Different AI Art Styles: A Comprehensive Guide from Photorealism to Anime

Get the best out of the AI picture-maker just by being aware of the different styles to use as keywords.

Published: October 15, 2025

Art Style: The Ace Up One’s Sleeve in AI Art

The most important aspect of an image generator that creates pictures from texts is the user's input. The issue is of subliminal appeal (e.g., "a dragon"), but it is the term *style* which does the real transformation from a basic image to an art piece.

With the incorporation of certain keywords, one can instruct the AI to come up with pictures as if one photographer had used a certain camera, a well-known artist had drawn them, or they had been created for a blockbuster movie. Our AI Image Generator has embedded style buttons that automatically add these keywords, but you can also create unique results by mixing and matching them yourself. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular styles.

AI Art Styles and Keywords that are Popular

Cinematic

The portrayal is based on the stills of a movie. The style features dramatic lighting, epic scope, and professional color grading.

Example: a lone astronaut on a desolate planet, cinematic, dramatic lighting

Photographic

The goal is to to pass off as real as if a photo was clicked by a high-end camera. This technique suits the most believable scenes and portraits.

Example: portrait of an old fisherman, photographic, realistic, 8k, sharp focus

Anime

Copies the manner of Japanese cartoons. It is acclaimed for its vivid colors, expressive character faces, and thrilling action lines.

Example: a magical girl casting a spell, anime, key visual, studio trigger style

Fantasy

The final product is a picture with a magical, other-worldly atmosphere. Typical concept art for games and movies would be associated with glowing elements and epic outdoors.

Example: a hidden elven city in a forest, fantasy, concept art, by artgerm

Origami

This generates images that look as if the subject has been made of folded paper. It imparts a very different, pleasantly tactile, and also a 3D-rendered look to every subject.

Example: a fox made of paper, origami style, papercraft, 3d render

Tips for Experimenting with Styles

  • Combine Styles: Mixing keywords is a great way to discover new and exciting results. The phrase "a knight in shining armor, cinematic, anime style" will produce interesting interpretations of the whole scenario.
  • Reference Artists: You can with the style of a well-known painter by appending "in the style of Van Gogh" or "by Greg Rutkowski" to your prompt.
  • Specify Mediums: Define the desired art texture and medium by employing the words "oil painting," "watercolor," "charcoal sketch," or "3d render."
  • Adjust Weighting: Some sophisticated generators give you the option to assign weights to keywords. Although our tool is user-friendly, you can still accentuate words by repeating them or placing them prominently at the start of the prompt.

Experimentation is the best teacher. Generate the same subject using different style keywords and note the differences in the output. You will soon be able to tell which words give you the results you like.