Cover Image Generator

Generate elegant cover images for articles with 5-dimensional customization.

Usage

Auto-select dimensions based on content

/baoyu-cover-image path/to/article.md

Quick mode: skip confirmation

/baoyu-cover-image article.md --quick

Specify dimensions

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

Style presets (shorthand for palette + rendering)

/baoyu-cover-image article.md --style blueprint

With reference images

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

Direct content input

/baoyu-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

--style <name>

Preset shorthand (see Style Presets)

--text <level>

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

--mood <level>

subtle, balanced, bold

--font <name>

clean, handwritten, serif, display

--aspect <ratio>

16:9 (default), 2.35:1, 4:3, 3:2, 1:1, 3:4

--lang <code>

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

--no-title

Alias for --text none

--quick

Skip confirmation, use auto-selection

--ref <files...>

Reference images for style/composition guidance

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 0: Check preferences (EXTEND.md) ⛔ BLOCKING
• Step 1: Analyze content + save refs + determine output dir
• Step 2: Confirm options (6 dimensions) ⚠️ unless --quick
• Step 3: Create prompt
• Step 4: Generate image
• Step 5: Completion report

Flow

Input → [Step 0: Preferences] ─┬─ Found → Continue └─ Not found → First-Time Setup ⛔ BLOCKING → Save EXTEND.md → Continue ↓ Analyze + Save Refs → [Output Dir] → [Confirm: 6 Dimensions] → Prompt → Generate → Complete ↓ (skip if --quick or all specified)

Step 0: Load Preferences ⛔ BLOCKING

Check EXTEND.md existence (priority: project → user):

test -f .baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md && echo "project" test -f "$HOME/.baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md" && echo "user"

Result Action

Found Load, display summary → Continue

Not found ⛔ Run first-time setup (references/config/first-time-setup.md) → Save → Continue

CRITICAL: If not found, complete setup BEFORE any other steps or questions.

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 (see reference-images.md)

• Detect language: Compare source, user input, EXTEND.md preference

• Determine output directory: Per File Structure rules

Step 2: Confirm Options ⚠️

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

Condition Skipped Still Asked

--quick or quick_mode: true

6 dimensions Aspect ratio (unless --aspect )

All 6 + --aspect 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

• Check image generation skills; if multiple, ask preference

• Process references from prompt frontmatter:

• direct usage → pass via --ref (use ref-capable backend)

• style /palette → extract traits, append to prompt

• Generate: Call skill with prompt file, output path, aspect ratio

• On failure: auto-retry once

Step 5: Completion Report

Cover Generated!

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

Files: ✓ source-{slug}.{ext} ✓ prompts/cover.md ✓ cover.png

Image Modification

Action Steps

Regenerate Backup → Update prompt file FIRST → Regenerate

Change dimension Backup → Confirm new value → Update prompt → Regenerate

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

Extension Support

Custom configurations via EXTEND.md. See Step 0 for paths.

Supports: Watermark | Preferred dimensions | Default aspect/output | Quick mode | Custom palettes | Language

Schema: references/config/preferences-schema.md

References

Dimensions: text.md | mood.md | font.md Palettes: references/palettes/ Renderings: references/renderings/ Types: references/types.md Auto-Selection: references/auto-selection.md Style Presets: references/style-presets.md Compatibility: references/compatibility.md Visual Elements: references/visual-elements.md Workflow: confirm-options.md | prompt-template.md | reference-images.md Config: preferences-schema.md | first-time-setup.md | watermark-guide.md