Translate sound into image
The best cover prompts describe how the music feels, staged as a scene: 'lone figure under a streetlight in fog, heavy film grain, muted teal night' says late-night melancholic electronica before a note plays. Lo-fi wants texture words (grain, tape, faded); hyperpop wants saturated chrome and plastic gloss; folk wants natural light and analog warmth. Write down three adjectives for your record, then build the scene those adjectives live in.
Nidhogg's aesthetic presets are shortcuts here — GRAIN HEAVY, NEON NOIR, POLAROID FADE, and VAPORWAVE GRID each map cleanly onto genre moods.
The two-size test
Check every candidate at streaming-thumbnail size and full size. At small scale you need one dominant shape or figure and clear value contrast; at full scale you need texture that rewards a closer look. Covers that only work large feel generic in playlists; covers that only work small feel empty on vinyl. Leave negative space if you'll add the artist name and title — or go text-free, which streaming fully allows.
Singles, EPs, and visual albums
Artists generate matching single-cover series by locking a style block and varying one element per track — same palette and grain, different central object. Labels mock up concepts before commissioning finals; producers make cover art for beat stores where volume matters. For vinyl pressing, run the winner through Upscale to reach print resolution for a 12-inch sleeve.