Cover Image Generator

Generate elegant cover images for articles with 5-dimensional customization. Supports Chinese text rendering.

Usage

Auto-select dimensions based on content

/cover-image path/to/article.md

Quick mode: skip confirmation

/cover-image article.md --quick

Specify dimensions

/cover-image article.md --type conceptual --palette warm --rendering flat-vector

WeChat Official Account cover

/cover-image article.md --aspect 2.35:1

Specify provider

/cover-image article.md --provider qwen

Use style preset

/cover-image article.md --style tech-dark

Large font for better visibility

/cover-image article.md --font-size large

Generate multiple options

/cover-image article.md --n 3

With reference images (Google/OpenAI only)

/cover-image article.md --ref style-ref.png

Direct content input

/cover-image --palette mono --aspect 1:1 --quick [paste content]

Options

Option Description

--type <name>

hero, conceptual, typography, metaphor, scene, minimal

--palette <name>

warm, elegant, cool, dark, earth, vivid, pastel, mono, retro

--rendering <name>

flat-vector, hand-drawn, painterly, digital, pixel, chalk

--text <level>

none, title-only, title-subtitle, text-rich

--mood <level>

subtle, balanced, bold

--font <name>

clean, handwritten, serif, display

--font-size <size>

small, medium (default), large, xlarge

--aspect <ratio>

16:9 (default), 2.35:1 (公众号封面), 4:3, 3:2, 1:1, 3:4

--provider <name>

qwen (default), openai, google

--style <preset>

tech-dark, tech-clean, lifestyle-warm, business-elegant, announcement-bold, minimal-zen, creative-playful, retro-vintage

--lang <code>

Title language (en, zh, ja, etc.)

--no-title

Alias for --text none

--n <count>

Number of images to generate (1-4)

--quick

Skip confirmation, use auto-selection

--ref <files...>

Reference images for style/composition guidance

Providers

Provider Model Text Rendering Chinese Support Price

qwen

qwen-image-plus Excellent Native Chinese 0.2 CNY/image

openai

gpt-image-1 Good Limited ~$0.04/image

google

gemini-2.0-flash-exp Good Limited Free tier available

Provider Selection Logic

• --provider specified -> use it

• Chinese title detected -> auto-select qwen

• Reference images provided -> use google or openai

• Default -> qwen

Qwen-Image (Default)

Best for Chinese text rendering. Native support for Chinese characters.

API Endpoint: https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/api/v1/services/aigc/text2image/image-synthesis

Environment Variable: DASHSCOPE_API_KEY

Supported Sizes: 1664928 , 10241024 , 9281664 , 14721104 , 1104*1472

OpenAI

Good for English text and creative designs.

Environment Variable: OPENAI_API_KEY

Supported Sizes: 1024x1024 , 1536x1024 , 1024x1536

Google

Good for multimodal generation with reference images.

Environment Variable: GOOGLE_API_KEY

Supported Sizes: Various aspect ratios supported

Five Dimensions

Dimension Values Default

Type hero, conceptual, typography, metaphor, scene, minimal auto

Palette warm, elegant, cool, dark, earth, vivid, pastel, mono, retro auto

Rendering flat-vector, hand-drawn, painterly, digital, pixel, chalk auto

Text none, title-only, title-subtitle, text-rich title-only

Mood subtle, balanced, bold balanced

Font clean, handwritten, serif, display clean

Auto-selection rules: references/auto-selection.md

Galleries

Types: hero, conceptual, typography, metaphor, scene, minimal -> Details: references/types.md

Palettes: warm, elegant, cool, dark, earth, vivid, pastel, mono, retro -> Details: references/palettes/

Renderings: flat-vector, hand-drawn, painterly, digital, pixel, chalk -> Details: references/renderings/

Text Levels: none (pure visual) | title-only (default) | title-subtitle | text-rich (with tags) -> Details: references/dimensions/text.md

Mood Levels: subtle (low contrast) | balanced (default) | bold (high contrast) -> Details: references/dimensions/mood.md

Fonts: clean (sans-serif) | handwritten | serif | display (bold decorative) -> Details: references/dimensions/font.md

File Structure

Output directory per default_output_dir preference:

• same-dir : {article-dir}/

• imgs-subdir : {article-dir}/imgs/

• independent (default): cover-image/{topic-slug}/

<output-dir>/ ├── source-{slug}.{ext} # Source files ├── refs/ # Reference images (if provided) │ ├── ref-01-{slug}.{ext} │ └── ref-01-{slug}.md # Description file ├── prompts/cover.md # Generation prompt └── cover.png # Output image

Slug: 2-4 words, kebab-case. Conflict: append -YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS

Workflow

Progress Checklist

Cover Image Progress:

• Step 1: Analyze content + save refs + determine output dir
• Step 2: Confirm options (6 dimensions + provider) unless --quick
• Step 3: Create prompt
• Step 4: Generate image
• Step 5: Resize for platform (if needed)
• Step 6: Completion report

Step 1: Analyze Content

• Save reference images (if provided) -> references/workflow/reference-images.md

• Save source content (if pasted, save to source.md )

• Analyze content: topic, tone, keywords, visual metaphors

• Deep analyze references: Extract specific, concrete elements

• Detect language: Compare source, user input

• Determine output directory: Per File Structure rules

• Auto-select provider: Based on language and references

Step 2: Confirm Options

Full confirmation flow: references/workflow/confirm-options.md

Condition Skipped Still Asked

--quick

6 dimensions + provider Aspect ratio (unless --aspect )

All 6 + --aspect

• --provider specified All None

Step 3: Create Prompt

Save to prompts/cover.md . Template: references/workflow/prompt-template.md

CRITICAL - References in Frontmatter:

• Files saved to refs/ -> Add to frontmatter references list

• Style extracted verbally (no file) -> Omit references , describe in body

• Before writing -> Verify: test -f refs/ref-NN-{slug}.{ext}

Reference elements in body MUST be detailed, prefixed with "MUST"/"REQUIRED", with integration approach.

Step 4: Generate Image

• Backup existing cover.png if regenerating

• Select provider based on language and options

• Process references from prompt frontmatter:

• direct usage -> pass reference images directly (google/openai only)

• style /palette -> extract traits, append to prompt

• Generate via provider API:

• Qwen: POST to dashscope API, poll for result

• OpenAI: Use ImageGen tool or API

• Google: Use ImageGen tool with reference images

• On failure: auto-retry once

Step 5: Resize for Platform

Resize generated image to target platform size:

Platform Target Size Aspect Ratio

公众号封面 900x383 2.35:1

博客/视频 1920x1080 16:9

小红书 1080x1080 1:1

手机海报 1080x1440 3:4

Step 6: Completion Report

Cover Generated!

Provider: [provider] Topic: [topic] Type: [type] | Palette: [palette] | Rendering: [rendering] Text: [text] | Mood: [mood] | Font: [font] | Aspect: [ratio] Title: [title or "visual only"] Language: [lang] References: [N images or "extracted style" or "none"] Location: [directory path]

Files:

• source-{slug}.{ext}
• prompts/cover.md
• cover.png
• cover-{platform}.png (if resized)

Composition Principles

• Whitespace: 40-60% breathing room

• Visual anchor: Main element centered or offset left

• Characters: Simplified silhouettes; NO realistic humans

• Title: Use exact title from user/source; never invent

Aspect Ratios

Ratio Platform Use Case

2.35:1

微信公众号封面 公众号首图，900x383px

16:9

通用宽屏 博客、视频封面

1:1

社交媒体 微博、小红书、Instagram

4:3

经典比例 演示文稿、传统媒体

3:2

摄影标准 照片风格封面

3:4

竖版 手机端、海报

Environment Variables

Variable Required For Get From

DASHSCOPE_API_KEY

Qwen (default) https://bailian.console.aliyun.com

OPENAI_API_KEY

OpenAI https://platform.openai.com

GOOGLE_API_KEY

Google https://aistudio.google.com

References

Dimensions: text.md | mood.md | font.md Palettes: references/palettes/ Renderings: references/renderings/ Types: references/types.md Style Presets: references/style-presets.md Auto-Selection: references/auto-selection.md Visual Elements: references/visual-elements.md Workflow: confirm-options.md | prompt-template.md | reference-images.md | qwen-api.md