Original example · approval recorded

Narrative Paper-Cut Book Cover — Original example

Narrative Paper-Cut Book Cover template with the original example, exact generation prompts, application guide and supporting artwork.

Replace the highlighted inputs with your details, then copy to your AI tool.

Copyable prompt

Create one original layered paper-cut illustration for the cover of [STORY_TITLE_OR_CONCEPT], intended for [TARGET_AUDIENCE]. Communicate this central story moment: [STORY_MOMENT]. Feature [MAIN_SUBJECT] interacting with [KEY_STORY_OBJECT] within [SETTING]. Build the composition from distinct foreground, middle-ground and background layers. Use cut-paper silhouettes, subtle paper fibers, carefully shaped edges and shallow shadows between layers. Keep the main subject recognizable at thumbnail size and use [VISUAL_FOCAL_POINT] to guide attention through the scene. Compose in [ASPECT_RATIO] portrait format. Place the main narrative action within [ACTION_AREA]. Reserve [TITLE_AREA] as a quiet, low-detail region for a title added later, and keep [AUTHOR_AREA] available for an author name. Do not generate typography. Use [COLOR_PALETTE], with [ACCENT_COLOR] limited to the key story element. Establish a [MOOD] atmosphere through shape, scale and contrast. Keep the lighting direction consistent across the paper layers. Include only [SUPPORTING_ELEMENTS]. Avoid unrelated decorative objects, excessive detail, photorealistic surfaces, glossy plastic, logos, watermarks, borders and lettering. Return one full-bleed cover illustration, not a physical book mockup or presentation board.

Narrative Paper-Cut Book Cover — Original example — **Prompt preview**
Image · ChatGPT image generation

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STORY TITLE OR CONCEPTTARGET AUDIENCESTORY MOMENTMAIN SUBJECTKEY STORY OBJECTSETTINGVISUAL FOCAL POINTASPECT RATIOACTION AREATITLE AREAAUTHOR AREACOLOR PALETTEACCENT COLORMOODSUPPORTING ELEMENTS

Your customized prompt

Build the composition from distinct foreground, middle-ground and background layers. Use cut-paper silhouettes, subtle paper fibers, carefully shaped edges and shallow shadows between layers. Keep the main subject recognizable at thumbnail size and use [VISUAL_FOCAL_POINT] to guide attention through the scene.

Compose in [ASPECT_RATIO] portrait format. Place the main narrative action within [ACTION_AREA]. Reserve [TITLE_AREA] as a quiet, low-detail region for a title added later, and keep [AUTHOR_AREA] available for an author name. Do not generate typography.

Use [COLOR_PALETTE], with [ACCENT_COLOR] limited to the key story element. Establish a [MOOD] atmosphere through shape, scale and contrast. Keep the lighting direction consistent across the paper layers.

Include only [SUPPORTING_ELEMENTS]. Avoid unrelated decorative objects, excessive detail, photorealistic surfaces, glossy plastic, logos, watermarks, borders and lettering. Return one full-bleed cover illustration, not a physical book mockup or presentation board.

Step by step

How to use this prompt

Generate a reference sheet with Reference_Sheet_EXACT.txt and no attachments, or use the included IMG_005_Courier_Letter_Doorway_REFERENCE_v001.png for the recorded starting input.

Attach that reference sheet as the first and only image. Paste Cover_Illustration_EXACT.txt. The recorded run used ChatGPT built-in image generation with an opaque background, and requested a 2:3 ratio through the prompt.

Compare the generated courier, outfit, satchel, envelope and doorway with the reference. Check the letter is supported by the hands, and check usable title and author space.

Add typography separately after approval. This package contains cover illustration only, without a title, author, spine, back cover or printer-specific bleed.

For production printing, choose trim dimensions and typography, then check actual pixel dimensions against the printer's resolution requirement. No print-ready claim is made.

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Before you use this prompt

Task: Narrative Paper-Cut Book Cover template with the original example, exact generation prompts, application guide and supporting artwork.
Tool recorded: ChatGPT image generation. Compatibility with other tools is not implied.
Required inputs: STORY_TITLE_OR_CONCEPT, TARGET_AUDIENCE, STORY_MOMENT, MAIN_SUBJECT, KEY_STORY_OBJECT, SETTING, VISUAL_FOCAL_POINT, ASPECT_RATIO, ACTION_AREA, TITLE_AREA, AUTHOR_AREA, COLOR_PALETTE, ACCENT_COLOR, MOOD, SUPPORTING_ELEMENTS
Review status: Original example · approval recorded
Review date: 2026-10-01
Output and limitations: 1024 × 1536 pixels. Inspect the example and generation record. Repeated outputs can differ; review factual details, lettering and composition before use.

Prompt licence · How to adapt a prompt

Prompt templates and options

3 prompt options

Choose a prompt to copy or customize. For reference and revision prompts, follow the application guide and attach the specified image.

Create one original layered paper-cut illustration for the cover of [STORY_TITLE_OR_CONCEPT], intended for [TARGET_AUDIENCE]. Communicate this central story moment: [STORY_MOMENT]. Feature [MAIN_SUBJECT] interacting with [KEY_STORY_OBJECT] within [SETTING].

Build the composition from distinct foreground, middle-ground and background layers. Use cut-paper silhouettes, subtle paper fibers, carefully shaped edges and shallow shadows between layers. Keep the main subject recognizable at thumbnail size and use [VISUAL_FOCAL_POINT] to guide attention through the scene.

Compose in [ASPECT_RATIO] portrait format. Place the main narrative action within [ACTION_AREA]. Reserve [TITLE_AREA] as a quiet, low-detail region for a title added later, and keep [AUTHOR_AREA] available for an author name. Do not generate typography.

Use [COLOR_PALETTE], with [ACCENT_COLOR] limited to the key story element. Establish a [MOOD] atmosphere through shape, scale and contrast. Keep the lighting direction consistent across the paper layers.

Include only [SUPPORTING_ELEMENTS]. Avoid unrelated decorative objects, excessive detail, photorealistic surfaces, glossy plastic, logos, watermarks, borders and lettering. Return one full-bleed cover illustration, not a physical book mockup or presentation board.

Reference images and supporting artwork

Use the filenames in the guide to choose the correct attachment. Reference creation is optional when the supplied reference is used.

Reference image: 04_Images/IMG_005_Courier_Letter_Doorway_REFERENCE_v001.png — **Reference image**04_Images/IMG_005_Courier_Letter_Doorway_REFERENCE_v001.pngDownload image

Application and troubleshooting

IMG_005 — Narrative Paper-Cut Book Cover

APPLICATION

Generate a reference sheet with Reference_Sheet_EXACT.txt and no attachments, or use the included IMG_005_Courier_Letter_Doorway_REFERENCE_v001.png for the recorded starting input.
Attach that reference sheet as the first and only image. Paste Cover_Illustration_EXACT.txt. The recorded run used ChatGPT built-in image generation with an opaque background, and requested a 2:3 ratio through the prompt.
Compare the generated courier, outfit, satchel, envelope and doorway with the reference. Check the letter is supported by the hands, and check usable title and author space.
Add typography separately after approval. This package contains cover illustration only, without a title, author, spine, back cover or printer-specific bleed.
For production printing, choose trim dimensions and typography, then check actual pixel dimensions against the printer's resolution requirement. No print-ready claim is made.

VARIABLES USED Story: The Keeper of Lost Letters, an original fictional concept for this demonstration; not a claim of a published or trademark-cleared title. Audience: young adults enjoying quiet magical mysteries. Moment: courier discovers a glowing letter at an abandoned hilltop post office at twilight. Subject: young adult female courier with short dark hair, teal coat, navy trousers and boots, cream satchel. Story object and focal point: glowing envelope. Ratio: 2:3. Action area: lower 65%. Title area: upper quarter. Author area: bottom 8%. Palette: midnight blue, dusty teal, warm cream. Accent: amber. Mood: mysterious and hopeful. Supporting elements: doorway and partial facade, path, hills and sparse grasses.

The exact applied prompt adds explicit reference preservation and turns off the reference doorway's amber light so the letter becomes the focal point. The exact prompts are retained unchanged for honest reproduction.

TROUBLESHOOTING Changed character: reattach the reference and name the hair, outfit and satchel invariants. Competing light sources: specify a dark doorway and restrict amber to the letter. Busy title area: reserve a larger plain sky region and check roof placement. Overly realistic textures: simplify to flatter paper silhouettes and shallow relief. Unnatural hands: request a targeted correction with one envelope held naturally in both hands.

APPROVAL AND LIMITATIONS User approval: “approved”, 1 October 2026. One reference generation and one final generation; no retries. No post-generation edits, crop, retouching, upscale, compositing or typography. PNGs are flattened raster images; 'layered paper-cut' describes the visual style, not editable file layers.

The reference sheet shows warm light in the doorway despite the initial request limiting amber to the envelope; the final prompt explicitly corrects it. The final image is richer and more dimensional than simple flat paper silhouettes. It includes distant settlement silhouettes beyond the specified supporting elements. The roof enters part of the upper-right title area; the bottom area contains texture rather than a uniform band. The envelope is held above waist level. User approval accepts this particular result; these differences have not been silently corrected. Identity preservation and exact repeatability are not guaranteed.

Generation record and review status

Original example · approval recorded. This is the supplied generation history; repeated generations may differ.

{
  "id": "IMG_005",
  "title": "Narrative Paper-Cut Book Cover",
  "status": "user_approved",
  "approval_text": "approved",
  "date": "2026-10-01",
  "tool": "ChatGPT built-in image generation",
  "model_version": null,
  "seed": null,
  "quality_setting": null,
  "transparent_background": false,
  "generation_calls": 2,
  "retries": 0,
  "postprocessing": "None; filenames changed only",
  "runs": [
    {
      "stage": "reference_sheet",
      "file": "04_Images/IMG_005_Courier_Letter_Doorway_REFERENCE_v001.png",
      "source_basename": "exec-da5d57b1-0289-4257-97c6-d8395a5dabea.png",
      "requested_ratio": "1:1",
      "width": 1254,
      "height": 1254,
      "mode": "RGB",
      "attachments": [],
      "sha256": "ca497be0f8d96e339f3b5d7922793569b3fe0c520b80717f92cdfbad24741dbb"
    },
    {
      "stage": "cover_illustration",
      "file": "04_Images/IMG_005_Paper_Cut_Book_Cover_APPROVED_v001.png",
      "source_basename": "exec-c74db4ca-ffda-4241-aed4-a5ec4b82c31e.png",
      "requested_ratio": "2:3",
      "width": 1024,
      "height": 1536,
      "mode": "RGB",
      "attachments": [
        "IMG_005_Courier_Letter_Doorway_REFERENCE_v001.png"
      ],
      "sha256": "0ad879784ca14732d28d0ad31f9a8e0ff5fad363d1cedbcb1772e02ec7617a6e"
    }
  ]
}