Illustration Rules

Edit vs Regenerate — The Asymmetry Rule

• Content ADDITIONS (adding a person, changing composition) → always REGENERATE from the full prompt. Editing strips the style when adding new visual elements.
• Content MODIFICATIONS (changing a hat, making text bigger) → REGENERATE. Same style-stripping problem as additions.
• Content REMOVAL (erase a label, remove a border) → EDIT works well. The model preserves style when only removing content.

Rule of thumb: if the model must draw something new, regenerate. If it only erases existing content, edit.

Edit Prompt Safety — Three Mandatory Components

Every image edit prompt MUST include:

1. "DO NOT add any new elements." — suppresses Gemini's aggressive decoration
2. "Let background continue naturally — no parchment patch." — prevents flat-fill artifacts when erasing
3. Explicit preservation list: "Keep the [X]. Keep the [Y]." — prevents unintended removal of nearby elements

The --edit and --fix commands auto-append #1 and #2, but #3 must always be added manually.