She runs a food content account, and the most frustrating part isn't writing copy—it's finding cover images.
"For a food account, the cover image can make or break you. With the same content, an attractive cover gets more clicks, while an unattractive one means nobody will read even the best article."
Taking her own photos wasn't an option because her equipment and lighting weren't good enough. Free stock image libraries were no better—the good images had been used everywhere. Hiring a designer cost dozens of yuan per cover, which simply wasn't sustainable for daily posts.
Then one day, she came across a dessert-making video. The visuals were so beautiful that she stopped to watch it three times. The warm lighting, overhead composition, and close-up of chocolate sauce slowly flowing down... Every frame looked like a magazine cover.
"If only I could turn visuals like these into my own cover images."
Then she discovered a solution.
Step 1: Download reference material
She went through the video frame by frame in a player and captured the three best compositions: an overhead wide shot, a close-up of the chocolate, and a shot of the finished dish.
"The screenshots aren't meant to be used directly as cover images. They're for showing an AI the reference style."
Step 2: Use AI image generation to create an original cover
With image-to-image generation, you can upload reference images and have AI use their composition and style to create entirely new images.
She uploaded the three screenshots she had just taken.
Next came the most important step: describing the scene.
"Overhead view, a chocolate cake on a wooden tabletop, chocolate sauce slowly flowing down, warm-toned lighting, blurred background, food photography style, elegant plating."
She downloaded and used the image she liked best. If she wasn't satisfied, she could simply generate another one.
Most importantly, this was a completely new image generated by AI—not a screenshot or a repost—so it was fully original and didn't involve copyright issues.
Not just covers: More ways to use this approach
This combination can be used in even more creative ways:
Create a series of covers with a consistent visual style. Use three frames from the same video, shot from different angles, as reference images. The generated images will naturally have a similar style. Use this approach for several posts in a row, and your covers will develop a cohesive visual identity.
Use text-to-image mode to create images quickly. Sometimes you don't need a reference video at all—you can simply enter a description in text-to-image mode. For example, "Japanese minimalist style, miso soup in a white porcelain bowl, wooden table background, natural light" can produce an image in seconds.
Her workflow is now set: browse videos for inspiration → download a video and capture reference frames → use AI image generation to create an original cover → write and publish the article.
If you're also struggling with cover images, why not try this approach?