The Hard Truth: You Will Create AI Slop
Let’s start with the bit nobody wants to say out loud: You’re going to create AI slop. I am. You are. Anyone who uses AI creative tools is.
That’s not the problem.
The problem is stopping at slop and trying to pass it off as “finished work”.
Most people open an AI tool, type a lazy prompt, hit generate, and expect a perfectly art-directed, on-brand, client-ready asset on the first go.
Then they get:
Weird hands
Soulless visuals
Random styles
Generic “Midjourney stock” vibes
…and they either:
Try to sell that to a client (which kills trust), or
Decide “AI just makes cheap-looking stuff” and walk away.
The gap isn’t the tool.
The gap is creative control.
So how do we optimize for creative control?
What Is AI Slop?
Here’s the definition I use:
AI slop is AI-generated content with no human creative control – generic, unrefined, and disconnected from any strategy, story, or brand. It’s soulless, and it shows in the story, visuals and audio.
You’ve seen it a thousand times.
AI slop usually looks like this:
No human intent
“Make me an ad” with zero thought about the audience, brand, or outcome.No story
Cool visuals, but no narrative, no hook, no message.No constraints
Random styles, aspect ratios, colors, fonts, vibes.No refinement
First generations are shipped as final.No brand fit
It doesn’t look or feel like this brand. It looks like “generic AI.”
And again: slop is part of the process.
You’ll generate slop when you:
Explore ideas
Test looks and styles
Push weird directions
That’s fine. It’s a necessary part of the process.
Slop becomes a problem when you confuse the exploration phase with the delivery phase.
Why Most AI Work Looks Sloppy
Slop is a process problem, not a “bad model” problem.
Here are the main reasons most AI work looks cheap:
Prompting From A Blank Brain
No thinking on paper.
No angle, audience, or outcome.
Just: “Make something cool.”
No Creative Brief
No simple doc that explains:
Who it’s for
What it should make them feel
What the asset is supposed to do
Low-Effort Prompts
“Make a product shot” vs:
“Cinematic 3/4 product shot for a premium wellness brand, soft morning light, minimal background, space top-left for headline text, 4K, 9:16.”
Zero Art Direction
AI is treated like a vending machine, not a junior creative.
One prompt → one generation → export → done.
No Finishing Process
No upscaling, no retouching, no technical checks.
Raw model output is exported and called “good enough.”
So if you want to stop producing slop, you don’t need more tools.
You need a better workflow.
The No-Slop Workflow: Human-First, AI-Assisted
Here’s the simple 5-step process I use to avoid AI slop when I’m creating with FLORA (my intelligent canvas), ChatGPT, image/video models, and Magnific.
You can adapt this to whatever stack you’re using.
Step 1: Start With Human Strategy (No Tools)
Before you touch a model, grab pen and paper and answer:
What are we trying to achieve?
Clicks, signups, awareness, education, social proof, etc.
Who is this for?
Creative pros, founders, wellness consumers, etc.
What do they care about? What are they afraid of? What do they want?
What’s the angle or story?
“Escape burnout.”
“From chaos to clarity.”
“From amateur to pro in 30 days.”
Whatever the emotional or conceptual hook is.
What formats do we need?
6s hook, 30s vertical, explainer video, carousel, hero image, etc.
If you open an AI tool before doing this, you’re asking for slop.
Step 2: Turn Strategy Into A Creative Brief (With ChatGPT)
Now you bring in AI – but as an assistant, not the director.
Feed your notes into ChatGPT and ask it to help you build:
A creative brief with:
Brand description
Audience
Big idea / angle
Tone and emotion
Required deliverables
A shot list or storyboard with:
Key scenes or frames
What happens in each frame
How and where the product shows up
Where text or UI elements will go
This brief then lives in your FLORA canvas alongside:
Notes
References
Early visual ideas
Now you’re not just “prompting”. You’re directing a project.
Step 3: Design High-Quality Prompts (Image First, Then Video)
Now you move into generation.
Rule #1: Start with images.
Dial in the look, feel, and style as stills before you touch video.
When writing prompts, think like a creative director and a DOP:
Include:
Type of shot
Close-up, mid-shot, wide, product-only, lifestyle, etc.
Subject & context
Who/what is in frame?
Where are they? (kitchen, studio, city street, forest, etc.)
Camera & composition
Eye-level, overhead, 3/4 angle, centered, rule-of-thirds.
Room for text or UI overlays.
Lighting & mood
Soft daylight, moody neon, golden hour, harsh contrast.
Style references
“Like a COS campaign”, “Wes Anderson framing”, “Roger Deakins-style lighting”, etc.
Platform-appropriate aspect ratio
9:16 (TikTok/Reels), 16:9 (YouTube), 1:1 (feed), etc.
A simple prompt skeleton you can reuse:
“[Type of shot] of [subject/product] for [brand] in [environment], [lighting style], [camera angle/composition notes incl. space for text], [emotional tone], [style reference], [aspect ratio].”
Slop in → slop out.
High-quality prompts are just your strategy, compressed into language the model understands.
Step 4: Art Direct The AI (Iterate Inside FLORA)
This is where you separate yourself from 99% of AI users.
Rules:
Never ship first generations.
Generate multiple options.
Compare them side by side in Flora.
Quickly tag what’s working and what’s not.
Give specific feedback, not “try again”.
For example:“Same composition, but remove background clutter.”
“Warmer light, keep pose, soften contrast.”
“20% more realistic, less stylized.”
“Add more negative space on the right for text.”
Treat the model like a junior creative.
Your job isn’t to press a button.
Your job is to select, reject, and refine.
As FLORA collects your best takes, almosts, and notes, it becomes a living creative board.
That’s how work stops looking like random AI output and starts looking like a considered campaign.
Step 5: Polish, Upscale & Package For Clients
Raw generations ≠ final delivery.
This is where tools like Magnific come in.
Visual quality pass:
Upscale the chosen images
Enhance details (fabric, textures, product edges, small text)
Clean up artifacts (weird eyes, hands, edges)
Technical / brand pass:
Export in the right dimensions and formats for each channel
Check brand consistency:
Colors
Typographic overlays
Overall tone and vibe
Make sure product shots are:
Legible
Clean
Not distorted
Then ask a brutally honest question:
“If I didn’t tell you this was AI, would you assume a real team shot or designed this?”
If the answer isn’t “yeah, absolutely” → it’s not done.
The No-Slop Checklist (Screenshot This)
Before you send or publish anything AI-generated, run it through this quick checklist:
Do I have a clear goal, audience, and angle written down?
Does this asset tell a story or deliver a clear message?
Would this fit naturally alongside the brand’s existing content?
Did I iterate and give specific feedback, or did I ship the first thing?
Did I polish, upscale, and format it for the final channel?
Am I genuinely proud to send this to a top-tier client with my name on it?
If you’re ticking “no” on any of these, you’re still in slop territory. Keep going.
One-Page Cheat Sheet: How To Avoid AI Slop
You can drop this straight into a Notion page, Google Doc, or PDF.
1. Principles
AI does not replace your taste, strategy, or storytelling.
You will create slop. The win is not stopping there.
Treat AI like a junior creative, not a vending machine.
The goal: client-ready, brand-fit, real-world quality.
2. The No-Slop Workflow (5 Steps)
Step 1 – Human Strategy First
Define:
Goal (what should this asset do?)
Audience (who is it for?)
Angle / story (what’s the hook?)
Formats (what are we actually making?)
Step 2 – Turn It Into A Brief
Use ChatGPT to:
Write a simple creative brief
Break it into a shot list or storyboard
Store it all in a canvas (e.g. FLORA or Figma) with references and notes.
Step 3 – Write High-Quality Prompts
Start with images first, then video.
Use prompts that specify:
Type of shot
Subject & environment
Camera angle & composition
Lighting & mood
Style references
Aspect ratio / platform
Step 4 – Art Direct & Iterate
Generate multiple options per shot.
Review visually in one place (Flora or similar).
Give specific feedback and refine:
“More realistic” / “less cluttered” / “warmer” / “more minimal.”
Keep only what truly fits the brand and story.
Step 5 – Polish & Package
Upscale and enhance with tools like Magnific.
Check:
Resolution
Aspect ratio
Brand consistency
Product clarity
Export the right formats for each platform.
3. Quick No-Slop Questions
Ask these before you hit send:
Does this look like it belongs to a real brand with standards?
Could I show this to a creative director or CMO without apologizing?
Would I still be happy with this if AI wasn’t a “cool factor” and it was just judged as creative work?
If the answer is yes across the board → you’ve beaten AI slop.
