How I Create AI Images For Client Websites With FreePik

This article explains a practical workflow for creating AI-generated images for client websites using tools like Freepik and other AI image generators. It focuses on building branded visuals for small businesses by combining brand assets, structured prompting, and batch generation techniques. It also includes a repeatable “7 visual building blocks” framework, scaling methods, and a worked example for a dental clinic website.

If you’re running a small business and you’re tired of the same generic stock images on your website, you’re not alone. Whether it’s the endless sea of Eastern European models or construction shots that just don’t look like anything you’d see in Australia, those cookie-cutter images can hurt your brand’s authenticity. After years of tinkering with various tools, I’ve found a workflow that helps me create unique, branded images for websites, social media, and ads-without breaking the bank. If you’re wondering how to get high-quality images without relying on pricey stock photos or expensive photoshoots, this one’s for you.

Why AI-Generated Images?

Let’s face it, we all need visuals that stand out. The stock images available these days are great, but they often lack personality, and many of them are just too overused. AI-generated images, on the other hand, can be tailored to match your brand’s exact style, colours, and mood, making them a perfect fit for your website and marketing materials. AI image tools have come a long way, and in recent years, they’ve become more than just a gimmick. They’re now a viable option for creating custom, high-quality images that feel fresh and unique.

My Workflow for Creating Custom AI Images

I’ve used this approach for everything from dental clinics in Sydney to tradies in Melbourne, and I’ve seen great results. Here’s my step-by-step process for creating on-brand, unique images that align perfectly with your business’s identity.

Step 1: Gather Your Brand Assets

The first step in any design process is to understand the brand. In this case, it starts with collecting key assets:

• Brand Colours: I use a colour picker tool to grab the primary colours from the website. This ensures that any AI-generated images align with the brand’s established colour palette. You can find these tools online for free.
• Logo: If you don’t have professional photos yet, at least ensure you have a high-res logo that you can upload. It’s important to use the right size to maintain image clarity.
• Images from the Website: If the business has any existing photos of the team, office, or products, grab them. The more authentic material you can provide to the AI, the better. If not, stock images can be a decent placeholder until you’re able to do a full shoot.

Step 2: Set Up AI Prompts

Once you’ve gathered your assets, it’s time to feed the AI with the right information. I use TypingMind to create custom prompts for the AI. This tool is a game-changer because it lets me input specific instructions and get consistent results from ChatGPT, which is where the magic happens. Here’s what I focus on when creating the AI prompts:

• Photo Type: Do I want a close-up shot, a drone view, or something more dynamic?
• Subject Matter: What’s the business about? For example, if it’s a dentist, I’ll ask for something like “a dentist smiling with a patient in a modern clinic.”
• Mood & Atmosphere: Is it a friendly, warm vibe? Or is it sleek and modern?
• Colour Scheme: Make sure you specify your brand colours. For instance, if you’ve got a strong blue or green in your logo, ensure the AI integrates that into the image.

By the end of this step, I have a handful of image prompts that can generate everything from a hero banner to service page images for the business.

Step 3: Generate Your Images

Now it’s time to let the AI work its magic. There are several tools available for this, like NanoBanana and FreePick, which offer both stock and AI-generated images. I use these tools to create the images based on the prompts I’ve developed. Here’s a pro tip: Start simple. Feed the AI a basic prompt and refine it later based on the results. You might be surprised at how close the AI gets it on the first try. For example, I might prompt AI with something like, “A friendly, female dentist working in a modern New York dental office.”

Step 4: Review and Refine

Once you’ve got the images, the next step is to review and adjust. Check if the images are in line with your branding and if they make sense for the page they’re meant for. Sometimes, the AI doesn’t quite nail it, and that’s okay. It’s always a work in progress. I’ve had instances where the AI added a logo to a t-shirt in the image, but it wasn’t exactly how I wanted it. So, I’d go in, edit the image, or tweak the prompt for more accuracy.

Why This Works for Small Businesses

For small businesses, especially when budgets are tight, AI-generated images are a lifesaver. Traditional photoshoots and custom design work can cost thousands, and let’s be real-sometimes that’s just not feasible. By using AI tools, you can generate branded images quickly and for a fraction of the cost. Whether you’re a local tradie in Melbourne or a dentist in Sydney, these tools help you create a professional online presence with minimal upfront investment.

Example in Action: A Dental Clinic Website

Let’s say you’re building a website for a dental clinic in Melbourne. You don’t have a photoshoot lined up, but you still want great images for the website.

1. Gather your assets: Grab the logo and colours from the clinic’s website.
2. Set up your prompts: “A smiling dentist and patient in a modern, clean clinic with soft lighting and a welcoming atmosphere.” Make sure to mention colours (e.g., white, silver, blue) and any branding elements.
3. Generate images: Use an AI tool like NanoBanana to generate high-quality visuals. You can even specify things like “photorealistic” and “Canon camera lens” for a more polished look.
4. Review and refine: Once the images are generated, tweak them if necessary to make sure they fit the tone and style of the clinic’s brand.

The end result? A website with unique, high-quality images that look professional, and they didn’t cost a fortune to create.

Common Pitfalls to Watch Out For

While this AI workflow is super effective, there are a few things you’ll want to watch out for:

• Generic Images: Always give the AI enough details about the brand and its style to avoid generic results. If you skip the brand colours or context, the images might not align with the business at all.
• Over-reliance on AI: While AI can produce great images, human touch is still necessary for reviewing and adjusting those images to match the business’s personality.

Final Thoughts

If you’re running a small business and struggling to find the right images, AI tools can help you create beautiful, branded visuals quickly and affordably. Whether you’re updating your website, designing banners, or generating social media content, this workflow will help you cut through the clutter of stock images and create something that truly reflects your brand. Now, instead of relying on the same tired stock photos, you can generate custom images tailored to your business, with minimal effort and cost. Start experimenting with AI image generation today, and you’ll be amazed at what you can create.

Real-World Case Studies

Case Study: Dental Clinic – New York City

• The Challenge: A new dental clinic needed professional-quality images for their website, but could not afford a full photoshoot.
• The Strategy: I used AI to generate unique, branded images based on the clinic’s colours, logo, and design style. I also fed the AI with website content and other business-specific assets to tailor the visuals.
• The Results: High-quality, photorealistic images were produced, including images for service pages and hero banners, ready to go live on the website. This process saved the clinic thousands of dollars while delivering images closely aligned with their brand.
• The Lesson: AI can bridge the gap between expensive design work and tight budgets. With a few brand details, you can generate visuals that are both professional and unique.
• Industry Application: For small businesses, particularly in industries like medical, dental, or trades, AI image generation is a practical solution when budgets are tight, but a polished online presence is necessary.

 

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AI Image Generation Guide: Pro Tips for Massive Scale

The Goal: Speed and Efficiency

1. Stop relying on expensive creative design agencies or photography teams.
2. AI allows you to rebuild the work of an entire creative team.
3. The core promise is massive scale-you can create thousands of assets for ads, websites, and emails in minutes, a process that might have taken a graphic designer up to a year.
4. Remember, an AI-generated image is the foundation of AI; it can immediately be branched out and converted into video, 3D assets, text, code, or GIFs.

The Secret Formula: Non-Negotiables

To control the AI output, you must understand and define the “non-negotiables.” These are the core elements present in every single image, and if you don’t define them, the AI will provide them anyway.

Here are the 7 Visual Building Blocks you must include in your prompt formula:

1. Shot or Photo Type: Defines the perspective, such as a close-up or a drone shot.
2. Subject and Action: Identifies who is in the image and what they are doing.
3. Environment: Specifies the setting or where the action takes place.
4. Colour Scheme: Dictates the overall palette (even black and white counts).
5. Cameras and Lenses: Controls the visual aesthetic and signature. Think about the difference between prompting for an iPhone photo versus a Polaroid.
6. Mood and Emotion: Sets the overall ‘vibe’ of the image.
7. Lighting: Crucial because every image must have lighting.

Pro Tips for the Workflow

Once you have the building blocks, here is how you move from a single image to massive scale:

1. Start Simple: Always give the AI the condensed version first. It is much easier to start simple and add complexity than to start complex and try to remove details, as one small word in a long prompt can “screw the whole thing up”.
2. Use Technical Language: AI understands specific photographic terms better than vague ideas. Use terms like “shallow depth of field,” “35mm,” “bokeh,” or “dramatic sunset backlighting” to gain precise control over your output.
3. Reverse Engineer to Scale: To build an automated workflow, you must start with the outcome.
   • First, generate the single, perfect output image.
   • Second, figure out the exact prompt that created that successful output.
   • Third, work backwards to determine how to write a system prompt that can reliably generate that winning prompt-and its variations-50 times or more.
4. Implement Batch Processing: For generating large volumes, use modular prompting and batching.
   • Use a system prompt (like custom instructions for a GPT) to tell the LLM to create multiple prompt variations (e.g., describing six different camera angles).
   • Critically, ask the LLM to separate each new prompt with a unique character (like a star). This allows your workflow tool to split the single output into an “array” of individual prompts that can be run simultaneously. This is how you generate thousands of specific assets in minutes.

Custom GPT Prompt

You must make 10 various AI image creation prompts to generate high-quality images for a new website being designed.

A website URL will be provided to you, and your job is to visit the website and answer the following questions about the website:

1. Purpose & Use Case
What type of website is this? (e.g., eCommerce, blog, portfolio, landing page)
Where will the images be used? (e.g., homepage, background, banner, product images) 2. Style & Aesthetic
Do you have a specific art style in mind? (e.g., photorealistic, cinematic, watercolor, cyberpunk, minimalistic) Should the images be modern, futuristic, vintage, fantasy, surreal, etc.?
Any existing website colors or design themes that the images should match? 3. Subject Matter
What do you want the image to depict? (e.g., landscapes, futuristic cities, people, animals, abstract shapes)
Should there be people or objects in the scene? If so, describe them
Any specific elements required? 4. Mood & Atmosphere
What kind of emotions should the image convey? (e.g., peaceful, energetic, dark, ethereal)
Any specific lighting or color palette preferences? (e.g., “warm golden hour lighting”, “high contrast neon colors”) 5. Technical Preferences
Aspect ratio: (e.g., square, wide 16:9, tall 9:16)
Level of detail: (e.g., hyper-detailed, soft and minimalistic)
Depth of field: (e.g., sharp and crisp, blurred background, cinematic bokeh) Here are a list of known photorealistic prompts for you to decide which best suits the website:
Photorealistic, Nikon D850 DSLR style, 35mm lens effect, early morning light, desaturation filter, enhanced sharpness, increased contrast
Photorealistic, Canon EOS 5D Mark IV style, 50mm lens effect, golden hour, high saturation, HDR processing, vignette effect
Photorealistic, Sony Alpha a7 III style, 24-70mm lens effect, dusk lighting, monochrome filter, increased clarity, selective color post-processing
Photorealistic, FujiFilm X-T3 style, wide-angle lens effect, midday sunlight, low contrast, color grading for warmer tones, subtle grain effect
Photorealistic, Leica M10 style, 90mm lens effect, twilight, long exposure effect, color balance adjustment for cooler tones, noise reduction processing
Photorealistic, Hasselblad H6D style, macro lens effect, studio lighting, high contrast, black and white filter, sharpening and noise reduction
Photorealistic, Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II style, 12-40mm lens effect, sunset light, warm filter, highlight reduction, shadow enhancement
Photorealistic, Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 style, fisheye lens effect, noon light, vibrant color enhancement, sky replacement post-processing
Photorealistic, Pentax K-1 style, 70-200mm lens effect, night time, star effect filter, long exposure noise reduction, light painting effect
Photorealistic, Phase One IQ4 style, 80mm lens effect, overcast light, dramatic B&W filter, dodge and burn post-processing
Photorealistic, Canon EOS R5 style, 24-105mm lens effect, dawn light, pastel color grading, soft light effect, bokeh enhancement
Photorealistic, Sony Alpha a1 style, 14-24mm lens effect, high noon, HDR effect, clarity and dehaze post-processing
Photorealistic, Nikon Z7 II style, tilt-shift lens effect, late afternoon, cinematic color grading, radial blur post-processing
Photorealistic, Fujifilm GFX 100S style, 32-64mm lens effect, twilight, dramatic sky effect, color balance adjustment, lens flare effect

Before making the 10 prompts, confirm the answers to the above questions to ensure accuracy.