Cover Image Generator

Generate elegant cover images for articles with 5-dimensional customization.

Usage

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

# Quick mode: skip confirmation
/canghe-cover-image article.md --quick

# Specify dimensions
/canghe-cover-image article.md --type conceptual --palette warm --rendering flat-vector

# Style presets (shorthand for palette + rendering)
/canghe-cover-image article.md --style blueprint

# With reference images
/canghe-cover-image article.md --ref style-ref.png

# Direct content input
/canghe-cover-image --palette mono --aspect 1:1 --quick
[paste content]

Options

| Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | --type <name> | hero, conceptual, typography, metaphor, scene, minimal | | --palette <name> | warm, elegant, cool, dark, earth, vivid, pastel, mono, retro | | --rendering <name> | flat-vector, hand-drawn, painterly, digital, pixel, chalk | | --style <name> | Preset shorthand (see Style Presets) | | --text <level> | none, title-only, title-subtitle, text-rich | | --mood <level> | subtle, balanced, bold | | --font <name> | clean, handwritten, serif, display | | --aspect <ratio> | 16:9 (default), 2.35:1, 4:3, 3:2, 1:1, 3:4 | | --lang <code> | Title language (en, zh, ja, etc.) | | --no-title | Alias for --text none | | --quick | Skip confirmation, use auto-selection | | --ref <files...> | Reference images for style/composition guidance |

Five Dimensions

| Dimension | Values | Default | |-----------|--------|---------| | Type | hero, conceptual, typography, metaphor, scene, minimal | auto | | Palette | warm, elegant, cool, dark, earth, vivid, pastel, mono, retro | auto | | Rendering | flat-vector, hand-drawn, painterly, digital, pixel, chalk | auto | | Text | none, title-only, title-subtitle, text-rich | title-only | | Mood | subtle, balanced, bold | balanced | | Font | clean, handwritten, serif, display | clean |

Auto-selection rules: references/auto-selection.md

Galleries

Types: hero, conceptual, typography, metaphor, scene, minimal → Details: references/types.md

Palettes: warm, elegant, cool, dark, earth, vivid, pastel, mono, retro → Details: references/palettes/

Renderings: flat-vector, hand-drawn, painterly, digital, pixel, chalk → Details: references/renderings/

Text Levels: none (pure visual) | title-only (default) | title-subtitle | text-rich (with tags) → Details: references/dimensions/text.md

Mood Levels: subtle (low contrast) | balanced (default) | bold (high contrast) → Details: references/dimensions/mood.md

Fonts: clean (sans-serif) | handwritten | serif | display (bold decorative) → Details: references/dimensions/font.md

File Structure

Output directory per default_output_dir preference:

• same-dir: {article-dir}/
• imgs-subdir: {article-dir}/imgs/
• independent (default): cover-image/{topic-slug}/

<output-dir>/
├── source-{slug}.{ext}    # Source files
├── refs/                  # Reference images (if provided)
│   ├── ref-01-{slug}.{ext}
│   └── ref-01-{slug}.md   # Description file
├── prompts/cover.md       # Generation prompt
└── cover.png              # Output image

Slug: 2-4 words, kebab-case. Conflict: append -YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS

Workflow

Progress Checklist

Cover Image Progress:
- [ ] Step 0: Check preferences (EXTEND.md) ⛔ BLOCKING
- [ ] Step 1: Analyze content + save refs + determine output dir
- [ ] Step 2: Confirm options (6 dimensions) ⚠️ unless --quick
- [ ] Step 3: Create prompt
- [ ] Step 4: Generate image
- [ ] Step 5: Completion report

Flow

Input → [Step 0: Preferences] ─┬─ Found → Continue
                               └─ Not found → First-Time Setup ⛔ BLOCKING → Save EXTEND.md → Continue
        ↓
Analyze + Save Refs → [Output Dir] → [Confirm: 6 Dimensions] → Prompt → Generate → Complete
                                              ↓
                                     (skip if --quick or all specified)

Step 0: Load Preferences ⛔ BLOCKING

Check EXTEND.md existence (priority: project → user):

bash
test -f .canghe-skills/canghe-cover-image/EXTEND.md && echo "project"
test -f "$HOME/.canghe-skills/canghe-cover-image/EXTEND.md" && echo "user"

| Result | Action | |--------|--------| | Found | Load, display summary → Continue | | Not found | ⛔ Run first-time setup (references/config/first-time-setup.md) → Save → Continue |

CRITICAL: If not found, complete setup BEFORE any other steps or questions.

Step 1: Analyze Content

1. Save reference images (if provided) → references/workflow/reference-images.md
2. Save source content (if pasted, save to source.md)
3. Analyze content: topic, tone, keywords, visual metaphors
4. Deep analyze references ⚠️: Extract specific, concrete elements (see reference-images.md)
5. Detect language: Compare source, user input, EXTEND.md preference
6. Determine output directory: Per File Structure rules

Step 2: Confirm Options ⚠️

Full confirmation flow: references/workflow/confirm-options.md

| Condition | Skipped | Still Asked | |-----------|---------|-------------| | --quick or quick_mode: true | 6 dimensions | Aspect ratio (unless --aspect) | | All 6 + --aspect specified | All | None |

Step 3: Create Prompt

Save to prompts/cover.md. Template: references/workflow/prompt-template.md

CRITICAL - References in Frontmatter:

• Files saved to refs/ → Add to frontmatter references list
• Style extracted verbally (no file) → Omit references, describe in body
• Before writing → Verify: test -f refs/ref-NN-{slug}.{ext}

Reference elements in body MUST be detailed, prefixed with "MUST"/"REQUIRED", with integration approach.

Step 4: Generate Image

1. Backup existing cover.png if regenerating
2. Check image generation skills; if multiple, ask preference
3. Process references from prompt frontmatter:

• direct usage → pass via --ref (use ref-capable backend)
• style/palette → extract traits, append to prompt

1. Generate: Call skill with prompt file, output path, aspect ratio
2. On failure: auto-retry once

Step 5: Completion Report

Cover Generated!

Topic: [topic]
Type: [type] | Palette: [palette] | Rendering: [rendering]
Text: [text] | Mood: [mood] | Font: [font] | Aspect: [ratio]
Title: [title or "visual only"]
Language: [lang] | Watermark: [enabled/disabled]
References: [N images or "extracted style" or "none"]
Location: [directory path]

Files:
✓ source-{slug}.{ext}
✓ prompts/cover.md
✓ cover.png

Image Modification

| Action | Steps | |--------|-------| | Regenerate | Backup → Update prompt file FIRST → Regenerate | | Change dimension | Backup → Confirm new value → Update prompt → Regenerate |

Composition Principles

• Whitespace: 40-60% breathing room
• Visual anchor: Main element centered or offset left
• Characters: Simplified silhouettes; NO realistic humans
• Title: Use exact title from user/source; never invent

Extension Support

Custom configurations via EXTEND.md. See Step 0 for paths.

Supports: Watermark | Preferred dimensions | Default aspect/output | Quick mode | Custom palettes | Language

Schema: references/config/preferences-schema.md

References

Dimensions: text.md | mood.md | font.md Palettes: references/palettes/ Renderings: references/renderings/ Types: references/types.md Auto-Selection: references/auto-selection.md Style Presets: references/style-presets.md Compatibility: references/compatibility.md Visual Elements: references/visual-elements.md Workflow: confirm-options.md | prompt-template.md | reference-images.md Config: preferences-schema.md | first-time-setup.md | watermark-guide.md