Photo-to-Chinese Shadow Puppet Poster
Image Prompt

Turn each photo I upload into a separate, standalone premium design poster. Do not create multi-image collages; output each photo individually. Use an overall 3:4 vertical composition, divided into two sections with a strict 1:1 height ratio, each occupying 50% of the image. In the upper half, preserve the original photograph, maintaining the subject’s identity, structure, pose, realistic texture, natural lighting and shadows, and original color atmosphere. Apply only subtle, sophisticated color grading to give it the quality of fine-art photography and an Eastern exhibition image. To fit the aspect ratio, the surrounding environment may be extended naturally, but the subject must not be stretched, distorted, or altered. In the lower half, extract the photograph’s most recognizable **subject, silhouette, pose, and narrative relationship**, and reconstruct them as a **traditional Chinese shadow-puppet figure / shadow puppet** performing on a semi-transparent xuan-paper screen illuminated by warm light. Whether the original image contains a person, animal, building, plant, object, or landscape, interpret it as a “controllable character”: divide the subject into a small number of articulated components connected by rivets, use the pose from the most expressive moment in the original photograph, and add one or two long, slender bamboo control rods entering from the bottom of the image. Do not depict it realistically or turn it into a cartoon. Instead, reinterpret it through the formal language of shadow puppetry: side-profile treatment, flattened shapes, decorative cutouts, cloud motifs and geometric carved patterns, and partially translucent color staining. Preserve the original subject’s most recognizable features so viewers can identify it at a glance while feeling that it has been reinterpreted and carved by an experienced traditional artisan. Light and shadow are the soul of this work. Place a warm light behind the screen so that warm points of light shine through the puppet’s cutout areas. The colored sections should feature translucent vermilion red, indigo blue, olive green, and amber yellow. Give the puppet’s edges soft, blurred cast shadows and a subtle glow, as if it were moving slowly. An extremely faint double shadow or slight motion blur may be added to capture a moment during the performance. The composition should center on **one scene, one puppet, and abundant negative space**. The screen should form a warm field of yellowish beige or pale amber light that naturally darkens around the edges. The subject should occupy only about 25%–35% of the image and may be placed off-center or at a golden-ratio position. Keep the remaining space quiet, like a pause before the performance begins. Do not show an audience, a full-stage view, or complex props. Extract two or three of the most emotionally meaningful colors from the photograph above and translate them into translucent colors applied to the shadow puppet, harmonized with the warm field of light. Use dark brown and warm ink tones for the shadows instead of cold black. Use text sparingly. A “play title” or short phrase may appear in small vertical lettering, like a program handwritten by a theater troupe, placed quietly in one corner of the screen. The language is unrestricted. The overall image should combine **intricate shadow-puppet cutwork, translucent color staining, a warmly illuminated screen, soft cast shadows, and Eastern negative space** into a unified light-and-shadow visual. The central principle is to invite the protagonist of the photograph onto the screen and let it perform an entire play through a single pose. Avoid fully realistic rendering, densely packed scenes, cheap commercial Chinese-trend aesthetics, plastic textures, 3D rendering, cartoon qualities, and template-like posters.

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