cover-image

Cover Image Generator

Generate hand-drawn style cover images for articles with rich style and composition options.

Usage

# From markdown file (auto-select style based on content)
/cover-image path/to/article.md

# Specify a style
/cover-image path/to/article.md --style tech
/cover-image path/to/article.md --style gradient

# Specify a composition
/cover-image path/to/article.md --composition hero-center

# Without title text
/cover-image path/to/article.md --no-title

# Combine options
/cover-image path/to/article.md --style editorial --composition split --no-title

# From direct text input
/cover-image
[paste content or describe the topic]

Options

Option	Description
--style <name>	Specify cover style (see Style Gallery below)
--composition <name>	Specify layout composition (see Composition Gallery below)
--no-title	Generate cover without title text (visual only)

Style Gallery

Core Styles

Style	Description	Best For
elegant (Default)	Refined, sophisticated, understated	Business, thought leadership, professional
tech	Modern, clean, futuristic with glow effects	AI, coding, digital, algorithms
warm	Friendly, approachable, human-centered	Personal growth, lifestyle, education
bold	High contrast, attention-grabbing, energetic	Opinion pieces, controversial, urgent
minimal	Ultra-clean, zen-like, maximum whitespace	Philosophy, focus, essentialism
playful	Fun, creative, whimsical doodles	Tutorials, beginner guides, casual
nature	Organic, calm, earthy tones	Sustainability, wellness, outdoor
retro	Vintage, nostalgic, aged textures	History, retrospectives, classic topics

Extended Styles

Style	Description	Best For
gradient	Smooth color transitions, dreamy, modern	Product launches, announcements, branding
editorial	Magazine-quality, sophisticated typography	Long-form essays, deep dives, journalism
blueprint	Technical drawing aesthetic, grid paper	Architecture, system design, engineering
watercolor	Soft washes, organic bleed, painterly	Art, culture, creative writing, poetry
geometric	Sharp shapes, tessellations, mathematical	Data science, math, structured thinking
neon	Dark background with vivid glowing elements	Nightlife, gaming, cyberpunk, startup
paper-cut	Layered paper cutout depth effect	Storytelling, children's content, craft
ink-wash	East Asian brush ink aesthetic (水墨风)	Chinese culture, philosophy, calligraphy

Detailed style definitions: references/styles/<style>.md

Composition Gallery

Compositions define how elements are arranged in the cover image.

Composition	Description	When to Use
hero-center (Default)	Single focal visual centered, title above or below	General purpose, strong single concept
split	Left/right or top/bottom split, visual one side, text other	Comparison, before/after, dual concepts
floating	Elements scattered with depth, floating in space	Abstract topics, multiple related concepts
frame	Decorative border framing the central content	Formal, announcement, certificate-like
diagonal	Dynamic diagonal division or flow	Movement, progress, transformation
spotlight	Dark background with a single illuminated subject	Focus, highlight, key insight
panoramic	Wide scene spanning the full width	Landscape, journey, timeline
mosaic	Grid of small related visuals forming a bigger picture	Collection, variety, ecosystem
vignette	Soft fade from edges to center focus	Intimate, personal, memoir-style
layered	Overlapping planes creating depth	Complex topics, multi-layered ideas

Composition Tips

• hero-center + title: Place visual slightly left, title right
• hero-center + no-title: Center the visual fully, let it breathe
• split: Use contrasting colors or concepts on each side
• floating: 3-5 elements max, vary sizes for depth
• diagonal: Direction implies progress (bottom-left → top-right = growth)
• spotlight: Keep background very dark, subject vivid
• mosaic: Use 4-9 tiles, maintain consistent style across tiles
• layered: Use opacity/blur to create foreground/background separation

Auto Style Selection

When no --style is specified, analyze content to select the best style:

Content Signals	Selected Style
AI, coding, tech, digital, algorithm, API	tech
Personal story, emotion, growth, life, journey	warm
Controversial, urgent, must-read, warning, breaking	bold
Simple, zen, focus, essential, less is more	minimal
Fun, easy, beginner, casual, tutorial, step-by-step	playful
Nature, eco, wellness, health, organic, outdoor	nature
History, classic, vintage, old, traditional	retro
Product, launch, release, announcement, brand	gradient
Essay, analysis, deep dive, investigation, review	editorial
System design, architecture, blueprint, infrastructure	blueprint
Art, painting, creative, poetry, culture	watercolor
Data, math, statistics, geometry, patterns	geometric
Gaming, startup, nightlife, crypto, hacker	neon
Story, folktale, illustration, craft, children	paper-cut
中国, 文化, 哲学, 书法, 国风, 传统	ink-wash
Business, professional, strategy, analysis (default)	elegant

Auto Composition Selection

When no --composition is specified:

Condition	Selected Composition
Single strong concept/metaphor	hero-center
Article compares two things	split
Article covers multiple tools/ideas	floating or mosaic
Personal/intimate topic	vignette
Journey/timeline/progress narrative	diagonal or panoramic
One key insight or revelation	spotlight
Complex multi-layered topic	layered
Formal/announcement tone	frame

File Management

With Article Path

Save to imgs/ subdirectory in the same folder as the article:

path/to/
├── article.md
└── imgs/
    ├── prompts/
    │   └── cover.md
    └── cover.png

Without Article Path

Save to current working directory:

./
├── cover-prompt.md
└── cover.png

Workflow

Step 1: Analyze Content

Extract key information:

• Main topic: What is the article about?
• Core message: What's the key takeaway?
• Tone: Serious, playful, inspiring, educational?
• Keywords: Identify style-signaling words
• Structure: Is it a comparison? A journey? A deep dive?
• Visual metaphors: What real-world objects/scenes represent the topic?

Step 2: Select Style & Composition

If --style or --composition specified, use those. Otherwise:

1. Scan content for style and composition signals
2. Match signals to most appropriate style + composition
3. Default to elegant style + hero-center composition if no clear signals

Step 3: Generate Cover Concept

Title (if included, max 8 characters):

• Distill the core message into a punchy headline
• Use hooks: numbers, questions, contrasts, pain points
• Skip if --no-title flag is used

Visual Elements:

• Style-appropriate imagery and icons
• 1-2 symbolic elements representing the topic
• Metaphors or analogies that fit the style

Composition Layout:

• Apply the selected composition template
• Consider title placement within the composition
• Ensure visual hierarchy: primary element > secondary > decorative

Step 4: Create Prompt File

Prompt Format:

Cover theme: [topic in 2-3 words]
Style: [selected style name]
Composition: [selected composition name]

[If title included:]
Title text: [8 characters or less, in content language]
Subtitle: [optional, in content language]

Visual composition:
- Main visual: [description matching style]
- Layout: [composition-specific layout description]
- Primary element: [what draws the eye first]
- Secondary elements: [supporting visuals]
- Decorative elements: [style-appropriate accents]

Color scheme:
- Primary: [style primary color]
- Background: [style background color]
- Accent: [style accent color]

Style notes: [specific style characteristics to emphasize]
Composition notes: [specific layout guidance]

[If no title:]
Note: No title text, pure visual illustration only.

Step 5: Generate Image

Image Generation Skill Selection:

1. Check available image generation skills
2. If multiple skills available, ask user to choose

Generation: Call selected image generation skill with prompt file and output path.

Step 6: Output Summary

Cover Image Generated!

Topic: [topic]
Style: [style name]
Composition: [composition name]
Title: [cover title] (or "No title - visual only")
Location: [output path]

Preview the image to verify it matches your expectations.

Notes

• Cover should be instantly understandable at small preview sizes
• Title (if included) must be readable and impactful
• Visual metaphors work better than literal representations
• Maintain style consistency throughout the cover
• Image generation typically takes 10-30 seconds
• Title text language should match content language
• When in doubt, elegant + hero-center is a safe default
• Combine unexpected style+composition pairs for unique results (e.g., ink-wash + split)