cover-image

name	cover-image
description	Generates cover image prompts for articles with 5 dimensions (type, palette, rendering, text, mood) combining 10 color palettes and 7 rendering styles. Outputs a structured prompt file for downstream image generation. Use when user asks to "generate cover image prompt" or "create cover prompt".

Cover Image Prompt Generator

Generate structured prompts for article cover images with 5-dimensional customization.

Usage

# Auto-select dimensions based on content
/cover-image path/to/article.md

# Quick mode: skip confirmation
/cover-image article.md --quick

# Specify dimensions
/cover-image article.md --type conceptual --palette warm --rendering flat-vector

# Style presets (shorthand for palette + rendering)
/cover-image article.md --style blueprint

# With reference images
/cover-image article.md --ref style-ref.png

# Direct content input
/cover-image --palette mono --aspect 1:1 --quick
[paste content]

Options

Option	Description
--type <name>	hero, conceptual, typography, metaphor, scene, minimal
--palette <name>	warm, elegant, cool, dark, earth, vivid, pastel, mono, retro, duotone
--rendering <name>	flat-vector, hand-drawn, painterly, digital, pixel, chalk, screen-print
--style <name>	Preset shorthand (see Style Presets)
--text <level>	none, title-only, title-subtitle, text-rich
--mood <level>	subtle, balanced, bold
--font <name>	clean, handwritten, serif, display
--aspect <ratio>	16:9 (default), 2.35:1, 4:3, 3:2, 1:1, 3:4
--lang <code>	Title language (en, zh, ja, etc.)
--no-title	Alias for --text none
--quick	Skip confirmation, use auto-selection
--ref <files...>	Reference images for style/composition guidance

Five Dimensions

Dimension	Values	Default
Type	hero, conceptual, typography, metaphor, scene, minimal	auto
Palette	warm, elegant, cool, dark, earth, vivid, pastel, mono, retro, duotone	auto
Rendering	flat-vector, hand-drawn, painterly, digital, pixel, chalk, screen-print	auto
Text	none, title-only, title-subtitle, text-rich	title-only
Mood	subtle, balanced, bold	balanced
Font	clean, handwritten, serif, display	clean

Auto-selection rules: references/auto-selection.md

Galleries

Types: hero, conceptual, typography, metaphor, scene, minimal → Details: references/types.md

Palettes: warm, elegant, cool, dark, earth, vivid, pastel, mono, retro, duotone → Details: references/palettes/

Renderings: flat-vector, hand-drawn, painterly, digital, pixel, chalk, screen-print → Details: references/renderings/

Text Levels: none (pure visual) | title-only (default) | title-subtitle | text-rich (with tags) → Details: references/dimensions/text.md

Mood Levels: subtle (low contrast) | balanced (default) | bold (high contrast) → Details: references/dimensions/mood.md

Fonts: clean (sans-serif) | handwritten | serif | display (bold decorative) → Details: references/dimensions/font.md

File Structure

Cover prompt is generated in the same directory as the article. Do NOT copy articles to other directories.

{article-dir}/
├── article.md             # Original article (not copied)
├── cover.md               # Generated prompt
├── cover-1.md             # Conflict variant (if cover.md exists)
├── refs/                  # Reference images (if provided)
│   ├── ref-01-{slug}.{ext}
│   └── ref-01-{slug}.md   # Description file
└── ...

Cover filename: cover.md. If exists: cover-1.md, cover-2.md, etc.

For direct content input (no article file): generate in current working directory.

Workflow

Progress Checklist

Cover Image Progress:
- [ ] Step 0: Check preferences (EXTEND.md) ⛔ BLOCKING
- [ ] Step 1: Analyze content + save refs
- [ ] Step 2: Confirm options (6 dimensions) ⚠️ unless --quick
- [ ] Step 3: Create prompt
- [ ] Step 4: Completion report

Flow

Input → [Step 0: Preferences] ─┬─ Found → Continue
                               └─ Not found → First-Time Setup ⛔ BLOCKING → Save EXTEND.md → Continue
        ↓
Analyze + Save Refs → [Confirm: 6 Dimensions] → Prompt → Complete
                                              ↓
                                     (skip if --quick or all specified)

Step 0: Load Preferences ⛔ BLOCKING

Check EXTEND.md in project root only:

test -f EXTEND.md && echo "found"

Result	Action
Found	Load, display summary → Continue
Not found	Ask user for preferences → Generate EXTEND.md → Continue

CRITICAL: If not found, complete setup BEFORE any other steps or questions. Do NOT check other directories.

Step 1: Analyze Content

1. Save reference images (if provided) → references/workflow/reference-images.md
2. Analyze content: topic, tone, keywords, visual metaphors
3. Deep analyze references ⚠️: Extract specific, concrete elements (see reference-images.md)
4. Detect language: Compare source, user input, EXTEND.md preference

⚠️ People in Reference Images — MUST follow all 3 rules:

If reference images contain people who should appear in the cover:

1. usage: direct — MUST set in refs description file. NEVER use style or palette when people need to appear
2. Per-character description — MUST describe each person's distinctive features (hair, glasses, skin tone, clothing) in refs/ref-NN-{slug}.md. Vague descriptions like "a man" will fail
3. Prompt inclusion — MUST include reference image paths in prompt frontmatter references list so the downstream image generator can access them

See reference-images.md § Character Analysis for description format.

Step 2: Confirm Options ⚠️

MUST use AskUserQuestion tool to present options as interactive selection — NOT plain text tables. Present up to 4 questions in a single AskUserQuestion call (Type, Palette, Rendering, Font + Settings). Each question shows the recommended option first with reason, followed by alternatives.

Full confirmation flow and question format: references/workflow/confirm-options.md

Condition	Skipped	Still Asked
--quick or quick_mode: true	6 dimensions	Aspect ratio (unless --aspect)
All 6 + --aspect specified	All	None

Step 3: Create Prompt

Save to article directory as cover.md. Template: references/workflow/prompt-template.md

Filename conflict: If cover.md exists, use cover-1.md, cover-2.md, etc. Check before writing.

CRITICAL - References in Frontmatter:

• Files saved to refs/ → Add to frontmatter references list
• Style extracted verbally (no file) → Omit references, describe in body
• Before writing → Verify: test -f refs/ref-NN-{slug}.{ext}

Reference elements in body MUST be detailed, prefixed with "MUST"/"REQUIRED", with integration approach.

Step 4: Completion Report

Prompt Ready!

Topic: [topic]
Type: [type] | Palette: [palette] | Rendering: [rendering]
Text: [text] | Mood: [mood] | Font: [font] | Aspect: [ratio]
Title: [title or "visual only"]
Language: [lang] | Watermark: [enabled/disabled]
References: [N images or "extracted style" or "none"]
Location: [article directory path]

Files:
✓ cover.md (or cover-N.md)

Composition Principles

• Whitespace: 40-60% breathing room
• Visual anchor: Main element centered or offset left
• Characters: Simplified silhouettes; NO realistic humans
• Title: Use exact title from user/source; never invent

Extension Support

Custom configurations via EXTEND.md. See Step 0 for paths.

Supports: Watermark | Preferred dimensions | Default aspect | Quick mode | Custom palettes | Language

Schema: references/config/preferences-schema.md

References

Dimensions: text.md | mood.md | font.md Palettes: references/palettes/ Renderings: references/renderings/ Types: references/types.md Auto-Selection: references/auto-selection.md Style Presets: references/style-presets.md Compatibility: references/compatibility.md Visual Elements: references/visual-elements.md Workflow: confirm-options.md | prompt-template.md | reference-images.md Config: preferences-schema.md | first-time-setup.md | watermark-guide.md