Style Spectrum: An Illustration Experiment from Realistic to Flat

A style comparison experiment using Recraft V4.1's text-to-image capability: the same subject (a young person reading on an urban rooftop) is pushed into three different illustration languages—realistic photography, soft-gradient semi-realism, and highly flat vector illustration. The works use the same prompt skeleton and a controlled color palette, changing only the style modifiers, so developers can intuitively see where this model lands on the "realistic-to-flat" spectrum, and its ability to lock in an aesthetic direction with short prompts. Use cases: style benchmarks for art direction communication, concept exploration before outsourcing illustration, brand illustration system selection, and content automation workflows that require maintaining style consistency at scale. Due to the model's positioning, final layout and vector details still require manual review before delivery.

Style Illustration · style-spectrum · Editorial Art

Model Recraft V4.1

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Prompt

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A three-part illustration style study of the same subject: a young person reading on an urban rooftop at dusk. The first part is rendered in a realistic photographic style, with natural skin tones, shallow depth of field, and warm bokeh from streetlights. The second part shifts to a semi-realistic painterly style, featuring smooth gradients, desaturated teal and coral tones, and simplified forms. The third part resolves into a flat vector illustration, using bold geometric silhouettes, no gradients, and a limited two-color palette. A consistent 16:9 editorial composition, with the subject centered and clean negative space in the upper third.

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