

✅ Good: warm golden-brown, cool porcelain-white, rich espresso, sun-kissed bronze, honey-toned warm ❌ Bad: skin color #F5D0A9, Fitzpatrick type III, normal skin

Body Build

Controls the model's physique description. Default is "muscular definition" (matches the original prompt). Change if the mockup needs to match a specific client body type.

Tattoo Style

Optional — adds style-specific language to guide the AI on how the tattoo should look on skin. If left as "Default", no style constraint is added (the AI reproduces whatever the input image shows).

  • Fine Line — Thin, delicate lines. Best for small/medium sizes.
  • Blackwork — Heavy solid black fills. Bold graphic impact.
  • Traditional — Bold outlines, limited color palette, classic motifs.
  • Realism — Photo-realistic rendering with gradients and fine detail.
  • Watercolor — Soft washes, color bleeds, painterly edges.
  • Geometric — Clean geometric shapes, symmetry, sacred geometry.
  • Dotwork — Composed entirely of dots. Stipple shading.
  • Japanese — Traditional Japanese motifs, flowing composition, color gradients.
  • Minimalist — Ultra-simple, thin lines, small scale.
💡 The style field helps the AI understand how the ink should render on skin. Watercolor tattoos look different from blackwork under the same lighting.

Ink Color

Default is "Black Ink Only" — the base prompt says "black ink designs." Switch to "Full Color" or others if the design has color. This changes the ink reference throughout the prompt.

Camera & Shot Style REQUIRED

Professional DSLR (Studio)

The default. Produces hyper-polished studio photography results.

  • 50mm DSLR lens, 8k photorealistic portrait photography
  • Matte dry skin finish — zero shine, zero specular highlights
  • Works best with studio backgrounds (White, Cream, Gray, Dark)
  • Outdoor backgrounds use Kodak Portra 400 film stock styling

iPhone 17 Pro Max (Natural)

Produces a natural, candid, "real person took this photo" look. Best for lifestyle mockups and social media content.

  • 48MP main camera, natural computational photography, Smart HDR
  • Skin has a natural healthy sheen — not matte, not oily. Like real skin in natural light.
  • Shallow depth of field from Portrait Mode when appropriate
  • Works best with outdoor or casual backgrounds — studio backgrounds can look artificial with iPhone style
  • Lighting is natural and ambient — no studio strobes
⚠️ iPhone + Studio Background: This combination can look unnatural — real iPhone photos rarely have pure white cyclorama backgrounds. Consider switching to an outdoor background or Neutral Gray for a more convincing result.

What Changes Between Modes

Switching camera mode auto-adjusts 4 interconnected parts of the prompt:

  • Shot style tag — DSLR lens description vs iPhone computational photography
  • Skin texture — Matte dry finish (DSLR) vs natural healthy sheen (iPhone)
  • Lighting language — Studio-controlled (DSLR) vs natural ambient (iPhone)
  • Outdoor style — Kodak Portra film stock (DSLR) vs iPhone ProRAW computational (iPhone)

Custom Camera

Write your own camera/lens description. It replaces the shot style tag. Skin and lighting will default to DSLR behavior unless you also adjust those via other fields.

Examples: Shot on Canon EOS R5, 85mm f/1.4 portrait lens, 8k resolution Shot on Sony A7IV, 35mm f/1.8, natural color science Shot on Fujifilm X-T5, classic chrome film simulation, 40MP
Tattoo Size REQUIRED
Inserted directly into the prompt. Always pair cm with an object anchor — AI ignores numbers alone.

The #1 Rule

Never use cm/inch measurements alone. AI image models ignore numeric measurements. You MUST include a real-world object comparison.

❌ Bad: 10 x 18 cm ✅ Good: 10 x 18 cm (medium — roughly the size of a playing card, prominently covering the inner forearm) ✅ Better: 10 x 18 cm (medium — roughly the size of a standard smartphone. Spanning no more than half the width of the forearm. Generous bare skin visible above and below the tattoo.)

Real-World Object Anchors (Proven)

  • Coin / bottle cap — ~2×2" / 5×5 cm, tiny accent
  • Credit card — ~2×3.5" / 5.5×8.5 cm, small
  • Smartphone — ~3×6" / 7×15 cm, small-medium
  • Playing card — ~2.5×3.5" / 6×9 cm, medium
  • Standard single tattoo sheet — ~4×7" / 10×18 cm (EZINK standard size), medium
  • Human hand (palm to fingertips) — ~3.5×7.5" / 8×18 cm, medium-large
  • Drink coaster — ~4×4" / 10×10 cm, medium square
  • A5 sheet — ~6×8" / 15×21 cm, large
  • A4 sheet — ~8×12" / 21×30 cm, extra large

Body Proportion Anchors

Combine object anchors with body-relative limits:

  • "spanning no more than half the width of the forearm"
  • "occupying one-third of the vertical length of the upper arm"
  • "generous bare skin must remain clearly visible above and below"
⚠️ Complex designs with extending elements (wings, tendrils, halos) expand beyond size constraints. Undershoot size by 35-40% for these designs.

Pre-Written Sizes (Copy-Paste Ready)

Extra Small (coin): 5 x 5 cm (EXTREMELY TINY — roughly the size of a large coin or bottle cap. A minimal accent of ink with vast bare skin visible on all sides. If the tattoo appears larger than a bottle cap, it is too large.) Small (credit card): 5 x 10 cm (small — roughly the size of a credit card. A compact bounded patch sitting naturally within the center of the placement area with generous bare skin visible on all sides.) Medium (standard tattoo): 10 x 18 cm (medium — roughly the size of a standard tattoo sheet or smartphone. Prominently covering the placement area while maintaining natural proportions. Bare skin visible above and below.) Large (hand-sized): 15 x 20 cm (large — roughly the size of a human hand from palm to fingertips. Covering most of the placement area. The full limb remains visible in frame.) Extra Large (A4): 20 x 30 cm (extra large — roughly the size of an A4 sheet of paper. Covering nearly the entire visible surface of the placement area.) Half Sleeve: Covers the entire visible surface from the elbow to the wrist (or from the shoulder to the elbow). The tattoo wraps naturally toward the visible edges of the arm creating a cylindrical illusion. Full Sleeve: 20 x 60 cm (massive full-sleeve, covering the entire length and visible surface of the outer arm from shoulder to wrist) Band: 6 x 24 cm (long wrap-around band, perfectly circling the entire circumference to form a complete 360-degree ring)

Size × Placement Cheat Sheet

Recommended size ranges per body part. Not enforced — just guidelines for realistic results.

Inner Wrist: XS – S (2-6 cm). Wrist is only ~5-6cm wide. Back of Hand: XS – S (2-6 cm). Small dorsal surface. Inner Forearm: XS – L (2-20 cm). Versatile — most sizes work. Outer Forearm: XS – L (2-20 cm). Similar to inner forearm. Inner Bicep: S – M (5-15 cm). Soft tissue, limited flat area. Tricep: S – L (5-20 cm). Good medium canvas. Outer Upper Arm: S – L (5-20 cm). Good medium canvas. Outer Calf: S – L (5-20 cm). Curved surface. Back Calf: S – L (5-20 cm). Curved surface. Lower Thigh: M – XL (10-30 cm). Large flat area. Upper Back: M – XL (10-30 cm). Widest flat area on body. Chest: M – XL (10-30 cm). Large pectoral area. Ribcage: M – L (10-20 cm). Curved, follows ribs. Full Sleeve: Full Sleeve preset only. Shoulder to wrist. Band: Band preset only. Wrap-around circumference.
Placement & Pose REQUIRED
The most impactful field. Be extremely specific about body surface, camera angle, and model position.

Structure (3 parts)

  1. Surface: Which body surface ("the soft underside of the bicep muscle belly")
  2. Boundaries: What's above/below ("strictly above the elbow, below the armpit")
  3. Pose: Body position to show it ("arm hangs straight downward, rotated outward")

Key Principles

  • Name the exact anatomical surface — "inner forearm" not "arm"
  • State what faces the camera — "outer forearm surface faces the camera directly"
  • Describe full body position — "model stands in a side-facing stance"
  • Constrain arm/leg position — "arm hangs perfectly straight downward in a relaxed vertical position"
  • Include FRAMING + CAMERA blocks — controls what's in the shot and the camera angle
⚠️ Vague = bad. "On the arm" produces random, inconsistent placement. Be surgical.

Pre-Written Placements (select a preset above to auto-fill)

Each preset includes a complete placement + pose + framing + camera block. You can edit after selecting.

Inner Forearm (simple hang): Placed naturally on the inner forearm. The arm hangs naturally downward in a relaxed vertical position with the inner forearm and palm facing the camera, hand hanging downward naturally. FRAMING: Standard portrait shot. The frame shows the model's torso and clothing from approximately chest or shoulder height downward, with the full arm visible from shoulder to hand. CAMERA: Eye-level, straight-on portrait angle. No elevated angle, no bird's-eye view, no top-down perspective, no bottom-up perspective.
Inner Forearm (opposite hand grip): Placed naturally on the inner forearm of the model's right arm. The model stands upright facing the camera. The right arm descends naturally downward from the shoulder with the inner forearm and palm facing the camera. The model's left arm — visibly extending from the same torso — bends at the elbow and the left hand FIRMLY GRIPS the right forearm clearly above the tattoo, fingers wrapping around and squeezing the forearm. The tattoo remains FULLY VISIBLE below the left hand. FRAMING: Standard portrait shot. Both arms visibly connect to the same torso. CAMERA: Eye-level, straight-on portrait angle.
Upper Back: Placed naturally on the upper back — centered between the two shoulder blades in the rhomboid zone. The model stands upright facing directly away from the camera. The camera is positioned directly behind the model, shooting straight forward. FRAMING: Close-up shot tightly framed on the upper back. Both shoulder blades visible as left and right boundaries. The tattoo sits centered with generous skin visible on all sides. CAMERA: Eye-level at upper back height, positioned directly behind the model. The model's spine is centered in the frame.
Chest: Placed naturally on the chest — on the pectoral muscle area. The model stands upright facing directly toward the camera. The chest faces the camera squarely. FRAMING: Close-up shot of the upper torso from just above the shoulders to just below the pectorals. The tattoo is the clear focal point. CAMERA: Eye-level at chest height, straight-on to the chest surface.
Clothing REQUIRED

Match Clothing to Placement

  • Forearm / Wrist / Hand → Casual tee, fitted long sleeve, or tank top. Sleeves won't cover the tattoo area.
  • Bicep / Tricep / Upper Arm / Shoulder → Tank top or sleeveless required. T-shirt sleeves cover the area.
  • Upper Back / Chest → Shirtless (male) or strapless/sports bra (female). Needs exposed skin.
  • Ribcage / Side Torso → Crop top or sports bra (female), shirtless (male). Arm raised to expose area.
  • Calf / Thigh / Leg → Shorts or athletic wear. No fabric below the knee for calf shots.
  • Full Sleeve → Sleeveless — entire arm shoulder-to-wrist must be exposed.
  • Swimwear → Best for large torso, hip, or full-body coverage shots.
💡 Always end with "Colors complement the black ink." to prevent clashing clothing colors.

Pre-Written (auto-filled when selecting preset)

Casual T-Shirt & Jeans: Model wears a simple casual t-shirt and jeans or joggers — only slightly visible at the frame edge. Clothing must not appear abruptly truncated. Colors complement the black ink. Tank Top / Sleeveless: Model wears a sleeveless shirt or athletic tank top — the entire arm from shoulder to wrist is fully exposed. No t-shirt sleeves. No long sleeves. Colors complement the black ink. Shirtless (Male): Model is completely shirtless. The entire upper body skin is fully exposed with no clothing visible on the torso. Sports Bra & Leggings (Female): Model wears a fitted sports bra and high-waisted leggings. The upper arms, shoulders, and midsection are fully exposed. Clean, athletic look. Colors complement the black ink. Crop Top (Female): Model wears a cropped top ending above the navel with high-waisted jeans or shorts. The midsection, ribcage sides, and lower back are partially exposed. Colors complement the black ink. Strapless / Off-Shoulder: Model wears a strapless top or off-shoulder blouse. The shoulders, collarbone, and upper arms are fully exposed. Colors complement the black ink. Shorts & T-Shirt: Model wears a simple t-shirt and casual shorts ending above the knee. The full lower leg is completely exposed. Model wears simple casual footwear. Colors complement the black ink. Athletic Wear: Model wears athletic gym shorts and a fitted tank top. Arms and legs are fully exposed. Clean, sporty look. Colors complement the black ink. Swimwear / Bikini: Model wears minimal swimwear or a bikini. Maximum skin exposure for large tattoo visibility. Clean and tasteful presentation. Colors complement the black ink. Fitted Long Sleeve: Model wears a simple fitted long-sleeve shirt. The shirt fully covers the chest and torso. No exposed chest, no bare skin on the torso. Sleeves pushed up if needed to expose the forearm/wrist tattoo area. Colors complement the black ink.
Background REQUIRED

Studio vs Outdoor

  • Studio (White/Cream/Gray/Dark) — Most reliable for consistent results. Controlled lighting. Best for product/catalog shots.
  • Outdoor — Lifestyle/editorial feel. Uses shallow depth of field (heavy bokeh) to keep focus on tattoo. Adds warmth but adds complexity.
⚠️ Outdoor backgrounds add complexity — the AI may focus on environment instead of tattoo accuracy. Studio is safest for consistent results.

Outdoor Backgrounds

The outdoor presets use a proven formula: microscopic depth of field with dreamy bokeh, so the background is completely blurred and the tattoo stays sharp. Each includes specific atmosphere/lighting.

Outdoor Lighting (auto-added for outdoor presets)

When an outdoor background is selected, the prompt automatically includes direct sun-strike language:

The sun strikes the tattooed surface directly and head-on from the camera side — direct sunlight hits the tattoo zone at full intensity. The tattooed area is the brightest spot in the entire image. No shadow falls on the tattoo.

Studio Presets

Pure White (#ffffff): Pure White Studio Theme: #ffffff pure white professional indoor portrait studio. Flawless bright seamless cyclorama wall. Ultra-bright high-key lighting setup with completely even illumination edge to edge. Zero shadows, zero gradients, zero color cast. The background is a flat, clean, infinite pure white. Luminous Cream (#F4EBC6): Luminous Cream Theme: #F4EBC6 warm cream beige off-white professional indoor portrait studio. Flawless, bright seamless cyclorama wall. Ultra-bright, airy, and fully exposed high-key lighting setup. Completely even illumination edge to edge with zero shadows. Deep Slate (#10181D): Deep Slate Theme: #10181D deep charcoal dark slate professional indoor portrait studio. Solid matte finish seamless studio backdrop. Bright, even, flat exposure. Broad wash lighting. Zero deep shadows, zero reflective surfaces. High contrast backdrop. Neutral Gray: Neutral gray seamless studio background. Medium gray (#808080) cyclorama wall with soft, even studio lighting. Clean and uncluttered. Professional photography studio environment. No distracting elements.
Output & Negatives OPTIONAL
Auto-generated from your placement. Only override if the default doesn't match your needs.
~50 standard negatives are always included. Only add extras for specific recurring issues.

Output Description

The auto-generated default works for most cases. Override if you need specific framing details, e.g.:

A close-up hyperrealistic image of the tattoo on the inner forearm. The forearm fills the frame. Frame contains exactly one person. Every design from the input image is present on the skin — no design is missing.

Base Negatives (always included)

Already covers: multiple people, redness/irritation, raised/glossy ink, sticker effect, illustration style, anatomy distortion, missing/reinterpreted designs, face in frame.

Only add extras for issues you're actually seeing. Common extras:

tattoo on wrong arm, tattoo on both arms, mirror effect, text in background, watermark, lens flare, bokeh on skin
💡 More negatives ≠ better. Over-specifying can confuse the model.
Reference INFO
For your tracking only — NOT included in the generated prompt.
Templates SAVE / LOAD
Templates are saved in your browser (localStorage). Use Export/Import to share with your team or move between devices.

Generated Prompt

🤖 Refine with AI

Want to further customize or iterate on the generated prompt? Use this workflow with ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude.

Step 1 — Copy & paste this FIRST into the AI chat
You are a tattoo mockup prompt specialist. I'm going to give you a detailed prompt that generates hyperrealistic tattoo-on-skin mockup images. Your job is to help me refine and iterate on this prompt. RULES YOU MUST FOLLOW: 1. NEVER remove or weaken any section unless I explicitly ask you to. The prompt has 7 carefully engineered sections: Opening, Placement & Pose, Skin & Lighting, Tattoo Physical Behavior, Clothing, Background, Output, and Negative Constraints. 2. NEVER remove or reduce the Negative Constraints — they prevent known AI failure modes. Only ADD to them if needed. 3. NEVER simplify the Tattoo Physical Behavior section — every sentence prevents a specific visual artifact. 4. NEVER change the opening paragraph (the extraction/fidelity instructions) — it ensures design accuracy. 5. When I ask for a change, make ONLY that specific change. Do not "clean up" or "simplify" other parts of the prompt. 6. After making changes, output the FULL updated prompt — never output just a diff or partial section. 7. If I describe a problem with the AI output (e.g. "the tattoo is too big", "there's redness"), suggest which specific section and wording to adjust. WHAT YOU CAN HELP WITH: - Adjusting tattoo size (always use real-world object anchors, never cm alone) - Changing placement, pose, or camera angle - Switching skin tone, gender, clothing, or background - Adding new negative constraints to fix specific output issues - Adjusting framing (close-up vs portrait vs full body) - Fine-tuning the output description for specific compositions - Adding placement-specific negatives (e.g. "tattoo on wrong arm" for forearm shots) Here is my current prompt — please confirm you've received it, and I'll tell you what I want to change:
Step 2 — Paste your generated prompt

After sending Step 1, paste the full generated prompt from above. The AI will confirm it received it.

Step 3 — Tell the AI what to change

Now describe your change. Be specific. Examples:

SIZE: "Make the tattoo smaller — it should be no bigger than a matchbook" "The tattoo is way too big in the output. Make it postage-stamp sized with strict size limits" "Change to a full sleeve covering shoulder to wrist" PLACEMENT: "Move the tattoo from the inner forearm to the chest" "I want the model's left hand gripping the forearm above the tattoo" "Change to a back shot — camera behind the model, tricep facing camera" FRAMING: "Make it an extreme close-up — only the forearm fills the frame, no torso visible" "Pull back to show the full upper body with the tattoo on the arm" "I want a side profile shot showing the full arm from shoulder to hand" FIXING OUTPUT ISSUES: "The output has pink/red skin around the tattoo — fix the redness" "The tattoo looks raised/embossed — it needs to look flatter" "The AI keeps showing two people — add stronger single-model enforcement" "The tattoo is on the outer forearm but I want it on the inner forearm" "The design is getting simplified — the AI is dropping small details" SKIN / MODEL: "Change to a female model with deep dark brown skin" "I want an outdoor golden-hour look instead of white studio" ITERATING AFTER GENERATION: "The output was perfect but I want to try it with a different background" "Keep everything the same but change only the skin tone to olive"

The Golden Rule

One change at a time. If you ask for 5 changes at once, the AI may break something. Make one change → regenerate image → evaluate → make next change.

What NOT to let the AI do

  • ❌ Don't let it "simplify" or "clean up" the prompt — every sentence exists for a reason
  • ❌ Don't let it remove negatives — they prevent known failure modes
  • ❌ Don't let it rewrite the Tattoo Physical Behavior section — it's battle-tested
  • ❌ Don't accept partial outputs — always ask for the FULL prompt back

What you CAN let the AI do

  • ✅ Adjust size text (with object anchors)
  • ✅ Rewrite placement/pose for different body areas
  • ✅ Add NEW negative constraints for issues you're seeing
  • ✅ Change skin tone, clothing, background descriptions
  • ✅ Rewrite the Output section for specific framing
  • ✅ Add FRAMING and CAMERA blocks for custom placements

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Tattoo too big/small: → Adjust the Size Description. Add stricter object anchors. → Add body proportion limits ("no more than one-third of the forearm length") → For small tattoos, add: "If the tattoo appears larger than a [object], it is TOO LARGE" Redness/pink around tattoo: → Already handled in the base prompt, but if still appearing: → Ask AI to add: "The skin color within 5cm of the tattoo is identical to skin 30cm away" → For white skin: strengthen the pale-skin fix language Tattoo looks like a sticker/raised/glossy: → Already handled, but if persisting: → Ask AI to add to negatives: "3D tattoo, embossed tattoo, fresh ink, wet ink, shiny ink" AI showing two people or ghost arms: → Add to negatives: "second person's torso, partial second body, ghost body, sliver of second torso" → Strengthen output: "Frame contains EXACTLY one person. Only one body in the entire image." Wrong placement (tattoo on wrong body part): → Add specific negatives: "tattoo on [wrong area]" for each wrong placement you're seeing → Be more explicit in the placement text about exact anatomical surface Design getting simplified/reinterpreted: → The opening paragraph should prevent this, but if still happening: → Ask AI to add: "Reproduce the design with surgical precision — every micro-detail matters" → Add to negatives: "artistic interpretation, creative liberty, design modification" 3 attempts and still wrong: → The approach is wrong. Don't keep tweaking the same section. → Try a completely different pose, framing, or camera angle instead. → Sometimes regenerating with the same prompt produces a better result (AI randomness).

After Multiple Iterations

If you've refined a prompt that works perfectly for a specific use case, save it. Copy the final prompt and store it as a template for similar future orders. Don't re-derive from scratch every time.

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