Cover Image Generator

Generate elegant cover images for articles with 4-dimensional customization.

Usage

# Auto-select all dimensions based on content
/baoyu-cover-image path/to/article.md

# Quick mode: skip confirmation, use auto-selection
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --quick

# Specify dimensions
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --type conceptual --style blueprint
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --text title-subtitle --mood bold

# Visual only (no title text)
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --no-title

# Direct content input
/baoyu-cover-image
[paste content]

# Direct input with options
/baoyu-cover-image --style notion --aspect 1:1 --quick
[paste content]

Options

Four Dimensions

Dimensions can be freely combined. Example: --type conceptual --style blueprint --text title-only --mood subtle creates a calm technical concept visualization.

Type Gallery

Auto Type Selection

When --type is omitted, select based on content signals:

Style Gallery

Style definitions: references/styles/

Auto Style Selection

When --style is omitted, select based on content signals:

Text Dimension

Full guide: references/dimensions/text.md

Auto Text Selection

When --text is omitted, select based on content signals:

Default: title-only

Mood Dimension

Full guide: references/dimensions/mood.md

Auto Mood Selection

When --mood is omitted, select based on content signals:

Default: balanced

Compatibility Matrices

Type × Style

Type × Text

Type × Mood

✓✓ = highly recommended | ✓ = compatible | ✗ = not recommended

File Structure

Output directory depends on default_output_dir preference:

<output-dir>/
├── source-{slug}.{ext}    # Source files (text, images, etc.)
├── prompts/cover.md       # Generation prompt
└── cover.png              # Output image

Slug Generation:

1. Extract main topic from content (2-4 words, kebab-case)
2. Example: "The Future of AI" → future-of-ai

Conflict Resolution: If cover-image/{topic-slug}/ already exists:

• Append timestamp: {topic-slug}-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS
• Example: ai-future exists → ai-future-20260118-143052

Source Files: Copy all sources with naming source-{slug}.{ext}:

• source-article.md, source-reference.png, etc.
• Multiple sources supported: text, images, files from conversation

Workflow

Progress Checklist

Copy and track progress:

Cover Image Progress:
- [ ] Step 0: Check preferences (EXTEND.md) ⚠️ REQUIRED if not found
- [ ] Step 1: Analyze content + determine output directory ⚠️ MUST ask if not configured
- [ ] Step 2: Confirm options (4 dimensions) ⚠️ REQUIRED unless --quick or all specified
- [ ] Step 3: Create prompt
- [ ] Step 4: Generate image
- [ ] Step 5: Completion report

Flow

Input → [Step 0: Preferences/Setup] → Analyze → [Output Dir ⚠️] → [Confirm: 4 Dimensions] → Prompt → Generate → Complete
                                                                          ↓
                                                                  (skip if --quick or all specified)

Step 0: Load Preferences (EXTEND.md) ⚠️

Purpose: Load user preferences or run first-time setup. Do NOT skip setup if EXTEND.md not found.

Use Bash to check EXTEND.md existence (priority order):

# Check project-level first
test -f .baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md && echo "project"

# Then user-level (cross-platform: $HOME works on macOS/Linux/WSL)
test -f "$HOME/.baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md" && echo "user"

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────┐ │ Path │ Location │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┤ │ .baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md │ Project directory │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┤ │ $HOME/.baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md │ User home │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────┘

┌───────────┬───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Result │ Action │ ├───────────┼───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Found │ Read, parse, display preferences summary (see below) → Continue to Step 1 │ ├───────────┼───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Not found │ ⚠️ MUST run first-time setup (see below) → Then continue to Step 1 │ └───────────┴───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Preferences Summary (when EXTEND.md found):

Display loaded preferences:

Preferences loaded from [project/user]:
• Watermark: [enabled/disabled] [content if enabled]
• Type: [preferred_type or "auto"]
• Style: [preferred_style or "auto"]
• Text: [preferred_text or "title-only"]
• Mood: [preferred_mood or "balanced"]
• Aspect: [default_aspect]
• Output: [default_output_dir or "not set — will ask in Step 1.5"]
• Quick mode: [enabled/disabled]
• Language: [language or "auto"]

First-Time Setup (when EXTEND.md not found):

Language: Use user's input language or saved language preference.

Use AskUserQuestion with ALL questions in ONE call:

Q1: Watermark

header: "Watermark"
question: "Watermark text for generated cover images?"
options:
  - label: "No watermark (Recommended)"
    description: "Clean covers, can enable later in EXTEND.md"

Q2: Preferred Type

header: "Type"
question: "Default cover type preference?"
options:
  - label: "Auto-select (Recommended)"
    description: "Choose based on content analysis each time"
  - label: "hero"
    description: "Large visual impact - product launch, announcements"
  - label: "conceptual"
    description: "Concept visualization - technical, architecture"

Q3: Preferred Style

header: "Style"
question: "Default cover style preference?"
options:
  - label: "Auto-select (Recommended)"
    description: "Choose based on content analysis each time"
  - label: "elegant"
    description: "Refined, sophisticated - professional business"
  - label: "notion"
    description: "SaaS dashboard - productivity/tech content"

Q4: Default Aspect Ratio

header: "Aspect"
question: "Default aspect ratio for cover images?"
options:
  - label: "16:9 (Recommended)"
    description: "Standard widescreen - YouTube, presentations, versatile"
  - label: "2.35:1"
    description: "Cinematic widescreen - article headers, blog posts"
  - label: "1:1"
    description: "Square - Instagram, WeChat, social cards"
  - label: "3:4"
    description: "Portrait - Xiaohongshu, Pinterest, mobile content"

Note: More ratios (4:3, 3:2) available during generation. This sets the default recommendation.

Q5: Default Output Directory

header: "Output"
question: "Default output directory for cover images?"
options:
  - label: "Independent (Recommended)"
    description: "cover-image/{topic-slug}/ - separate from article"
  - label: "Same directory"
    description: "{article-dir}/ - alongside the article file"
  - label: "imgs subdirectory"
    description: "{article-dir}/imgs/ - images folder near article"

Q6: Quick Mode

header: "Quick"
question: "Enable quick mode by default?"
options:
  - label: "No (Recommended)"
    description: "Confirm dimension choices each time"
  - label: "Yes"
    description: "Skip confirmation, use auto-selection"

Q7: Save Location

header: "Save"
question: "Where to save preferences?"
options:
  - label: "Project (Recommended)"
    description: ".baoyu-skills/ (this project only)"
  - label: "User"
    description: "~/.baoyu-skills/ (all projects)"

After setup: Create EXTEND.md with user choices, then continue to Step 1.

Full setup details: references/config/first-time-setup.md

EXTEND.md Supports: Watermark | Preferred type | Preferred style | Preferred text | Preferred mood | Default aspect ratio | Default output directory | Quick mode | Custom style definitions | Language preference

Schema: references/config/preferences-schema.md

Step 1: Analyze Content

Read source content, save it if needed, and perform analysis.

Actions:

1. Save source content (if not already a file):
   • If user provides a file path: use as-is
   • If user pastes content: save to source.md in target directory
2. Read source content
3. Content analysis:
   • Extract: topic, core message, tone, keywords
   • Identify visual metaphor opportunities
   • Detect content type (technical/personal/business/creative)
4. Language detection:
   • Detect source content language
   • Note user's input language (from conversation)
   • Compare with language preference in EXTEND.md

1.5 Determine Output Directory ⚠️

MUST ask user when default_output_dir is not set in EXTEND.md and input is a file path.

default_output_dir preference values:

AskUserQuestion (when no preference, file path input only):

• {article-dir}/imgs/ - Images subdirectory near article
• {article-dir}/ - Same directory as article
• cover-image/{topic-slug}/ - Independent directory
• Save as default - Remember this choice for future runs

Step 2: Confirm Options ⚠️

Purpose: Validate all 4 dimensions + aspect ratio.

Skip Conditions:

Important: Aspect ratio is ALWAYS asked unless explicitly specified via --aspect CLI flag. User presets in EXTEND.md are shown as recommended option, not auto-selected.

Quick Mode Output (when skipping 4 dimensions):

Quick Mode: Auto-selected dimensions
• Type: [type] ([reason])
• Style: [style] ([reason])
• Text: [text] ([reason])
• Mood: [mood] ([reason])

[Then ask Question 5: Aspect Ratio]

Confirmation Flow (when NOT skipping):

Language: Auto-determined (user's input language > saved preference > source language). No need to ask.

Present options using AskUserQuestion:

Question 1: Type (if not specified via --type)

• Show recommended type based on content analysis + preferred type from EXTEND.md

header: "Type"
question: "Which cover type?"
multiSelect: false
options:
  - label: "[auto-recommended type] (Recommended)"
    description: "[reason based on content signals]"
  - label: "hero"
    description: "Large visual impact, title overlay - product launch, announcements"
  - label: "conceptual"
    description: "Concept visualization - technical, architecture"
  - label: "typography"
    description: "Text-focused layout - opinions, quotes"

Question 2: Style (if not specified via --style)

• Based on selected Type, show compatible styles (✓✓ first from compatibility matrix)
• Format: [style name] - [why it fits this content]

header: "Style"
question: "Which cover style?"
multiSelect: false
options:
  - label: "[best compatible style] (Recommended)"
    description: "[reason based on type + content]"
  - label: "[style2]"
    description: "[reason]"
  - label: "[style3]"
    description: "[reason]"

Question 3: Text (if not specified via --text)

• Based on selected Type, show compatible text levels (✓✓ first from compatibility matrix)

header: "Text"
question: "Text density level?"
multiSelect: false
options:
  - label: "title-only (Recommended)"
    description: "Simple headline, ≤8 characters"
  - label: "none"
    description: "Pure visual, no text elements"
  - label: "title-subtitle"
    description: "Title + supporting context"
  - label: "text-rich"
    description: "Title + subtitle + keyword tags"

Question 4: Mood (if not specified via --mood)

• Based on content analysis, show recommended mood

header: "Mood"
question: "Emotional intensity?"
multiSelect: false
options:
  - label: "balanced (Recommended)"
    description: "Medium contrast and saturation, versatile"
  - label: "subtle"
    description: "Low contrast, muted colors, calm"
  - label: "bold"
    description: "High contrast, vivid colors, dynamic"

Question 5: Aspect Ratio (ALWAYS ask unless --aspect specified via CLI)

Note: Even if user has a preset in EXTEND.md, still ask this question. The preset is shown as the recommended option.

header: "Aspect"
question: "Cover aspect ratio?"
multiSelect: false
options:
  - label: "[user preset or 16:9] (Recommended)"
    description: "[based on preset or default: Standard widescreen, versatile]"
  - label: "2.35:1"
    description: "Cinematic widescreen - article headers, blog posts"
  - label: "4:3"
    description: "Traditional screen - PPT slides, classic displays"
  - label: "3:2"
    description: "Photography ratio - blog articles, Medium posts"
  - label: "1:1"
    description: "Square - Instagram, WeChat moments, social cards"
  - label: "3:4"
    description: "Portrait - Xiaohongshu, Pinterest, mobile-first content"

After response: Proceed to Step 3 with confirmed dimensions.

Step 3: Create Prompt

Save to prompts/cover.md:

# Content Context
Article title: [full original title from source]
Content summary: [2-3 sentence summary of key points and themes]
Keywords: [5-8 key terms extracted from content]

# Visual Design
Cover theme: [2-3 words visual interpretation]
Type: [confirmed type]
Style: [confirmed style]
Text level: [confirmed text level]
Mood: [confirmed mood]
Aspect ratio: [confirmed ratio]
Language: [confirmed language]

# Text Elements
[Based on text level:]
- none: "No text elements"
- title-only: "Title: [max 8 chars headline]"
- title-subtitle: "Title: [headline] / Subtitle: [max 15 chars context]"
- text-rich: "Title: [headline] / Subtitle: [context] / Tags: [2-4 keywords]"

# Mood Application
[Based on mood level:]
- subtle: "Use low contrast, muted colors, light visual weight, calm aesthetic"
- balanced: "Use medium contrast, normal saturation, balanced visual weight"
- bold: "Use high contrast, vivid saturated colors, heavy visual weight, dynamic energy"

# Composition
Type composition:
- [Type-specific layout and structure]

Visual composition:
- Main visual: [metaphor derived from content meaning]
- Layout: [positioning based on type and aspect ratio]
- Decorative: [style elements that reinforce content theme]

Color scheme: [primary, background, accent from style, adjusted by mood]
Type notes: [key characteristics from type definition]
Style notes: [key characteristics from style definition]

[Watermark section if enabled]

Content-Driven Design:

• Article title and summary inform the visual metaphor choice
• Keywords guide decorative elements and symbols
• The skill controls visual style; the content drives meaning

Type-Specific Composition:

Title guidelines (when text level includes title):

• Max 8 characters, punchy headline
• Use hooks: numbers, questions, contrasts
• Match confirmed language

Watermark Application (if enabled in preferences): Add to prompt:

Include a subtle watermark "[content]" positioned at [position].
The watermark should be legible but not distracting from the main content.

Reference: references/config/watermark-guide.md

Step 4: Generate Image

Backup Existing Cover (if regenerating): If cover.png already exists in the output directory:

• Rename to cover-backup-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.png

Image Generation Skill Selection:

1. Check available image generation skills
2. If multiple skills available, ask user preference
3. Call selected skill with:
   • Prompt file path
   • Output image path: cover.png
   • Aspect ratio parameter

On failure: Auto-retry once before reporting error.

Step 5: Completion Report

Cover Generated!

Topic: [topic]
Type: [type name]
Style: [style name]
Text: [text level]
Mood: [mood level]
Aspect: [ratio]
Title: [title text or "visual only"]
Language: [lang]
Watermark: [enabled/disabled]
Location: [directory path]

Files:
✓ source-{slug}.{ext}
✓ prompts/cover.md
✓ cover.png
[✓ cover-backup-{timestamp}.png (if regenerated)]

Image Modification

All modifications automatically backup the existing cover.png before regenerating.

Notes

• Cover must be readable at small preview sizes
• Visual metaphors > literal representations
• Title: max 8 chars, readable, impactful
• Two confirmation points: Step 0 (first-time setup if no EXTEND.md) + Step 2 (options) - can skip Step 2 with --quick
• Use confirmed language for title text
• Maintain watermark consistency if enabled
• Check compatibility matrices when selecting combinations
• --no-title is preserved as alias for --text none

References

Dimensions:

• references/dimensions/text.md - Text density dimension
• references/dimensions/mood.md - Mood intensity dimension

Styles: references/styles/<name>.md - Style definitions

Config:

• references/config/preferences-schema.md - EXTEND.md schema
• references/config/first-time-setup.md - First-time setup flow
• references/config/watermark-guide.md - Watermark configuration

Extension Support

Custom configurations via EXTEND.md. See Step 0 for paths and supported options.