The same story can use different visual media
Contemporary life, mystery and fantasy describe story direction. Digital painting, line illustration and photography describe visual medium. A cover can fit the genre yet need revision because its medium differs from the author’s choice. Photography itself is not an error; this page concerns an intended illustration that came out photographic.
Oh Story separates text, style and image content and explicitly uses painted expression in place of photographic cues. Name visible choices such as broad color masses, brush texture, simplified material edges and clear contours, rather than only asking for “more anime.”
Do not automatically change proportions, age and the entire location together. Exaggeration, soft watercolor and detailed opaque painting are different candidates, not a bundle of requirements to combine blindly.
Remove conflicting directions and clarify reference roles
Check whether digital painting style competes with studio portraiture, photographic pores or lens bokeh. Withdraw directions that oppose the selected medium and replace them with its visible treatment. Lighting direction can remain; removing photography does not require flattening every light and shadow.
Specify reference use too. A face, clothing or composition reference need not also dictate photographic materials. If an image is the editing base, inspect the author’s selected version and name identity, count, held objects, title and crop to preserve.
The native cover workflow saves distinct candidates. Changing only color while retaining all photographic instructions does not implement the medium choice. Replacing the person with a younger model is also not an identity-preserving style revision.
Complete brief: keep the umbrella-maker story, change its medium
The original contemporary novel 街角修伞人, by 夏树, follows a middle-aged umbrella repairer reopening his small business. The author selects 2:3 portrait digital painting with brush texture rather than heavy cartoon exaggeration. A paper concept already includes a navy work shirt, one closed red umbrella, a shop entrance and warm light, but asks for “studio portrait, photorealistic skin.” No real cover exists here; the example revises the brief.
Keep the man’s middle-aged appearance, short dark hair, work shirt and selected stance. Changing medium does not authorize a new face, de-aging or armor. The corner shop remains the same. A complete candidate request is:
Author-selected 2:3 portrait digital-painted cover for a warm contemporary story about a middle-aged umbrella repairer reopening his corner shop. One middle-aged man with short dark hair and a worn navy work shirt stands just inside the doorway, holding one closed red umbrella upright in his right hand; his left hand rests on the door handle. Preserve the selected character identity, middle-aged appearance, clothing, pose and umbrella count when using the author’s chosen image as a reference. Use broad painted color masses, visible brush texture and simplified fabric edges with believable anatomy. A warm doorway lamp lights him from above; keep the shop interior quieter than the figure and umbrella. Title exactly '街角修伞人' in clear cream lettering in a quiet upper area; byline exactly '夏树' in smaller readable lettering below. Keep both inside the retained canvas. The requested medium is digital painting, with no photographic skin rendering, studio backdrop, added people, slogan or watermark. Save a separate candidate.
If a real base image places hands or the handle differently, revise the preserve set to match the author’s actual selection instead of calling the template’s pose an observed fact. With no real reference, establish a candidate from text. With a reference, determine whether it controls identity, composition or editing of the whole image.
Inspect medium, person and type separately: painted materials, retained age and umbrella, exact title and byline, then upload-candidate crop and small-display appearance. No image was generated for this example, and brief requirements are not a verified image result.
Inspect the candidate instead of replacing a string of style words
Keep the same title, byline and story direction when comparing the chosen medium. If only the face remains photographic, name that region and its identity requirements. If the whole visual direction is wrong, consider a complete new candidate.
For incorrect lettering, see cover-text revision. For small-display problems, see thumbnail checks. Medium revision does not replace either check, and high resolution alone does not prove legibility.
FAQ
Must an illustrated cover be cartoonish?
No. Painting can be detailed or simplified. Choose visible treatment of brushwork, contours and materials while preserving the story’s character and tone.
Is adding digital painting enough?
It specifies a medium, not a guarantee. Remove conflicting photography instructions, define reference roles and inspect the actual candidate.
Do it with the skill
Separate text, style and image content to specify the painted medium. Preserve title, byline and subject, save a candidate and inspect it.
Read the method: Layered cover brief, painted expression and candidate inspection · Painted medium, subject and background layers