PBR Texture Prompting Guide

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of how to write effective prompts for generating high-quality PBR textures. A well-structured prompt is the key to unlocking the full potential of the AI models.

1. The Anatomy of a Great PBR Prompt

A good prompt is more than just a simple description. It's a structured set of instructions that tells the AI not only what to create, but also how to create it in terms of quality, detail, and style. A great PBR prompt generally consists of these five parts:

1. Quality Terms: Words that push the AI towards its best possible output.

2. Subject Definition: Clearly states that you are creating a texture or material.

3. Primary Material: The core material you want to generate (e.g., wood, metal, stone).

4. Detail & Descriptor Keywords: Specific words that describe the look, feel, and condition of the material.

5. Style & Lighting: Words that define the overall aesthetic (e.g., photorealistic, stylized) and the lighting environment.

2. The "Magic" Starter Prompts

Instead of starting from scratch every time, use these robust starter prompts as a foundation and build upon them.

Universal Positive Prompt Starter

This prompt includes essential quality and texture-related keywords. Copy this into the Positive Prompt box and then add your specific material description.

(masterpiece, best quality, high resolution, photorealistic, PBR texture, 8k), (game texture, material definition, surface detail),

Universal Negative Prompt Starter

This prompt is designed to eliminate common visual artifacts, unwanted objects, and styles that are not suitable for a clean texture. Copy this into the Negative Prompt box.

(worst quality, low quality, normal quality, blurry, jpeg artifacts, signature, watermark, text, username), (human, person, character, man, woman), (3d, cgi, render, scene, diorama), painting, drawing, cartoon, anime

3. Crafting Specific Material Prompts

Now, let's combine the starter prompts with specific material descriptions.

Example 1: Old Oak Wood Planks

Positive Prompt:

(masterpiece, best quality, high resolution, photorealistic, PBR texture, 8k), (game texture, material definition, surface detail), old oak wood planks, weathered, deep grain, splintered, knots, aged, rustic, detailed wood texture

Breakdown:

• Quality & Subject: Covered by the starter prompt.

• Primary Material: old oak wood planks

• Details & Descriptors: weathered, deep grain, splintered, knots, aged, rustic

• Style & Lighting: photorealistic, detailed wood texture

Example 2: Rocky Cliff Face

Positive Prompt:

(masterpiece, best quality, high resolution, photorealistic, PBR texture, 8k), (game texture, material definition, surface detail), rocky cliff face, sheer rock, layered strata, sharp edges, craggy, granite, sediment, high frequency detail

Breakdown:

• Quality & Subject: Covered by the starter prompt.

• Primary Material: rocky cliff face

• Details & Descriptors: sheer rock, layered strata, sharp edges, craggy, granite, sediment

• Style & Lighting: photorealistic, high frequency detail

Example 3: Ruined Castle Wall

Positive Prompt:

(masterpiece, best quality, 4k, sharp focus), fantasy style, game texture, ruined castle wall, weathered stone bricks, crumbling mortar, ancient, medieval, damp

Breakdown:

• Quality & Subject: masterpiece, best quality, game texture

• Primary Material: ruined castle wall

• Details & Descriptors: weathered stone bricks, crumbling mortar, overgrown with moss and vines, ancient, medieval, damp

• Style & Lighting: fantasy style

Example 4: Stylized Ruined Castle Wall

Positive Prompt:

(masterpiece, best quality, 4k, sharp focus), stylized, hand-painted game texture, World of Warcraft style, ruined castle wall, chunky stone bricks, exaggerated cracks, vibrant green moss, bold outlines, painterly

Negative Prompt:

photorealistic, realistic, photo, dull colors, blurry, soft focus, intricate detail

Breakdown:

• Quality & Subject: masterpiece, best quality, 4k, sharp focus, game texture

• Primary Material: ruined castle wall

• Details & Descriptors: chunky stone bricks, exaggerated cracks, vibrant green moss

• Style & Lighting: stylized, hand-painted, World of Warcraft style, bold outlines, painterly

4. PBR Keyword Cheatsheet

Use these keywords to enhance your prompts. Mix and match them to achieve your desired look.

5. Advanced Prompting Tips

• Prompt Weighting: You can increase or decrease the importance of a word or phrase by using parentheses and a colon. (word:1.2) increases its weight by 20%, while (word:0.8) decreases it. This is great for fine-tuning.

• Iterate, Don't Overwrite: If a prompt isn't working, don't delete it. Instead, add or remove keywords one at a time. This helps you understand what is influencing the result.

• Be Specific, Then Broad: Start with a very specific prompt (e.g., cracked gray slate tile). If the AI struggles, make it broader (e.g., stone tile floor).