The social media era has provided music artists across the world an easier path to get discovered. The software also made it easier to produce songs. This completely changed the way music was made.
We live in a time when AI technology has enabled people to complete difficult tasks in a short amount of time. Certain AI tools like Stable Diffusion and ChatGPT can help you do things that would've previously required you to either assemble a team of people or master a bunch of different skills.
You can brainstorm ideas for songs and album concepts with the help of ChatGPT, while Stable Diffusion enables you to quickly create a stunning album cover even if you don't have any graphic design skills.
In this article, I'm going to show you how to make great album covers for several different music genres using nothing more than Stable Diffusion XL. If you're a music artist who wants to release music online and are strapped for cash but need to make your artwork look professional, you can benefit from text-to-image AI tools.
How to Write Stable Diffusion Prompts for Album Covers
The first thing to keep in mind is that the Stable Diffusion XL model was trained on an extremely large number of images scraped from the internet. The words you use in your prompts to describe the image you want to create should be chosen wisely.
For instance, I believe you should always mention a specific music genre when you're writing prompts for album covers. This will help the AI model provide the aesthetic you're likely looking for.
Other than that, you have the complete freedom to choose what the artwork will look like. Start by describing which objects you want the image to contain and then apply a certain aesthetic if you want to.
The only thing I would advise you not to do is use the names of famous artists in your prompts, because that could lead to copyright issues. It's important to be careful when you're using text-to-image AI models like Stable Diffusion, and the best way to do it is by not mentioning any names in your prompts.
Before I move onto the next section of this article, I want to mention that I've already experimented with the idea of making album covers with a different text-to-image AI tool called Midjourney. If you want, you can check out my article on how to make album covers in Midjourney. It contains more interesting ideas that may inspire you to create beautiful artwork regardless of which AI-powered tool you use.
14 Stable Diffusion Prompt Examples for Album Covers
I have written numerous prompt examples for album covers for this article, and selected the 14 best ones to share with you today. I have divided them into different categories based on the music genre they would fit. Let's check out what type of album covers you can create with Stable Diffusion XL.
Stable Diffusion Prompt Examples for EDM Album Covers
prompt #1: EDM album artwork, desolate wasteland with electronic circuitry and machinery emerging from the earth, symbolizing the rebirth of technology and sound in a dystopian future
The concept of a dystopian future is something many people fear. It's talked about a lot, and imagery like this is how most would envision such a future. I believe that this can be an album cover for an EDM record, especially if it gets tied to a concept of an emerging sound in a bleak world.
prompt #2: EDM album artwork, glitch art style, surreal desert landscape with an otherworldly light blue and purple glow
I know that this isn't necessarily an image done in a glitch art style, but I still found it incredibly well designed so I decided to include it in the article anyway. It's always a good idea to mention a few colors when you're making album covers because you don't want to leave everything up to the randomization done by the AI model. Instead, you should pick colors that go well with your brand.
Stable Diffusion Prompt Examples for Reggae Album Covers
prompt #3: reggae album artwork, vibrant abstract shapes in the form of soundwaves, blending with the green, yellow, and red color scheme of reggae culture
I mentioned in my previous prompt examples that you can get good results when you specifically mention certain colors. This is another great example of that. I personally think that this would make an amazing album cover.
As you can see from the prompt above, you can simply write something like 'vibrant abstract shapes' instead of going into detail about what these shapes should look like, and the AI model will produce a great result.
prompt #4: reggae album artwork, cubist interpretation of a reggae scene, where musicians and dancers are deconstructed into geometric shapes and patterns
This is an interesting idea that I had. I figured that a cubist art style would go well with the colors that represent the reggae genre, and by the looks of this image, I wasn't wrong. The image represents a live performance of a reggae group in a fascinating way.
Stable Diffusion Prompt Examples for Hip-Hop Album Covers
prompt #5: hip-hop album artwork, opulent, baroque palace where hip-hop artists are adorned in ornate, 17th-century attire, blending modern rap culture with the lavishness of the past
I used the 'Digital Art' style available in Stable Diffusion XL to make all of the images you've seen in this article so far. I wanted to switch it up for this prompt, so I decided to use the 'Photographic' style. The result is amazing. If you want the result to resemble you, you can describe your facial features in the prompt.
prompt #6: hip-hop album artwork, fusion of ancient and contemporary cultures by illustrating the hip-hop artist as a pharaoh in an Egyptian-inspired mural, the hieroglyphs on the walls, instead of ancient stories, narrate the artist's life and musical evolution
Nas is my favorite rapper of all time. If you're a Nas fan, you won't be surprised when I say that I took inspiration from his 'I Am...' album cover to create this image. Both covers contain the image of a pharaoh, though the one Nas used is tied to his facial features.
Stable Diffusion Prompt Examples for Rock Album Covers
prompt #7: rock album artwork, distorted dreamscape with a surreal fusion of musical instruments, melting clocks, and ethereal creatures, embodying the boundary-breaking essence of rock music
There is a lot of creativity that went into creating rock album covers over the decade. That's why I decided I had to get really creative if I wanted to make artwork suitable for a rock record. Safe to say that this result did not disappoint.
prompt #8: rock album artwork, steampunk-inspired world where a colossal, intricate machine generates powerful guitar riffs, the machine's gears and cogs release sparks and lightning bolts
If you've been following my articles for sometime, you already know how much I like the steampunk aesthetic. I often use it in my prompts. This time, I thought that it would fit perfectly with the rock music genre. And the result turned out much better than I expected.
Stable Diffusion Prompt Examples for Pop Album Covers
prompt #9: pop album artwork, surreal dreamscape where pop icons emerge from swirling, candy-colored clouds, creating a whimsical and visually captivating atmosphere
I don't usually listen to pop music, since I like to find emerging artists and generally listen to what people would call underground music. Although I'm aware that most pop artists would never want an artwork like this featured on their album, it is a great image if you want a cover with wide commercial appeal.
prompt #10: pop album artwork, kaleidoscopic prism where the pop artist is the central figure. Each facet of the prism reflects a different aspect of their personality and music, creating a visually dazzling and multi-faceted portrayal
This cover is much different from the previous one. And it's something that you'd be more likely to see on a pop album cover today. The face of the person may seem a bit strange but given the kaleidoscopic aesthetic, it works well with the overall image.
Stable Diffusion Prompt Examples for Country Album Covers
prompt #11: country album artwork, outlaw cowboy riding a futuristic, mechanical steed through a surreal, Wild West landscape
This is the type of country album artwork that young listeners would appreciate in this modern era. The mechanical steed definitely adds a nice touch. The background is also quite interesting.
prompt #12: country album artwork, lone cowboy, silhouetted against a stark film noir-inspired desert landscape, the scene is dominated by dramatic lighting, deep shadows, and a touch of rain
Wow! I love how this one turned out. The film noir aesthetic works great with this type of imagery. In the generated results, I had the option to choose between a cowboy standing in the middle of the desert and riding a horse. I ultimately chose the latter.
Stable Diffusion Prompt Examples for R&B Album Covers
prompt #13: R&B album artwork, exploration of the metaphysical, where a soulful R&B singer levitates above a sea of interconnected souls and galaxies, symbolizing the deep, spiritual connection of the music
R&B music really touches the soul. If I could visually represent how I'm feeling when I'm listening to soulful R&B music, it would be this image. This type of music makes me feel connected to the cosmos.
prompt #14: R&B album artwork, holographic dreamscape where the R&B artist stands at the intersection of multiple, overlapping dimensions
Our world appears to be more of a holographic dreamscape with each passing day. This is the direction we're going in. Someone who makes modern, upbeat R&B music will likely appreciate an album cover like this. It represents stepping into a world where advanced technology is becoming a part of everyday life.
Final Thoughts
As you can see from the images above, I used the default 1:1 aspect ratio for all the album covers I made in Stable Diffusion. I suggest you do the same.
One more thing I feel like I should mention is that you can pick and choose from the different preset styles in Stable Diffusion XL. This will help you easily apply a certain aesthetic to an image without specifying it in the prompt.
I used the 'Digital Art' style, which is available in Stable Diffusion XL for almost all of the images you saw in today's article. I felt like this provided the most reliable results. However, you are free to experiment with a variety of different styles that are available with the AI-powered tool.
What you're creating all depends on what type of aesthetic you want featured in your artwork. I tried to create something that would be at least somewhat appealing to a wide audience. But I know that as an indie music artist, you'll likely attract niche audiences at first. That's why you might find it a good strategy to use styles like 'Anime' and 'Fantasy Art' to make your song/album covers visually appealing to your listeners.
