Cinematic whiskey bottle with smoke and haze
A tool-agnostic prompt pattern for moody cinematic product photography using layered smoke and volumetric haze.
Prompt
A cinematic product photograph of an aged whiskey bottle and a crystal tumbler on a
dark leather-topped bar surface. The bottle is three-quarters full of amber liquid
with a wax-sealed cork. The tumbler sits beside it with two fingers of whiskey and a
single large ice sphere. Dense smoke drifts slowly across the scene from left to right
at table level, partially obscuring the base of the bottle. A thin volumetric haze
fills the upper half of the frame, catching a hard warm-toned rim light from the upper
right that creates a bright edge along the bottle silhouette. The haze separates into
visible light rays where it passes through the rim light. A subtle fill light from
camera left illuminates the label area of the bottle just enough to read. Deep
background falls to pure black. The amber whiskey glows with transmitted light where
the rim light passes through the liquid. Rich color palette of deep amber, warm browns,
and charcoal. Shot on medium format digital, 100mm lens, f/4, low-key studio lighting.
Negative prompt
bright, cheerful, outdoor, natural light, cartoon, illustration, text, watermark, low quality, flat lightingAspect ratio: 3:2
Tool-agnostic: adapt to your generator.
Why this works
This prompt layers two atmospheric effects (smoke and haze) at different heights in the frame, creating depth that single-prop images cannot achieve. The key is treating each effect as a separate element with distinct behavior.
Smoke vs. haze separation — “Dense smoke drifts slowly across the scene from left to right at table level” and “thin volumetric haze fills the upper half of the frame” place two different atmospheric effects in two different zones. Smoke is dense and low, haze is thin and high. This separation prevents the generator from producing a uniformly foggy image and instead creates the layered atmosphere seen in professional product cinematography.
Light interaction with atmosphere — “The haze separates into visible light rays where it passes through the rim light” describes a specific optical phenomenon (god rays or crepuscular rays). This only happens when haze is thin enough to be partially transparent, which reinforces the “thin volumetric” description.
Transmitted light through liquid — “The amber whiskey glows with transmitted light where the rim light passes through the liquid” is a detail that separates amateur from professional product photography. When backlit, liquid in a bottle becomes luminous. Describing this specific behavior produces dramatically more realistic and appealing results than simply saying “bottle of whiskey.”
Controlled fill for label readability — “A subtle fill light from camera left illuminates the label area just enough to read” adds a functional lighting element. In real product photography, the label must be readable. This instruction shows the generator that the lighting serves the product, not just the mood.
What to change if it fails
- Smoke and haze merging into one fog? Increase separation: “smoke hugging the table surface only, clear air in the middle zone, thin haze only in the top quarter of the frame.”
- Bottle too dark, can’t see the label? Strengthen the fill: “moderate fill light illuminating the front face of the bottle, label clearly visible and readable.”
- Ice sphere not rendering correctly? Specify “a perfectly spherical clear ice ball with minimal cracks, approximately 2 inches in diameter.”
- Too dark overall? Add “enough ambient light to distinguish the leather surface texture and bottle details in the shadows.”
- Want more warmth? Add “warm amber color grading, shadows pushed toward deep chocolate brown” to strengthen the whiskey tones.
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ai-generated demonstration · created by imageprompt.com · takedown requests
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