Leonardo AI Review: Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them — LiliDi Blog
A troubleshooting playbook for Leonardo AI, this review uncovers common user pitfalls and provides actionable fixes to improve your AI image generation workflo…
By lilidi editorial
Leonardo AI Review: Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them Leonardo AI has quickly become a popular platform for AI image generation, offering a robust set of tools for both beginners and experienced creators. While its capabilities are impressive, users often encounter common hurdles that can lead to frustration and suboptimal results. This article isn't just another feature list; it's a troubleshooting playbook designed to help you identify and rectify the most frequent mistakes made when using Leonardo AI. We will delve into specific issues and provide practical, actionable solutions so you can consistently generate the high quality images you envision. The goal here is to move beyond the initial hype and provide a pragmatic guide to mastering Leonardo AI, ensuring you spend less time debugging and more time creating. By understanding these common pitfalls, you can refine your workflow and
extract the best possible performance from the platform. Mistake 1: Vague or Underspecified Prompts One of the most pervasive issues users face is crafting prompts that are too general. AI models, including those used by Leonardo AI, thrive on specificity. A prompt like "a beautiful landscape" will yield generic results because the AI has too much creative latitude. It doesn't know what kind of landscape, what time of day, or what artistic style you prefer. How to Fix It: Be Specific and Detailed Deconstruct Your Vision: Before typing, take a moment to visualize the exact image you want. What are the key elements? What is the mood? What colors dominate? Is there a particular art style you're aiming for? Use Descriptive Adjectives and Nouns: Instead of "tree," try "ancient oak tree, gnarled branches, autumn leaves." Instead of "city," use "neon lit Tokyo street, heavy rain, reflections on
wet pavement." Specify Lighting and Composition: Don't forget details like "golden hour lighting," "cinematic shot," "wide angle," or "close up portrait." These elements drastically alter the outcome. Include Artistic Styles/Mediums: If you have a preference, state it. Examples include "oil painting," "digital art," "watercolor," "hyperrealistic," "anime style." Tools like lilidi.ai also emphasize the importance of distinct style descriptors for better results. Example of a Vague Prompt: "Cat playing with a ball." Example of an Improved Prompt: "Fluffy ginger cat, playful expression, chasing a bright red yarn ball in a sunlit living room, shallow depth of field, photorealistic, Canon EOS R5 photo." Mistake 2: Over Reliance on a Single Model Without Testing Others Leonardo AI offers various fine tuned models (e.g., Leonardo Diffusion, Alchemy, Luma, various community models). Many users
stick to the default or the first one they try, assuming it's universally the best. This is a significant oversight, as each model has unique strengths and biases, excelling at different types of imagery. How to Fix It: Experiment with Different Models Understand Model Specializations: Read the descriptions for each model on the platform. Some are better for photorealism, others for anime, 3D renders, or artistic styles. Run A/B Tests: For a given prompt, try generating images using 2 3 different models. Compare the results. You'll quickly see which model aligns best with your desired aesthetic. Explore Community Models: Don't shy away from the vast collection of user created models. These are often highly specialized for niche styles or subjects. Consider Model Fine tuning (if applicable): For advanced users, training your own model on specific datasets can yield unparalleled
consistency, especially for character design or branding. Mistake 3: Ignoring Negative Prompts Negative prompts tell the AI what not to include in the image. Many beginners overlook this powerful feature, leading to undesirable elements, artifacts, or distortions in their generations. How to Fix It: Utilize Negative Prompts Strategically Common Undesirables: Start with a standard set of negative prompts that address frequent issues: malformed, blurry, text, ugly, extra limbs, bad anatomy, deformed, disfigured, low quality, cartoon, anime, 3d, easy, simple, monochrome, grayscale . Target Specific Issues: If you're consistently getting a particular problem (e.g., elongated fingers), add that to your negative prompt: elongated fingers, too many fingers, missing fingers . Refine Incrementally: Don't overload your negative prompt initially. Add terms as problems arise, observing their impact
on the output. A well crafted negative prompt, like a precise positive one, significantly enhances output quality. Mistake 4: Not Adjusting Guidance Scale (CFG Scale) The Guidance Scale (Classifier Free Guidance Scale, or CFG Scale) determines how strictly the AI adheres to your prompt. A common mistake is to leave it at the default value without understanding its effect. Too low, and the AI takes too much artistic license; too high, and it can introduce artifacts or rigidity. How to Fix It: Experiment with CFG Scale Lower CFG (around 3 7): The AI has more creative freedom. Useful when you want less strict adherence and are open to surprising variations. Can lead to unique, artistic results but might stray from your prompt. Mid Range CFG (around 7 12): This is often the sweet spot for many generations. A good balance between following the prompt and allowing for some creative
interpretation. Start here for most prompts. Higher CFG (above 12): The AI will try very hard to follow every detail of your prompt. Useful for precise generations, but can sometimes lead to overly rigid images, artifacts, or a lack of naturalness. Avoid going too high (e.g., above 20 30) unless you know exactly what you're doing, as it often degrades quality. Run Iterations: Generate several images with varying CFG scales for the same prompt to understand the nuanced differences in output. Mistake 5: Neglecting Image to Image and Prompt Weighting Many users jump straight to text to image without exploring the power of image to image workflows or advanced prompt weighting. These features are crucial for achieving consistency, guiding compositions, or blending concepts. How to Fix It: Incorporate Advanced Features Image to Image (Img2Img): Reference Images: Upload a starting image (e.g.,
a sketch, photo, or existing AI generation) to guide the AI's composition, colors, or style. This is invaluable when you have a specific visual in mind. Inpainting/Outpainting: Use image to image for targeted edits or extending existing images. This is where platforms like lilidi.ai, in their focus on honesty, ensure clear delineation of what's AI generated versus original content. Prompt Weighting (e.g., using :: or () ): Focus on Key Elements: Emphasize certain parts of your prompt by assigning them higher weights. For example, (red car:1.2) driving down a street. Consult Leonardo AI's documentation for the exact syntax used on their platform, as it can vary. De emphasize Elements: Similarly, you can reduce the weight of certain terms if they are overpowering other aspects of your prompt. (background mountains:0.8) . Mistake 6: Not Iterating and Refining The first generation is rarely
perfect. A common mistake is to generate an image or two, declare the prompt broken, and move on. AI image generation is an iterative process requiring patience and refinement. How to Fix It: Embrace Iteration Generate Multiple Variations: Always generate at least 4 8 images per prompt with slight variations in seeds or settings. Often, one or two will be much closer to your vision. Analyze and Adjust: Look at the generated images. What works? What doesn't? Is the lighting off? Is an object missing? Update your prompt or negative prompt based on these observations. Use the Seed Feature: If you get a result that's close but not perfect, copy its seed and make small, targeted changes to your prompt or CFG scale. This helps you explore variations from a good starting point. Small Changes, Big Impacts: Avoid overhauling your entire prompt at once. Make minor adjustments and re generate to
isolate the effect of each change. Conclusion: Mastering Your Workflow Leonardo AI is a powerful tool, but like any sophisticated instrument, it requires understanding and practice to master. By actively addressing these common mistakes—from refining your prompts and experimenting with models to leveraging negative prompts and iterating intelligently—you can significantly elevate the quality and consistency of your AI image generations. Think of each generation as a learning opportunity. The more you troubleshoot and experiment, the more intuitive the process becomes, and the closer you'll get to consistently realizing your creative visions. FAQ Q1: Why do my images often look distorted or have extra limbs? A1: This is typically due to a lack of guidance on what not to include. Implement a robust negative prompt that includes terms like extra limbs, bad anatomy, deformed, disfigured,
ugly, low quality . Also, check your CFG scale; very high values can sometimes introduce artifacts. Q2: My AI generations don't look like the examples I see online. What am I doing wrong? A2: Often, this is a combination of factors: vague prompts, not using the optimal model for your desired style, or neglecting negative prompts. Review the examples' prompts for specific keywords, model choices, and consider starting with a strong negative prompt. Experiment with different models and CFG scales, as discussed in this review. Q3: How can I make the AI consistently generate images with the same character or style across different prompts? A3: For character consistency, use a strong, detailed description of the character in every prompt. For style consistency, ensure you include specific artistic style keywords (e.g., Studio Ghibli style , Unreal Engine render ) and try to stick to one or
two well performing models. Advanced users might consider fine tuning their own model on images of their specific character or style, as offered by some platforms to maintain artistic integrity, much like how lilidi.ai values distinct creative inputs.)) Related on LiliDi How LiliDi compares to Leonardo How LiliDi compares to Luma