Ideogram

The text-in-image specialist: Ideogram 4.0 for dense typography and exact layouts, 3.0 for style, and P-Image for fast drafts at a fraction of the price.

Whisperer's verdict: 4.2 / 5

What it nails

• Text that comes out spelled right
• Layouts described block by block
• Fast, low-cost P-Image drafts

Watch out for

• 4.0 costs more than P-Image drafts

Ideogram became famous for one thing other image models struggled with: getting the words right. Posters, labels, cards and logos come out spelled correctly and laid out like a designer set them. Ideogram 4.0 goes further: it is an open model that scores 0.97 on an English text-reading accuracy test, and it can follow a layout you describe block by block.

The Lab runs three versions: 4.0, 3.0 and P-Image, the fast, low-cost model Ideogram made with Pruna AI.

What Ideogram is secretly great at

Dense text that is actually readable

Put every piece of text in quotes and say where it goes. Ideogram 4.0 keeps names, captions and numbers correct even on a busy card.

A vintage 1950s collectible natural-history trading card showing a goldcrest bird (Regulus regulus) perched on a pine sprig. The card has a small halftone illustration centered on cream cardstock, with the common name "GOLDCREST" in bold black serif capitals across the top, the Latin name "Regulus regulus" in italic beneath the bird, a small caption noting it is the smallest of the British songbirds at around 9 centimetres, card number "17 OF 50" in the lower right, and the series mark "BRITISH SONGBIRDS" along the bottom in dark green ink. Slight foxing on the paper edges, fine halftone print texture, soft even lighting.

Example by Ideogram · source ↗

Words as art

Ideogram treats letters as part of the design, so a slogan can be built from flowers, chrome or flames and still read at a glance.

A maximalist type poster: 'STAY WEIRD' built from a chaotic collage of eyeballs, flowers, flames, and chrome letters, psychedelic risograph colors, bold and loud

Example by Ideogram · source ↗

JSON prompts for exact control

Ideogram 4.0 understands a structured "recipe": a summary, a style block with up to 16 hex colours, and each element described separately. Use it for posters where every colour and position matters.

{"high_level_description":"A lone sailboat on calm water at golden hour.","style_description":{"aesthetics":"serene, warm, golden hour","lighting":"golden hour backlighting, warm atmospheric haze","photo":"wide angle, f/8, long exposure","medium":"photograph","color_palette":["#FF6B35","#F7C59F","#004E89","#1A659E","#2B2D42"]},"compositional_deconstruction":{"background":"A calm ocean stretching to a low horizon, sky washed in orange and pink with thin wisps of cloud.","elements":[{"type":"obj","desc":"A single sailboat with a white triangular sail, silhouetted against the setting sun."}]}}

Example by Ideogram · source ↗

Fast, cheap drafts that still look finished

P-Image makes a 1K picture in about 3 to 5 seconds at a fraction of the price, with five quality levels. Ideogram suggests the High level for dense typography.

A dramatic wildlife photo of a lion made of swirling desert sand and dust caught mid-roar, dissolving at the edges, golden hour, powerful conceptual composition

Example by Ideogram · source ↗

Studio photograph of Eggs Benedict on an English muffin with fruit and a glass of water

Example by Ideogram · source ↗

Which Ideogram to pick

How to prompt Ideogram

From Ideogram's official prompting guide.

1. Main ideas come first: a one-line summary, then the main subject, then its pose or action.
2. Then the rest: secondary elements, setting, lighting, framing.
3. Text in quotes, near the beginning.
4. Say what you want, not what you don't: "an empty street", not "no people".
5. Change one thing at a time when you refine.
6. Describe what can be seen: shapes, colours, materials, light.

More styles Ideogram does well

A delicate watercolor botanical study of eucalyptus and wildflowers, soft washes and fine ink detail, scattered across textured cotton paper, muted sage and blush

Example by Ideogram · source ↗

A neon-lit bowling alley from the 1960s, with a rack of colorful bowling balls and retro decor.

Example by Ideogram · source ↗

FAQ