🎨 Thumbnail Generator for dev.to Blog

This skill helps generate prompts for AI image generators to create thumbnail/cover images for dev.to blog posts.

📐 Technical Specifications

• Size: 1000x420 pixels (aspect ratio 2.38:1 - optimized for dev.to)
• Style: Hand-drawn infographic on notebook/whiteboard
• Output Format: Text prompt for AI image generators (Midjourney, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, etc.)

🎯 When to Use

• Creating cover images for new dev.to articles
• Maintaining consistent branding with "Nghi Danh AI Content Creator"
• Need professional hand-drawn style illustrations

📝 Standard Prompt Template

Generate one single image of a physical, hand-drawn infographic on a large white notebook page or whiteboard.

**Topic/Title**: [ARTICLE TITLE]

**Style & Medium (Very Important)**:
- The image must look like a real photograph of an actual notebook page or whiteboard
- All content must appear hand-drawn using colored marker pens (black, blue, red, green) and highlighters (yellow, orange)
- Lines should be slightly imperfect, wobbly, and show natural ink texture on the surface
- No digital or printed appearance

**Text Rules**:
- No digital fonts
- All text, titles, and bullet points must look handwritten or hand-printed with pencil
- Handwriting should be clear, large, and easy to read, but naturally imperfect

**Key Visual Elements**:
[LIST 3-5 ICONS/ILLUSTRATIONS FOR THE TOPIC]

**Layout & Resolution**:
- Image size: 1000x420
- Structure the layout like a well-organized infographic
- Use multiple colors to highlight key sections
- Overall style must feel organic, casual, and realistic, as if drawn by hand

**Final Mandatory Text (Bottom of the Page)**:
Include the following handwritten sentence at the bottom of the image, in the same hand-drawn marker style:
"Follow Nghi Danh AI Content Creator for more helpful content"

🔄 Thumbnail Creation Process

Step 1: Analyze the Article

• Identify the main topic
• List 3-5 important keywords
• Choose 3-5 relevant icons/symbols

Step 2: Choose Appropriate Colors

Topic	Primary Color	Secondary Color
Tech/Code	Blue, Black	Green
AI/ML	Purple, Blue	Orange
Web Dev	Orange, Red	Blue
DevOps	Green, Blue	Black
Database	Green, Gray	Yellow

Step 3: Create Complete Prompt

Fill in the template with specific article information.

📋 Complete Prompt Example

For article about "10 VS Code Extensions for Developers":

Generate one single image of a physical, hand-drawn infographic on a large white notebook page or whiteboard.

**Topic/Title**: "10 Must-Have VS Code Extensions"

**Style & Medium (Very Important)**:
- The image must look like a real photograph of an actual notebook page or whiteboard
- All content must appear hand-drawn using colored marker pens (black, blue, red, green) and highlighters (yellow, orange)
- Lines should be slightly imperfect, wobbly, and show natural ink texture on the surface
- No digital or printed appearance

**Text Rules**:
- No digital fonts
- All text, titles, and bullet points must look handwritten or hand-printed with pencil
- Handwriting should be clear, large, and easy to read, but naturally imperfect

**Key Visual Elements**:
- VS Code logo (hand-drawn)
- Extension puzzle pieces
- Code brackets < / >
- Lightning bolt for productivity
- Checkmark list

**Layout & Resolution**:
- Image size: 1000x420
- Structure the layout like a well-organized infographic
- Use multiple colors to highlight key sections (blue for code, green for success, orange highlights)
- Overall style must feel organic, casual, and realistic, as if drawn by hand

**Final Mandatory Text (Bottom of the Page)**:
Include the following handwritten sentence at the bottom of the image, in the same hand-drawn marker style:
"Follow Nghi Danh AI Content Creator for more helpful content"

⚠️ Important Notes

1. DO NOT use digital fonts - everything must be hand-drawn
2. MUST include watermark/signature at the bottom
3. CHECK size is 1000x420 before export
4. ENSURE text in image is clear and readable

🔗 References

• dev.to Cover Image Guidelines
• Aspect ratio: ~2.38:1 (1000x420)
• Maximum file size: 5MB