The shared basics
Both engines take a comma-separated list of tags or short phrases, processed by CLIP. Order matters a little — earlier tokens get slightly more weight — and both support explicit numeric weighting like(masterpiece:1.2). Start broad (subject, then style, then detail) and refine.
Negative prompts
A negative prompt lists what you want to avoid — worst quality, low quality, blurry, extra fingers. In Automatic1111 it's a dedicated box under the positive prompt. In ComfyUI it's a separate CLIP Text Encode node wired into the sampler's negative input.
Weighting differences
- Automatic1111 / Forge: numeric
(token:1.3), nested( )/[ ]emphasis, and inline<lora:name:0.8>. - ComfyUI: numeric
(token:1.3)works, but skip the bare nested brackets; apply LoRAs with a Load LoRA node.
Full details in the prompt weighting & LoRA syntax guide.
Using BREAK and chunks
When two subjects swap attributes (the wrong character gets the red coat), separate them. A1111 uses theBREAK keyword; ComfyUI uses Conditioning (Concat) to join independently encoded chunks. Both reset CLIP's 75-token window so concepts stay distinct.
Moving prompts between engines
Most prompts copy across directly. When they don't, it's usually because of A1111-only bracket emphasis or inline LoRA tags that ComfyUI ignores. Prompt Builder helps here: drag in a PNG generated by either tool and it reads the embedded metadata to recover the exact positive and negative prompts, ready to tweak.
Wildcards for fast variation
Wildcards like {red|blue|green} or __lighting__ let you roll a fresh concrete prompt without rewriting it. Useful for batch exploration in both engines.
Frequently asked questions
How are prompts different in ComfyUI vs Automatic1111?▾
Both accept plain comma-separated tags and (token:1.2) weights. A1111 adds nested ( )/[ ] emphasis and inline <lora:…>; ComfyUI applies LoRAs and conditioning through nodes, and keeps positive and negative prompts as separate inputs.
What does BREAK do in a prompt?▾
BREAK ends the current 75-token CLIP chunk and starts a new one, isolating groups of concepts so they don’t bleed together. A1111 supports it directly; in ComfyUI you use Conditioning (Concat) nodes for the same effect.
Can I recover the prompt from a generated image?▾
Yes — drag a PNG made by Automatic1111 or ComfyUI into Prompt Builder and it reads the embedded metadata to recover the positive and negative prompts.