The real world is full of limitations. We face constraints with schedules, budgets, and the laws of physics. When you generate images with DALL-E, however, you can conjure images of a world where those restrictions don’t apply. With generative AI, you can create fantastical original imagery in any color or style. The only limit is your imagination.
As a business owner, you can harness this technology to help you save time and bolster your marketing creativity. Learn how to get the most out of DALL-E by writing tailored prompts.
Table of contents
What is DALL-E?
DALL-E is an AI-powered platform for image creation developed by OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. This text-to-image tool responds to natural language prompts. Users describe what they want to see and submit their vision as a written prompt to DALL-E, which then creates an image.
DALL-E uses a deep learning AI model trained on a large set of images paired with text so that it can reproduce the visual elements associated with specific words. As of 2024, this generative AI technology is currently in its third iteration, called DALL-E 3.
How does DALL-E work?
Generating images with AI is an iterative process, meaning you submit a base prompt, see DALL-E’s output, and refine your language to add detail or change the composition. For example, you might edit an image by submitting prompt modifiers that alter the setting (like “change the weather to rainy” or “make it nighttime”) or a style modifier that changes the image’s aesthetic (like “drawing.”) DALL-E can also imitate different styles of art. You can include the names of famous artists, like Picasso or Van Gogh, mention a particular artistic style or movement in art history, like Impressionism, or specify a type of photography to direct DALL-E’s image style.
As a business owner, you can use DALL-E to create custom imagery for everything from social media posts to logos in a wide range of image styles. AI image generators don’t always produce perfect compositions, so you’ll yield the best results if you submit prompts with ample description, keep iterating on the same prompt until you get what you want, and consider working with designers to retouch the final products. You can also ask DALL-E for help with prompt writing by asking it how it would rephrase or build on your own prompt to get better results.
Best DALL-E prompt ideas
- Blog images
- Social media content
- Ad content
- Creative briefs
- Design assets
- Web graphics
- Mock-ups
- Internal product images
- Logos
Here are a few ecommerce applications for DALL-E and promptexamples to guide you:
Blog images
Enhance your company’s blog posts with AI-generated art. For example, let’s say you run an ecommerce kitchenware company and you’re writing an article featuring a birthday cake recipe. You decide to use DALL-E to create images for your blog post. As you write your prompt for the header image, add enough detail to instruct the AI on both the subject matter and artistic style, and consider using quality boosters like “beautiful” and “stunning” to make your subject matter stand out. You might try the following prompt to generate a lead image for the article.
Example: Imagine a beautiful, elegant birthday cake on a cake stand with robin egg blue frosting and candles sitting on a table with a blue tablecloth in front of a blue background. Watercolor illustration.
Social media content
You can use an AI image-generation tool to create social media assets with ease and speed. In addition to instructing DALL-E to include certain subject matter, you can also tell the tool to use your brand’s signature color scheme, adding a specialized touch that can help you build brand recognition. To promote a 4th of July flash sale, for example, you might submit the following image prompt to DALL-E.
Example: Show me a photorealistic image of a tent in the color #da1884 on the left side of a campfire under a starry sky on a summer evening. Wide angle lens.
Ad content
To create an advertisement with DALL-E, focus on writing a prompt that includes subject terms that define the figures in your composition and describe your brand’s aesthetic. Consider using different prompts to generate multiple variations of the image, then use A/B testing to test which version resonates the most with your audience. For example, if you run a prepared food company producing healthy meals for young families, you might use the prompt below to generate an effective advertising image.
Example: Imagine a bright and colorful image of a plate of spaghetti topped with meatballs for an audience of families. Modern style, close-up photography, realistic.
Creative briefs
It’s helpful to jumpstart a creative process when you have a rough idea of where you want your ad creative to end up. AI tools can quickly generate images that spark design ideas or help you storyboard a video ad you plan on shooting in real life. Submit a prompt with phrases or adjectives that describe your brand so DALL-E can provide color combinations, artistic styles, or graphic elements to guide your creative team or freelance designers. For example, an ecommerce breakfast bar brand might ask DALL-E to help generate branding ideas by submitting the following prompt.
Example: Depict a fun poster for a modern cereal company aimed at adults using the colors #ff5733, #ffe333, and #be33ff. Whimsical, playful, nighttime. Vector images.
Design assets
Try creating images for presentations or graphic designs. Adding style modifiers like “abstract art” or “gradient” to your prompt can help DALL-E create colorful backgrounds for deck templates. Consider words and phrases like “drawing,” “vector art,” and “clip art” to generate illustrations. For example, let’s say you’re creating a sales presentation for your direct-to-consumer (D2C) flavored water company. You might try the following prompt to generate an opening slide.
Example: Show me a colorful gradient background for a fruit-flavored bottled water company. Use vivid colors like pink and orange and include water-themed graphics like water droplets and fountains.
Web graphics
You can use AI image generators like DALL-E to enhance your website. Use generated images to create page headers, landing page graphics, or custom user interface (UI) elements. To write a web graphic prompt, include details about your brand’s aesthetic style and color palette and add prompt modifiers that detail the type of art you’re looking for. For example, an ecommerce houseplant company with a sleek aesthetic and green and white color palette could use DALL-E to create an image of a leaf to use in place of bullet points on its website with the following prompt.
Example: Generate a simple bright green maple leaf icon. Vector image.
Mock-ups
Mock-ups are digital images that can help you visualize business assets—from web pages to consumer goods to physical spaces—before they’re complete. Imagine, for example, that you’re planning a pop-up event for your online makeup store and have decided to use DALL-E to create mockups of the different types of spaces you’re considering. You could describe one of your options in your prompt, and use DALL-E’s generated image to help you visualize the space.
Example: Design a mockup of a sleek, white-walled pop-up space with tables of makeup products lining the walls.
Internal product images
AI image generators aren’t sophisticated enough to create hyperrealistic images of your product, but generating example product photos can support early concept development or help your team test out different photography styles—especially if you submit prompts with as many details about your product as you have available. For example, let’s say you own a small online clothing business, and you’re preparing for a photoshoot. You want to determine how to stage your new handbag, so you submit the following prompt to DALL-E to preview one of the aesthetics you’re considering.
Example: Create a photograph of a sleek, navy blue leather clutch bag with a gold clasp sitting on a marble table. Old-world elegance, soft blush, and warm gold tones.
🛠️ TOOL: Create professional logos in seconds.
Logos
To design a logo with DALL-E, write a prompt describing your business. Include details about your company such as industry, target audience, and business name, and mention any signature colors or stylistic inspirations to guide DALL-E’s designs.
Example: Design a logo for an online frozen pastry company named Gateau Du Jour that sells to young urban professionals. Include a stunning cake. Use pink and green colors and make the frosting look like neon lights.
DALL-E prompts FAQ
How do you prompt DALL-E for the best results?
DALL-E responds well to clear, specific image prompts. For the best results, write a prompt that includes a thorough description of your desired image with details about the subject, setting, and image style. Then hone your initial prompt to add more clarity. Try referencing specific art styles or adding aesthetic cues to guide the overall tone.
What are some ways businesses can use DALL-E?
Businesses can use DALL-E to create custom visuals for their marketing and creative needs, including ad campaign content, social media assets, and web graphics. Working with AI images can reduce the need to stage photoshoots or purchase stock photography.
What is the difference between DALL-E, DALL-E 2, and DALL-E 3?
The first iteration of DALL-E, OpenAI's image generator, launched in 2021. The subsequent updates introduced new capabilities and improved performance. DALL-E 2 offered higher resolution and increased prompt fidelity. The latest version, DALL-E 3, built on this progress with better image quality.
