About Prompt
- Prompt Type – Dynamic
- Prompt Platform – ChatGPT, Grok, Deepseek, Gemini, Copilot, Midjourney, Meta AI and more
- Niche – Volcanic Science
- Language – English
- Category – Geological FX
- Prompt Title – Lava Cooling Crystal Formation VFX Prompt
Prompt Details
### **Optimized Dynamic AI Prompt for Lava Cooling Crystal Formation**
This prompt is structured as a dynamic template. To use it, select one option from each of the bracketed categories `[ ]` and combine them into a single, coherent paragraph. This modular approach allows for immense flexibility and precise control over the final output, making it ideal for generating specific geological visual effects.
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### **The Dynamic Prompt Template**
**(Core Concept)**
A hyper-detailed, scientifically accurate visualization of crystal formation within cooling lava. The focus is on the thermodynamic process of crystallization as molten rock transitions to a solid state, capturing the intricate geometry and mineralogy of the forming crystals.
**(Scene Environment & Scale)**
The scene is set on/in `[Choose Environment]`. The scale of the shot is `[Choose Scale]`, revealing the geological process in stunning detail.
* **[Choose Environment]:**
* the surface of a freshly halted Pāhoehoe lava flow
* a cross-section of a cooling magma chamber deep underground
* the fractured interior of a volcanic bomb just after landing
* the slow-moving front of an A’ā lava flow
* a submarine pillow lava formation on the ocean floor
* an experimental laboratory setting with a controlled lava sample
* **[Choose Scale]:**
* Extreme macro, focusing on a few individual crystal nucleation points
* Macro, showing a cluster of interlocking crystals growing across a 10cm area
* Medium shot, capturing a meter-wide patch of the cooling crust
* Wide shot, showing the crystallization pattern across a large lava field
**(Primary Subject: The Lava)**
The molten rock is a `[Choose Lava Type]`. Its surface is `[Choose Surface Texture]`, and its remaining heat is visualized by a `[Choose Thermal State]`.
* **[Choose Lava Type]:**
* low-viscosity, fluid basaltic lava
* high-viscosity, silica-rich rhyolitic lava
* intermediate andesitic magma
* ultra-mafic komatiite lava with spinifex textures
* glassy, rapidly quenched obsidian
* **[Choose Surface Texture]:**
* a smooth, ropy Pāhoehoe texture that is beginning to solidify
* a blocky, jagged A’ā clinker surface
* a glassy, fractured obsidian crust
* a vesicular, porous texture due to trapped gas bubbles (scoria)
* **[Choose Thermal State]:**
* faint, deep red internal glow, indicating it is mostly solidified but still extremely hot
* bright cherry-red to orange glow visible through cracks in the dark, solid crust
* a shimmering, silvery-black crust that radiates intense heat haze
* no visible glow, but the surrounding air is distorted by heat thermals
**(Geological Process: Crystal Formation)**
The primary visual focus is the process of `[Choose Crystal Growth Process]`. We can clearly see distinct `[Choose Crystal Mineral & Habit]` forming within the semi-molten matrix. The crystals exhibit `[Choose Crystal Arrangement]`.
* **[Choose Crystal Growth Process]:**
* nucleation, where microscopic seed crystals begin to form at multiple points
* dendritic growth, where crystals branch out like frost or snowflakes
* acicular growth, forming needle-like crystals
* equant growth, resulting in blocky, equidimensional crystals
* spherulitic crystallization, where crystals radiate from a central point to form orbs
* **[Choose Crystal Mineral & Habit]:**
* greenish, granular olivine phenocrysts (euhedral crystals)
* dark, blocky pyroxene crystals (subhedral crystals)
* white to grey, lath-like plagioclase feldspar crystals
* large, black, plate-like biotite mica crystals
* hexagonal, transparent quartz crystals (only in silica-rich lavas)
* a complex mix of interlocking pyroxene and plagioclase, forming a diabasic texture
* **[Choose Crystal Arrangement]:**
* a porphyritic texture, with large, well-formed crystals (phenocrysts) embedded in a fine-grained or glassy groundmass
* an interlocking crystalline matrix, where crystals have grown into each other
* a fan-like or radial arrangement of acicular crystals (e.g., spinifex texture)
* isolated, perfectly formed euhedral crystals suspended in a glassy matrix
**(Atmospheric & Visual Effects – VFX)**
The scene is filled with realistic atmospheric effects, including `[Choose Atmospheric VFX]` and `[Choose Particulate VFX]`.
* **[Choose Atmospheric VFX]:**
* thick, billowing steam clouds as the lava interacts with water or ice
* wisps of sulphurous volcanic gas (fumarole) rising from cracks
* intense, shimmering heat haze and atmospheric distortion above the surface
* caustic light rays filtering through dense volcanic smog (vog)
* **[Choose Particulate VFX]:**
* tiny, glowing embers being carried on thermal updrafts
* fine volcanic ash settling lightly on the cooling surface
* no particulates, just crystal-clear air distorted by heat
**(Lighting & Color Palette)**
The lighting is `[Choose Lighting Style]`, creating `[Choose Shadow Quality]`. The color palette is dominated by `[Choose Color Palette]`.
* **[Choose Lighting Style]:**
* naturalistic, harsh midday sun
* dramatic, low-angle “golden hour” or “blue hour” sunlight
* the eerie, self-illuminating glow of the lava itself in a dark environment (night or cavern)
* diffuse, overcast daylight, emphasizing texture over harsh shadows
* stark, artificial lighting from a scientific probe or headlamp
* **[Choose Shadow Quality]:**
* deep, high-contrast shadows that define the crystal shapes
* soft, diffused shadows that reveal subtle surface details
* long, dramatic shadows stretching across the landscape
* **[Choose Color Palette]:**
* the fiery reds, oranges, and yellows of molten rock, contrasted with the deep blacks and greys of the solidified crust
* a subtle palette of dark greys, greens (from olivine), and whites (from feldspar) against a black volcanic glass matrix
* cool blues and purples from twilight reflecting off the glassy, iridescent surface
**(Composition & Style)**
The final image should be a `[Choose Camera Angle]`, rendered in a `[Choose Artistic Style]`.
* **[Choose Camera Angle]:**
* extreme close-up, shallow depth of field, focusing on a single crystal
* top-down orthographic view, like a geological survey photo
* low-angle perspective, emphasizing the texture and scale of the formations
* dutch angle, adding a sense of dynamic instability
* **[Choose Artistic Style]:**
* Hyperrealistic, photorealistic, 8K, cinematic, National Geographic photography
* Scientific illustration, detailed diagram, cross-section view
* Cinematic VFX, high dynamic range (HDR), physically-based rendering (PBR)
* Electron microscope aesthetic, monochrome with high detail
**(Negative Prompts – *Optional but Recommended*)**
To further refine the output, consider adding negative prompts to exclude unwanted elements.
**Example:** `- cartoon, fantasy, magic, stylized, blurry, out of focus, lava monster, jpeg artifacts, low resolution`
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### **Example Prompt in Practice**
Here is a complete prompt generated by following the dynamic template above. The user has selected their preferred options and combined them into a single, detailed paragraph.
**(Selections Made)**
* **Core Concept:** Included implicitly.
* **Environment:** the surface of a freshly halted Pāhoehoe lava flow
* **Scale:** Extreme macro, focusing on a few individual crystal nucleation points
* **Lava Type:** low-viscosity, fluid basaltic lava
* **Surface Texture:** a smooth, ropy Pāhoehoe texture that is beginning to solidify
* **Thermal State:** faint, deep red internal glow, indicating it is mostly solidified but still extremely hot
* **Growth Process:** dendritic growth, where crystals branch out like frost or snowflakes
* **Crystal Mineral & Habit:** greenish, granular olivine phenocrysts (euhedral crystals)
* **Arrangement:** a porphyritic texture, with large, well-formed crystals (phenocrysts) embedded in a fine-grained or glassy groundmass
* **Atmospheric VFX:** intense, shimmering heat haze and atmospheric distortion above the surface
* **Particulate VFX:** no particulates, just crystal-clear air distorted by heat
* **Lighting Style:** the eerie, self-illuminating glow of the lava itself in a dark environment (night or cavern)
* **Shadow Quality:** deep, high-contrast shadows that define the crystal shapes
* **Color Palette:** the fiery reds, oranges, and yellows of molten rock, contrasted with the deep blacks and greys of the solidified crust
* **Camera Angle:** extreme close-up, shallow depth of field, focusing on a single crystal
* **Artistic Style:** Hyperrealistic, photorealistic, 8K, cinematic, National Geographic photography
**(Final Assembled Prompt)**
“**A hyperrealistic, 8K cinematic photograph capturing the geological process of crystal formation on the surface of a freshly halted Pāhoehoe lava flow. The shot is an extreme macro with a very shallow depth of field. The subject is low-viscosity basaltic lava, its smooth, ropy surface solidifying into a dark crust, but a faint, deep red internal glow is visible through microscopic cracks. The primary visual focus is the dendritic growth of greenish, euhedral olivine phenocrysts branching out like frost within the still-cooling, glassy groundmass, creating a distinct porphyritic texture. The only light source is the eerie, self-illuminating glow of the lava itself, casting deep, high-contrast shadows that define the intricate crystal shapes. Intense, shimmering heat haze distorts the air just above the surface. The color palette is a dramatic contrast of fiery reds and oranges against the deep blacks and greys of the solidified volcanic rock. National Geographic photography style, physically-based rendering, scientifically accurate.**”