Cover Image Generator

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

Usage

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

# Quick mode: skip confirmation, use auto-selection
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --quick

# Specify dimensions (new 5D system)
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --type conceptual --palette warm --rendering flat-vector
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --text title-subtitle --mood bold

# Style presets (backward-compatible shorthand for palette + rendering)
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --style blueprint
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --style blueprint --rendering hand-drawn  # override rendering

# Visual only (no title text)
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --no-title

# Direct content input
/baoyu-cover-image
[paste content]

# Direct input with options
/baoyu-cover-image --palette mono --rendering digital --aspect 1:1 --quick
[paste content]

Options

Option	Description
`--type <name>`	Cover type: hero, conceptual, typography, metaphor, scene, minimal
`--palette <name>`	Color palette: warm, elegant, cool, dark, earth, vivid, pastel, mono, retro
`--rendering <name>`	Rendering style: flat-vector, hand-drawn, painterly, digital, pixel, chalk
`--style <name>`	Preset shorthand (expands to palette + rendering, see Style Presets)
`--text <level>`	Text density: none, title-only, title-subtitle, text-rich
`--mood <level>`	Emotional intensity: subtle, balanced, bold
`--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 for missing dimensions

Five Dimensions

Dimension	Controls	Values	Default
Type	Visual composition, information structure	hero, conceptual, typography, metaphor, scene, minimal	auto
Palette	Colors, color scheme, decorative hints	warm, elegant, cool, dark, earth, vivid, pastel, mono, retro	auto
Rendering	Line quality, texture, depth, element style	flat-vector, hand-drawn, painterly, digital, pixel, chalk	auto
Text	Text density, information hierarchy	none, title-only, title-subtitle, text-rich	title-only
Mood	Emotional intensity, visual weight	subtle, balanced, bold	balanced

Dimensions can be freely combined. Auto-selection rules: references/auto-selection.md

Type Gallery

Type	Description	Best For
`hero`	Large visual impact, title overlay	Product launch, brand promotion, major announcements
`conceptual`	Concept visualization, abstract core ideas	Technical articles, methodology, architecture design
`typography`	Text-focused layout, prominent title	Opinion pieces, quotes, insights
`metaphor`	Visual metaphor, concrete expressing abstract	Philosophy, growth, personal development
`scene`	Atmospheric scene, narrative feel	Stories, travel, lifestyle
`minimal`

Type composition details: references/types.md

Palette Gallery

Palette	Vibe	Primary Colors
`warm`	Friendly, approachable	Orange, golden yellow, terracotta
`elegant`	Sophisticated, refined	Soft coral, muted teal, dusty rose
`cool`	Technical, professional	Engineering blue, navy, cyan
`dark`	Cinematic, premium	Electric purple, cyan, magenta
`earth`	Natural, organic	Forest green, sage, earth brown
`vivid`

Palette definitions: references/palettes/

Rendering Gallery

Rendering	Description	Key Characteristics
`flat-vector`	Clean modern vector	Uniform outlines, flat fills, geometric icons
`hand-drawn`	Sketchy organic illustration	Imperfect strokes, paper texture, doodles
`painterly`	Soft watercolor/paint	Brush strokes, color bleeds, soft edges
`digital`	Polished modern digital	Precise edges, subtle gradients, UI components
`pixel`	Retro 8-bit pixel art	Pixel grid, dithering, chunky shapes
`chalk`

Rendering definitions: references/renderings/

Text & Mood

Text Level	Title	Subtitle	Tags	Use Case
`none`	-	-	-	Pure visual, no text
`title-only`	✓ (≤8 字)	-	-	Simple headline (default)
`title-subtitle`	✓	✓ (≤15 字)	-	Title + supporting context
`text-rich`	✓	✓	✓ (2-4)	Information-dense

Mood	Contrast	Saturation	Weight	Use Case
`subtle`	Low	Muted	Light	Corporate, thought leadership
`balanced`	Medium	Normal	Medium	General articles (default)
`bold`	High	Vivid	Heavy	Announcements, promotions

Full guides: references/dimensions/text.md | references/dimensions/mood.md

Style Presets & Compatibility

Style Presets: --style X expands to palette + rendering. See references/style-presets.md
Compatibility Matrices: Palette×Rendering, Type×Rendering, Type×Text, Type×Mood. See references/compatibility.md
- ✓✓ = highly recommended | ✓ = compatible | ✗ = not recommended

File Structure

Output directory depends on default_output_dir preference:

Preference	Output Path
`same-dir`	`{article-dir}/`
`imgs-subdir`	`{article-dir}/imgs/`
`independent` (default)	`cover-image/{topic-slug}/`
Pasted content	`cover-image/{topic-slug}/` (always)

<output-dir>/
├── source-{slug}.{ext}    # Source files (text, images, etc.)
├── prompts/cover.md       # Generation prompt
└── cover.png              # Output image

Slug: Extract main topic (2-4 words, kebab-case). Example: "The Future of AI" → future-of-ai Conflict: If directory exists, append timestamp: {topic-slug}-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS Source Files: Copy all sources with naming source-{slug}.{ext} (multiple supported)

Workflow

Progress Checklist

Cover Image Progress:
- [ ] Step 0: Check preferences (EXTEND.md) ⚠️ REQUIRED if not found
- [ ] Step 1: Analyze content + determine output directory ⚠️ MUST ask if not configured
- [ ] Step 2: Confirm options (5 dimensions) ⚠️ REQUIRED unless --quick or all specified
- [ ] Step 3: Create prompt
- [ ] Step 4: Generate image
- [ ] Step 5: Completion report

Flow

Input → [Step 0: Preferences/Setup] → Analyze → [Output Dir ⚠️] → [Confirm: 5 Dimensions] → Prompt → Generate → Complete
                                                                          ↓
                                                                  (skip if --quick or all specified)

Step 0: Load Preferences (EXTEND.md) ⚠️

Purpose: Load user preferences or run first-time setup. Do NOT skip setup if EXTEND.md not found.

Use Bash to check EXTEND.md existence (priority order):

# Check project-level first
test -f .baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md && echo "project"

# Then user-level (cross-platform: $HOME works on macOS/Linux/WSL)
test -f "$HOME/.baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md" && echo "user"

Result	Action
Found	Read, parse, display preferences summary → Continue to Step 1
Not found	⚠️ MUST run first-time setup (references/config/first-time-setup.md) → Then continue to Step 1

Preferences Summary (when found):

Preferences loaded from [project/user]:
• Watermark: [enabled/disabled] [content if enabled]
• Type/Palette/Rendering: [value or "auto"]
• Text: [value or "title-only"] | Mood: [value or "balanced"]
• Aspect: [default_aspect] | Output: [dir or "not set — will ask in Step 1.5"]
• Quick mode: [enabled/disabled] | Language: [value or "auto"]

Schema: references/config/preferences-schema.md

Step 1: Analyze Content

Save source content (if pasted, save to source.md in target directory; if file path, use as-is)
Content analysis: Extract topic, core message, tone, keywords; identify visual metaphors; detect content type
Language detection: Detect source language, note user's input language, compare with EXTEND.md preference
Determine output directory per File Structure rules. If no default_output_dir preference + file path input, include in Step 2 Q4

Step 2: Confirm Options ⚠️

Validate all 5 dimensions + aspect ratio. Full confirmation flow: references/workflow/confirm-options.md

Skip Conditions:

Condition	Skipped	Still Asked
`--quick` or `quick_mode: true`	5 dimensions	Aspect ratio (unless `--aspect`)
All 5 + `--aspect` specified	All	None

Step 3: Create Prompt

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

Step 4: Generate Image

Backup existing cover.png → cover-backup-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.png (if regenerating)
Check available image generation skills; if multiple, ask user preference
Call selected skill with prompt file path, output path (cover.png), aspect ratio
On failure: auto-retry once before reporting error

Step 5: Completion Report

Cover Generated!

Topic: [topic]
Type: [type] | Palette: [palette] | Rendering: [rendering]
Text: [text] | Mood: [mood] | Aspect: [ratio]
Title: [title text or "visual only"]
Language: [lang] | Watermark: [enabled/disabled]
Location: [directory path]

Files:
✓ source-{slug}.{ext}
✓ prompts/cover.md
✓ cover.png
[✓ cover-backup-{timestamp}.png (if regenerated)]

Image Modification

Action	Steps
Regenerate	Backup existing → Update prompt file FIRST → Regenerate with same settings
Change dimension	Backup existing → Confirm new value → Update prompt file FIRST → Regenerate

IMPORTANT: When regenerating, ALWAYS update the prompt file (prompts/cover.md) FIRST before regenerating. This ensures changes are documented and reproducible.

All modifications automatically backup existing cover.png before regenerating.

Notes

Cover must be readable at small preview sizes
Visual metaphors > literal representations
Title: max 8 chars, readable, impactful
Two confirmation points: Step 0 (first-time setup) + Step 2 (options) - skip Step 2 with --quick
Use confirmed language for title text
Maintain watermark consistency if enabled
Check compatibility matrices when selecting combinations
--no-title is alias for --text none
--style presets are backward-compatible; explicit --palette/--rendering override preset values

References

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

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Cover Image Generator

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

Usage

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

# Quick mode: skip confirmation, use auto-selection
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --quick

# Specify dimensions (new 5D system)
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --type conceptual --palette warm --rendering flat-vector
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --text title-subtitle --mood bold

# Style presets (backward-compatible shorthand for palette + rendering)
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --style blueprint
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --style blueprint --rendering hand-drawn  # override rendering

# Visual only (no title text)
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --no-title

# Direct content input
/baoyu-cover-image
[paste content]

# Direct input with options
/baoyu-cover-image --palette mono --rendering digital --aspect 1:1 --quick
[paste content]

Options

Option	Description
`--type <name>`	Cover type: hero, conceptual, typography, metaphor, scene, minimal
`--palette <name>`	Color palette: warm, elegant, cool, dark, earth, vivid, pastel, mono, retro
`--rendering <name>`	Rendering style: flat-vector, hand-drawn, painterly, digital, pixel, chalk
`--style <name>`	Preset shorthand (expands to palette + rendering, see Style Presets)
`--text <level>`	Text density: none, title-only, title-subtitle, text-rich
`--mood <level>`	Emotional intensity: subtle, balanced, bold
`--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 for missing dimensions

Five Dimensions

Dimension	Controls	Values	Default
Type	Visual composition, information structure	hero, conceptual, typography, metaphor, scene, minimal	auto
Palette	Colors, color scheme, decorative hints	warm, elegant, cool, dark, earth, vivid, pastel, mono, retro	auto
Rendering	Line quality, texture, depth, element style	flat-vector, hand-drawn, painterly, digital, pixel, chalk	auto
Text	Text density, information hierarchy	none, title-only, title-subtitle, text-rich	title-only
Mood	Emotional intensity, visual weight	subtle, balanced, bold	balanced

Dimensions can be freely combined. Auto-selection rules: references/auto-selection.md

Type Gallery

Type	Description	Best For
`hero`	Large visual impact, title overlay	Product launch, brand promotion, major announcements
`conceptual`	Concept visualization, abstract core ideas	Technical articles, methodology, architecture design
`typography`	Text-focused layout, prominent title	Opinion pieces, quotes, insights
`metaphor`	Visual metaphor, concrete expressing abstract	Philosophy, growth, personal development
`scene`	Atmospheric scene, narrative feel	Stories, travel, lifestyle
`minimal`

Type composition details: references/types.md

Palette Gallery

Palette	Vibe	Primary Colors
`warm`	Friendly, approachable	Orange, golden yellow, terracotta
`elegant`	Sophisticated, refined	Soft coral, muted teal, dusty rose
`cool`	Technical, professional	Engineering blue, navy, cyan
`dark`	Cinematic, premium	Electric purple, cyan, magenta
`earth`	Natural, organic	Forest green, sage, earth brown
`vivid`

Palette definitions: references/palettes/

Rendering Gallery

Rendering	Description	Key Characteristics
`flat-vector`	Clean modern vector	Uniform outlines, flat fills, geometric icons
`hand-drawn`	Sketchy organic illustration	Imperfect strokes, paper texture, doodles
`painterly`	Soft watercolor/paint	Brush strokes, color bleeds, soft edges
`digital`	Polished modern digital	Precise edges, subtle gradients, UI components
`pixel`	Retro 8-bit pixel art	Pixel grid, dithering, chunky shapes
`chalk`

Rendering definitions: references/renderings/

Text & Mood

Text Level	Title	Subtitle	Tags	Use Case
`none`	-	-	-	Pure visual, no text
`title-only`	✓ (≤8 字)	-	-	Simple headline (default)
`title-subtitle`	✓	✓ (≤15 字)	-	Title + supporting context
`text-rich`	✓	✓	✓ (2-4)	Information-dense

Mood	Contrast	Saturation	Weight	Use Case
`subtle`	Low	Muted	Light	Corporate, thought leadership
`balanced`	Medium	Normal	Medium	General articles (default)
`bold`	High	Vivid	Heavy	Announcements, promotions

Full guides: references/dimensions/text.md | references/dimensions/mood.md

Style Presets & Compatibility

Style Presets: --style X expands to palette + rendering. See references/style-presets.md
Compatibility Matrices: Palette×Rendering, Type×Rendering, Type×Text, Type×Mood. See references/compatibility.md
- ✓✓ = highly recommended | ✓ = compatible | ✗ = not recommended

File Structure

Output directory depends on default_output_dir preference:

Preference	Output Path
`same-dir`	`{article-dir}/`
`imgs-subdir`	`{article-dir}/imgs/`
`independent` (default)	`cover-image/{topic-slug}/`
Pasted content	`cover-image/{topic-slug}/` (always)

<output-dir>/
├── source-{slug}.{ext}    # Source files (text, images, etc.)
├── prompts/cover.md       # Generation prompt
└── cover.png              # Output image

Workflow

Progress Checklist

Cover Image Progress:
- [ ] Step 0: Check preferences (EXTEND.md) ⚠️ REQUIRED if not found
- [ ] Step 1: Analyze content + determine output directory ⚠️ MUST ask if not configured
- [ ] Step 2: Confirm options (5 dimensions) ⚠️ REQUIRED unless --quick or all specified
- [ ] Step 3: Create prompt
- [ ] Step 4: Generate image
- [ ] Step 5: Completion report

Flow

Input → [Step 0: Preferences/Setup] → Analyze → [Output Dir ⚠️] → [Confirm: 5 Dimensions] → Prompt → Generate → Complete
                                                                          ↓
                                                                  (skip if --quick or all specified)

Step 0: Load Preferences (EXTEND.md) ⚠️

Purpose: Load user preferences or run first-time setup. Do NOT skip setup if EXTEND.md not found.

Use Bash to check EXTEND.md existence (priority order):

# Check project-level first
test -f .baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md && echo "project"

# Then user-level (cross-platform: $HOME works on macOS/Linux/WSL)
test -f "$HOME/.baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md" && echo "user"

Result	Action
Found	Read, parse, display preferences summary → Continue to Step 1
Not found	⚠️ MUST run first-time setup (references/config/first-time-setup.md) → Then continue to Step 1

Preferences Summary (when found):

Preferences loaded from [project/user]:
• Watermark: [enabled/disabled] [content if enabled]
• Type/Palette/Rendering: [value or "auto"]
• Text: [value or "title-only"] | Mood: [value or "balanced"]
• Aspect: [default_aspect] | Output: [dir or "not set — will ask in Step 1.5"]
• Quick mode: [enabled/disabled] | Language: [value or "auto"]

Schema: references/config/preferences-schema.md

Step 1: Analyze Content

Save source content (if pasted, save to source.md in target directory; if file path, use as-is)
Content analysis: Extract topic, core message, tone, keywords; identify visual metaphors; detect content type
Language detection: Detect source language, note user's input language, compare with EXTEND.md preference
Determine output directory per File Structure rules. If no default_output_dir preference + file path input, include in Step 2 Q4

Step 2: Confirm Options ⚠️

Validate all 5 dimensions + aspect ratio. Full confirmation flow: references/workflow/confirm-options.md

Skip Conditions:

Condition	Skipped	Still Asked
`--quick` or `quick_mode: true`	5 dimensions	Aspect ratio (unless `--aspect`)
All 5 + `--aspect` specified	All	None

Step 3: Create Prompt

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

Step 4: Generate Image

Backup existing cover.png → cover-backup-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.png (if regenerating)
Check available image generation skills; if multiple, ask user preference
Call selected skill with prompt file path, output path (cover.png), aspect ratio
On failure: auto-retry once before reporting error

Step 5: Completion Report

Cover Generated!

Topic: [topic]
Type: [type] | Palette: [palette] | Rendering: [rendering]
Text: [text] | Mood: [mood] | Aspect: [ratio]
Title: [title text or "visual only"]
Language: [lang] | Watermark: [enabled/disabled]
Location: [directory path]

Files:
✓ source-{slug}.{ext}
✓ prompts/cover.md
✓ cover.png
[✓ cover-backup-{timestamp}.png (if regenerated)]

Image Modification

Action	Steps
Regenerate	Backup existing → Update prompt file FIRST → Regenerate with same settings
Change dimension	Backup existing → Confirm new value → Update prompt file FIRST → Regenerate

IMPORTANT: When regenerating, ALWAYS update the prompt file (prompts/cover.md) FIRST before regenerating. This ensures changes are documented and reproducible.

All modifications automatically backup existing cover.png before regenerating.

Notes

Cover must be readable at small preview sizes
Visual metaphors > literal representations
Title: max 8 chars, readable, impactful
Two confirmation points: Step 0 (first-time setup) + Step 2 (options) - skip Step 2 with --quick
Use confirmed language for title text
Maintain watermark consistency if enabled
Check compatibility matrices when selecting combinations
--no-title is alias for --text none
--style presets are backward-compatible; explicit --palette/--rendering override preset values

baoyu-cover-image

Cover Image Generator

Usage

Options

Five Dimensions

Type Gallery

Palette Gallery

Rendering Gallery

Text & Mood

Style Presets & Compatibility

File Structure

Workflow

Progress Checklist

Flow

Step 0: Load Preferences (EXTEND.md) ⚠️

Step 1: Analyze Content

Step 2: Confirm Options ⚠️

Step 3: Create Prompt

Step 4: Generate Image

Step 5: Completion Report

Image Modification

Notes

References

Related Skills

flow

verify

feature-flags

flags

Cover Image Generator

Usage

Options

Five Dimensions

Type Gallery

Palette Gallery

Rendering Gallery

Text & Mood

Style Presets & Compatibility

File Structure

Workflow

Progress Checklist

Flow

Step 0: Load Preferences (EXTEND.md) ⚠️

Step 1: Analyze Content

Step 2: Confirm Options ⚠️

Step 3: Create Prompt

Step 4: Generate Image

Step 5: Completion Report

Image Modification

Notes

References

Related Skills

flow

verify

feature-flags

flags