Use the reference well
Use the reference well
A client loves the palette and window light of a reference photo of a restaurant and wants an illustration that feels like it — but in a different room, with the client's own layout. You are writing the generation instruction.
Which instruction makes honest, effective use of the reference?
Hint
Which attributes do you actually want from the photo — and which do you need to leave behind?
An instruction works when every part of it is renderable: name the palette, the light, the texture, the new layout.
Why this is the answer
References transfer best when decomposed: palette, light, texture, mood. The winning instruction names exactly those attributes and states what stays new — the room and the layout. “Exact photo” copies what you must change; “similar and beautiful” names nothing. Decomposing also gives you the credit line for free: inspired by the reference for palette and light, authored by you everywhere else.