Cover Image Generator Skill

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:

Scan content for style and composition signals
Match signals to most appropriate style + composition
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:

Check available image generation skills
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)

Agent Skills: Cover Image Generator

Install this agent skill to your local

Skill Files