Thinking Mode in Practice

Thinking mode is the flagship capability that sets AI Image 2 apart from earlier models: before drawing, the model plans layout, checks text against objects, may use web search when needed, then outputs up to roughly 8 stylistically coherent images (per current AI Chat capabilities). This tutorial helps you decide when to turn it on, how to write prompts, and how to recover when things go wrong.

Who can use it

The UI may label it Thinking / Reasoning model—a longer “Preparing…” phase before images appear is normal.

Instant vs Thinking: quick selection

Need readable text, tables, multi-panel comics, or a series set?
  └─ Yes → Thinking
  └─ No → Try Instant first; switch to Thinking if unsatisfied

Just mood illustration, texture background, or text-free wallpaper?
  └─ Instant is enough

What Thinking does internally (what you will see)

1. Wait 30–90 seconds (depends on complexity)
2. Sometimes shows retrieval or planning hints (UI copy varies by version)
3. Returns 1–8 thumbnails or a carousel in one response
4. Text error rate is noticeably lower than Instant

You do not need to see the reasoning chain—just give enough structure in your brief.

Standard prompt skeleton (Thinking-specific)

[Thinking mode] Plan first, then generate.

[Goal] One image / multiple (state count)
[Aspect] 16:9 / 9:16 / 1:1 …
[Copy] All quoted source text verbatim
[Layout] Zones: copy left / image right; headline top / product bottom …
[Style] Photo / illustration / UI mockup …
[Consistency] If multiple: lock character, product, palette
[Forbidden] Watermarks, garbled text, malformed limbs …

Multi-image example

[Thinking mode] Generate 6 coherent 4:5 images for outdoor brand "Trailfolk" spring line:
1 mountain tent 2 stream hike 3 campfire night 4 gear flat lay 5 slogan "Born Wild"
6 promo "Free shipping over $59". Same tent model, olive + khaki palette, natural light photography.

Seven task types that suit Thinking

1. Multilingual posters (mixed Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean)
2. Menus / price lists / infographics (many lines of text)
3. Comics and storyboards (character consistency)
4. E-commerce scene series (same SKU)
5. UI / Dashboard mocks (dense controls)
6. Event key visuals with dates (numbers prone to errors)
7. Educational diagrams (many labels—verify facts manually)

Web search: use it or skip it

Thinking models can sometimes search the web to support infographics (maps, events, news). Notes:

• Numbers, dates, stock prices must be verified manually
• Avoid relying on auto-search for sensitive topics
• When facts are not needed, write in the prompt: No web search needed—draw from the quoted copy below

Character lock sentence for coherent 8-image series

Copy to the end of every series prompt:

[Consistency lock] Lead: East Asian woman, shoulder-length black hair, beige trench coat, jeans;
Style: realistic photography; Grade: low saturation, slightly teal; do not change facial structure.

For products, swap to product description: white frosted bottle, silver pump, 100 ml size.

Troubleshooting guide

Quota and time management

• Campaign sign-off day: batch Thinking in the morning; afternoon only for editing.
• Exploration phase: Instant for 10 directions quickly; pick one and refine with Thinking.
• Team convention: filename includes thinking-618-v3 for traceability.

Three advanced exercises

Exercise A: 4-panel comic with dialogue; check character consistency. Exercise B: One Chinese + one English banner, same layout. Exercise C: 6 e-commerce scenes + 1 promo text image—7 images in one batch.

Further reading

• Blog: Thinking mode deep dive
• Batch generation
• Prompt engineering

Thinking is not a “slower premium filter”—it is the switch that turns random retries into a repeatable workflow. People who plan briefs well truly use AI Image 2’s flagship capability.