Prompt recipes: generate a device scene that fits

How to make an AI-generated phone mockup scene that Screengraft can fit exactly: the three rules, a shared prompt block, ten ready scenes, and what to reject.

Screengraft replaces the screen. That makes it an unusually good partner for image models, which are excellent at a plausible photograph of a phone on a desk and hopeless at rendering a readable interface on its display. Generate the scene with the screen blank; put your real UI on it with geometry. AI makes the scene. Geometry makes the screen.

Everything below works in Google Flow (Nano Banana Pro), Midjourney, Firefly or any model that takes a text prompt and an aspect ratio. Ten scenes ship free in the plugin as starter scenes; these are the recipes they came from, so you can make your own: a scene that suits your product rather than a stock desk.

Three rules that decide whether a scene is usable

1. The screen must be one uniform dark slab. A real phone with its display off reads as a single black surface from edge to edge: no visible inner bezel, no border between the surround and the display, no window reflection sliding across the glass. Ask for exactly that. A rendered bezel band inside the screen edge makes the UI land oversized; a specular reflection splits the screen tonally and makes the edges hard to find.

2. The screen edge needs contrast against the body. A black screen on a black phone is the worst case. Prefer silver, white, titanium or champagne bodies; use a dark body only where the light puts a clear highlight along the rail.

3. The whole screen must be in frame, all four corners visible, nothing overlapping it. No hand over a corner, no cup in front of the phone, no crop.

Two more that cost nothing: no cutouts in the screen: no notch, no Dynamic Island, no hole-punch. Your screenshot already carries the island; a second one baked into the scene never lines up. And no brands anywhere: not on the phone, and not on the props (a colour swatch with a legible wordmark is a real failure that happened).

Resolution: frame the device large

The scene is the base layer, so its resolution is the ceiling on the composite. But the number that decides whether your UI looks sharp is how many pixels the screen region gets, and that is composition as much as resolution. A phone filling the frame at 2,700 px beats a phone small in a 4,000 px frame. Generate at 4:3, 1:1 or portrait for a portrait phone; a 16:9 landscape frame wastes most of its width. Upscale with plain interpolation (Lanczos) rather than an AI upscaler, which invents bezel detail and can move the screen edge by pixels. Stop when the screen’s long edge is roughly the size of your screenshot’s. Past that you’re softening the UI for nothing.

The shared block

Append this to every prompt:

photorealistic product photograph, a smartphone with a completely blank
powered-off screen, the entire front glass one uniform dark matte surface
from edge to edge with no inner bezel band and no visible border between
the black surround and the display area, exactly as a real phone looks with
its screen switched off, no window or ceiling reflection across the glass,
no user interface, no icons, no text, no visible logos or brand markings
anywhere on the device, the entire phone and all four screen corners fully
visible within the frame, nothing overlapping the device, clean straight
edges and even corner radii

And this as the negative / “avoid” block:

hands, fingers, people, arms, logos, brand marks, brand names, readable text
or wordmarks on any object or prop in the scene, text on screen, app icons,
user interface, watermark, multiple phones, cropped device, object covering
the phone, warped or asymmetric phone body, wavy edges, bent screen, phone
standing upright, phone facing the camera flat-on

Name the device by its form

Models are unreliable on product names alone, and the corner engine needs a real current phone’s geometry to pick the right corner radius. Describe the form:

Apple-style flagship (current generation)

a current-generation Apple-style flagship phone, flat straight side rails
in brushed titanium, very thin uniform bezels of exactly equal width on all
four sides, a completely uncluttered display with no notch, no Dynamic
Island, no hole-punch and no front camera visible anywhere in the screen,
generously rounded squircle screen corners, a subtle chamfer where the
glass meets the rail

Pixel-style Android flagship

a current-generation Google Pixel-style Android flagship, flat side rails
with softly rounded body corners, thin uniform bezels of equal width, a
completely uncluttered display with no notch, no hole-punch and no front
camera visible anywhere in the screen, slightly tighter screen corner
radius than an iPhone, matte rail finish

Any notch, island or hole-punch appearing at all is a failed generation, whichever family you asked for. Reroll it rather than retouch.

Ten scenes

Each block is complete: device, screen and framing are in. Paste one, add the avoid block, set the aspect ratio. Vary the angle so your set covers compositions a template can’t, and vary the style so the scene suits the product: a finance app on marble, a kids’ game somewhere warmer.

1. Bright desk: SaaS, productivity

Apple-style, silver, three-quarter, everything sharp, 4:3

Photorealistic product photograph of a current-generation Apple-style
flagship phone in silver, flat brushed titanium side rails, very thin
uniform bezels of equal width on all four sides, generously rounded squircle
screen corners, completely uncluttered display with no notch, no Dynamic
Island, no hole-punch and no front camera visible, screen blank and powered
off, uniformly dark and matte with no reflection across the glass, no logos
or brand markings. Lying on a pale white-oak desk, soft daylight from a
large window to the left with gentle falloff to the right, a few clean desk
objects far out of focus behind. Shot on a 50mm lens at f/5.6, three-quarter
angle from above, calm Scandinavian workspace, neutral colour grade. The
phone fills a large part of the frame, entirely visible, all four screen
corners in shot, nothing overlapping it.

2. Dark desk: developer tools, fintech

Pixel-style, obsidian, low angle, shallow focus, 16:9

Photorealistic product photograph of a current-generation Google Pixel-style
Android flagship in obsidian black, flat side rails with softly rounded body
corners, thin uniform bezels of equal width, slightly tighter screen corner
radius than an iPhone, matte rail finish, completely uncluttered display
with no notch, no hole-punch and no front camera visible, screen blank and
powered off, uniformly dark and matte with no reflection across the glass,
no logos or brand markings. On a black walnut desk, a single warm desk lamp
from the upper right throwing a defined specular highlight along the top
rail, deep shadows elsewhere. Shot on an 85mm lens at f/2.0, low camera
angle close to the desk surface, shallow depth of field with the far end of
the phone falling out of focus, moody late-evening workspace. The phone
fills a large part of the frame, entirely visible, all four screen corners
in shot, nothing overlapping it.

3. Café table: consumer, lifestyle

Apple-style, white, high three-quarter, warm, 4:3

Photorealistic product photograph of a current-generation Apple-style
flagship phone in white, flat brushed side rails, very thin uniform bezels
of equal width on all four sides, generously rounded squircle screen
corners, completely uncluttered display with no notch, no Dynamic Island,
no hole-punch and no front camera visible, screen blank and powered off,
uniformly dark and matte with no reflection across the glass, no logos or
brand markings. On a weathered light wood café table, warm natural window
light from the right, a coffee cup and folded newspaper heavily blurred
behind. Shot on a 35mm lens at f/2.8, high three-quarter angle looking down,
relaxed morning atmosphere, warm colour grade. The phone fills a large part
of the frame, entirely visible, all four screen corners in shot, nothing
overlapping it.

4. Marble: finance, luxury, premium

Apple-style, champagne gold, near-overhead, crisp, 1:1

Photorealistic product photograph of a current-generation Apple-style
flagship phone in champagne gold, flat brushed titanium side rails, very
thin uniform bezels of equal width on all four sides, generously rounded
squircle screen corners, completely uncluttered display with no notch, no
Dynamic Island, no hole-punch and no front camera visible, screen blank and
powered off, uniformly dark and matte with no reflection across the glass,
no logos or brand markings. On white Carrara marble, a large soft diffused
light source directly above and slightly behind, subtle cool sheen in the
polished stone. Shot on a 50mm lens at f/8, near-overhead angle with a
slight tilt, minimal luxury still-life, cool neutral grade. The phone fills
a large part of the frame, entirely visible, all four screen corners in
shot, nothing overlapping it.

5. Outdoors: travel, fitness

Pixel-style, porcelain, tilted, natural, 16:9

Photorealistic product photograph of a current-generation Google Pixel-style
Android flagship in porcelain off-white, flat side rails with softly rounded
body corners, thin uniform bezels of equal width, slightly tighter screen
corner radius than an iPhone, matte rail finish, completely uncluttered
display with no notch, no hole-punch and no front camera visible, screen
blank and powered off, uniformly dark and matte with no reflection across
the glass, no logos or brand markings. Resting on a concrete ledge outdoors,
bright overcast daylight, soft even shadows, out-of-focus green foliage and
distant buildings behind. Shot on a 35mm lens at f/4, tilted angle with the
phone running diagonally across the frame, natural daylight grade. The phone
fills a large part of the frame, entirely visible, all four screen corners
in shot, nothing overlapping it.

6. Creative studio: design tools, agencies

Apple-style, silver, three-quarter, shallow focus, 4:3

Photorealistic product photograph of a current-generation Apple-style
flagship phone in silver, flat brushed titanium side rails, very thin
uniform bezels of equal width on all four sides, generously rounded squircle
screen corners, completely uncluttered display with no notch, no Dynamic
Island, no hole-punch and no front camera visible, screen blank and powered
off, uniformly dark and matte with no reflection across the glass, no logos
or brand markings. On a light grey studio desk surrounded by blurred paper
colour swatches, a pencil and a folded fabric sample, north-facing window
light from the left. Shot on an 85mm lens at f/2.2, three-quarter angle,
shallow depth of field, calm designer's workspace, muted colour grade. The
phone fills a large part of the frame, entirely visible, all four screen
corners in shot, nothing overlapping it.

7. Meeting room: B2B, enterprise

Pixel-style, graphite, three-quarter, cool light, 16:9

Photorealistic product photograph of a current-generation Google Pixel-style
Android flagship in dark graphite, flat side rails with softly rounded body
corners, thin uniform bezels of equal width, slightly tighter screen corner
radius than an iPhone, matte rail finish, completely uncluttered display
with no notch, no hole-punch and no front camera visible, screen blank and
powered off, uniformly dark and matte with no reflection across the glass,
no logos or brand markings. On a pale grey laminate conference table, cool
even overhead office lighting with a soft highlight running along the
phone's edges, a blurred notebook and glass of water far behind. Shot on a
50mm lens at f/5.6, three-quarter angle, clean corporate setting, cool
neutral grade. The phone fills a large part of the frame, entirely visible,
all four screen corners in shot, nothing overlapping it.

Apple-style, white, casual angle, warm evening, 1:1

Photorealistic product photograph of a current-generation Apple-style
flagship phone in white, flat brushed side rails, very thin uniform bezels
of equal width on all four sides, generously rounded squircle screen
corners, completely uncluttered display with no notch, no Dynamic Island,
no hole-punch and no front camera visible, screen blank and powered off,
uniformly dark and matte with no reflection across the glass, no logos or
brand markings. On a light linen sofa cushion beside a folded throw, warm
low evening lamplight from the left, soft shadows, blurred living room depth
behind. Shot on a 50mm lens at f/2.5, casual slightly-off angle as if just
set down, warm domestic atmosphere. The phone fills a large part of the
frame, entirely visible, all four screen corners in shot, nothing
overlapping it.

9. Concrete: crypto, hardware, technical products

Apple-style, matte black, steep tilt, hard light, 4:3

Photorealistic product photograph of a current-generation Apple-style
flagship phone in matte black, flat brushed titanium side rails, very thin
uniform bezels of equal width on all four sides, generously rounded squircle
screen corners, completely uncluttered display with no notch, no Dynamic
Island, no hole-punch and no front camera visible, screen blank and powered
off, uniformly dark and matte with no reflection across the glass, no logos
or brand markings. On raw polished concrete, hard directional light from the
upper left casting a crisp defined shadow to the right, a bright specular
highlight running along the top and left rails that clearly separates the
screen from the body. Shot on a 35mm lens at f/5.6, steep dramatic tilt with
strong perspective, industrial minimal, desaturated cool grade. The phone
fills a large part of the frame, entirely visible, all four screen corners
in shot, nothing overlapping it.

The rail highlight is the point here: a black screen on a black body is the hardest edge to find, so the light has to do the separating.

10. Flat-lay: the safe default

Apple-style, silver, overhead, even light, 1:1

Photorealistic product photograph of a current-generation Apple-style
flagship phone in silver, flat brushed titanium side rails, very thin
uniform bezels of equal width on all four sides, generously rounded squircle
screen corners, completely uncluttered display with no notch, no Dynamic
Island, no hole-punch and no front camera visible, screen blank and powered
off, uniformly dark and matte with no reflection across the glass, no logos
or brand markings. Centred on a smooth neutral light grey paper backdrop, a
large soft even light source above, a very soft shadow directly beneath.
Shot on a 50mm lens at f/8, perfectly overhead with a slight rotation of the
phone within the frame, minimal studio flat-lay, neutral grade, everything
sharp. The phone fills a large part of the frame, entirely visible, all four
screen corners in shot, nothing overlapping it.

Two imperfect ones, on purpose

The realism pass is what lets Screengraft handle photographs that are not good, and those are the scenes that look least like a template. Take scene 1’s device text and swap the scene half:

Shallow-focus snapshot. …on an ordinary wooden table in a room, window light from one side. Shot on an 85mm lens at f/1.4, very shallow depth of field, only the near half of the phone in focus, the far end and the background softly blurred, casual handheld snapshot feel rather than studio photography.

Imperfect light. …on a kitchen counter, mixed indoor lighting, slightly uneven exposure, mild colour cast, visible fine sensor grain, casual phone-camera snapshot quality rather than studio photography.

Set depth of field high in the plugin and these give the composite no template pack or 3D render can answer.

Before you keep one

The screen is clean. No notch, island, hole-punch or camera inside the display. If there is one, reroll.
The body at 100%. Straight edges, even corner radii, a bezel that doesn’t change width along its length.
The shadow agrees with the light, and nothing reflects that isn’t there.
Props at 100%. No legible text or marks anywhere in the scene.
Angle. A phone facing the camera flat-on is a shot a template could do. Every scene wants real perspective.

Ten keepers from thirty generations is a normal ratio.

If you’d rather shoot it

The same rules apply to a camera. Screen off and wiped clean. Frame the phone large; a 12 MP phone camera is plenty if the device fills a third of the frame or more. One light source, or a window. Any angle you like; the more perspective, the more this tool has to offer over a template. Soft focus and ordinary light are not problems; they’re what the realism pass is for.

Using a scene

Drop it into the plugin as the photograph, pick your frame as the screenshot, confirm the four edges, place. The starter scenes are generated images; when you publish a composite made on one, say so if the context calls for it. Your own photographs are, of course, yours.