Prompting Syntax

Prompting Guide Learn how to write effective prompts for InvokeAI.

Dynamic Prompting Learn how to create many prompt variations from a single template.

InvokeAI supports Compel-style prompt weighting and prompt functions for SD 1.5 and SDXL text conditioning workflows. Recent model families, including FLUX, Z-Image, CogView4, and Qwen Image, bypass Compel and do not use the syntax documented on this page. This page documents syntax for those Compel-based workflows only. If you want general advice on writing better prompts, start with Prompting Guide.

Compatibility note

If a weighted prompt seems to be ignored, check whether you are using an SD 1.5 or SDXL workflow. Compel syntax on this page does not apply to newer model families such as FLUX, Z-Image, CogView4, and Qwen Image.

Quick reference

Supported syntax

• Increase a single word: trees+
• Decrease a single word: fog-
• Weight a phrase: (golden hour light)+
• Use an exact numeric weight: (cinematic lighting)1.25
• Nest weights: (portrait with (blue eyes)1.3)1.1
• Blend prompts: ("portrait photo", "oil painting").blend(0.7, 0.3)
• Conjoin clauses: ("red silk dress", "studio portrait", "soft rim light").and()
• Escape literal parentheses: colored pencil \(medium\)

Attention weighting with + and -

Append + to increase influence, or - to reduce it.

freckles+
background crowd-
(soft rim light)++

Rules of thumb:

• Single words can be weighted directly.
• Multi-word phrases should be wrapped in parentheses.
• Each additional + compounds upward.
• Each additional - compounds downward in roughly 10% steps.

Start small

One or two steps is usually enough. Extreme weighting can overpower the rest of the prompt.

Numeric weights

Use numeric weights when you want precise control instead of repeated plus or minus markers.

(cinematic lighting)1.25
(background crowd)0.8
(sharp focus)1.1

Guidelines:

• 1 is neutral.
• Values greater than 1 increase emphasis.
• Values between 0 and 1 reduce emphasis.
• Wrap the weighted phrase in parentheses.

Grouping and nesting

You can group phrases and apply weight to the whole group, then nest another weighted phrase inside it.

(portrait with (blue eyes)1.3)1.1

In this example, the outer group strengthens the whole phrase, and the inner group gives blue eyes even more emphasis.

Blend prompts with .blend()

Use .blend() to mix the meaning of two or more prompts.

("portrait photo, 85mm lens", "oil painting, visible brushstrokes").blend(0.7, 0.3)

This is most useful for combining concepts or styles that you want balanced deliberately.

Tips:

• Provide one weight for each prompt argument.
• Keeping the weights near a total of 1 makes the result easier to reason about.
• Quoted arguments are the safest choice, especially when the prompts contain commas.

Combine clauses with .and()

Use .and() when you want separate prompt clauses encoded individually instead of as one long comma-separated sentence.

("red silk dress", "studio portrait", "soft rim light").and()

This can behave differently from:

red silk dress, studio portrait, soft rim light

If a normal prompt keeps collapsing ideas together, .and() is worth testing.

Escape literal parentheses

Unescaped parentheses are treated as prompt syntax. If you want actual parentheses in the text, escape them with backslashes.

colored pencil \(medium\)
portrait \(realistic\) (high quality)1.2
A bear \(with razor-sharp teeth\) in a forest

Use unescaped parentheses only when you mean grouping or weighting.

Related pages

• For practical prompt-writing advice, read Prompting Guide.
• For prompt expansion and permutations, read Dynamic Prompting.