"Style is just vision, made visible."
You'll discover that one word can completely change how an AI image looks.
Same subject. Same scene. Totally different result.
By the end of this Beacon, you'll know how to use style keywords in Leonardo AI — and you'll have a new kind of creative control you didn't have before.
When you describe an image to an AI, you're not just describing what is in it.
You're also (whether you realize it or not) describing how it looks.
A style keyword tells the AI what visual language to use — the same way a film director chooses between color grading, black and white, or animation.
One scene. Dozens of possible versions.
Here are some of the most useful style keywords to experiment with:
Photorealistic — looks like a real photo. Sharp, detailed, believable.
Watercolor — soft edges, washes of color, gentle and painterly.
Oil painting — rich textures, dramatic light, looks like something hanging in a gallery.
Cartoon — bold outlines, flat colors, playful and graphic.
Anime — Japanese animation aesthetic, expressive characters, stylized detail.
Flat design — clean, minimal, icon-like. Great for logos and illustrations.
Pencil sketch — black and white, hand-drawn feel, raw and unfinished in the best way.
None of these require different prompts. Just swap one word at the end.
Go to 👉 https://leonardo.ai → sign in with Google → click the image generation box at the top.
Try at least three different styles — pick three that feel different from each other, generate each one, and see what comes back.
Screens and menus may look slightly different — that's normal. Just explore and you'll find your way. 😊
Look at the three images side by side.
The subject is identical — the same fox, the same forest, the same moment. But the feel is completely different. One might look like a nature documentary still. Another like a children's book. Another like concept art.
The aha: you're not just prompting an image — you're choosing a visual language. Style is as much a creative decision as the subject itself.
Style keywords can be combined. "Watercolor with ink outlines", "photorealistic with a painterly finish", or "flat design, warm pastel colors" all work.
The more you experiment, the faster you develop a feel for what each keyword does — and how small changes produce surprisingly different results.
If a style doesn't look quite right on the first try, generate again. The same prompt gives different results every time.
You've just completed the entire Image Creation & Design block. 🎉
Five Beacons. Four tools. A complete creative workflow — from your first generated image all the way to style exploration.
Next up: Beacon 15 – Your voice, amplified — a brand new block begins. We're moving into audio: turning text into spoken voice with ElevenLabs.
No rush. Come back whenever you're ready. 🙂