# Photorealistic Mockup Prompt — TK's Pergola Extension

This is a turnkey prompt you can paste into any image-editing or image-generation tool that supports text + reference image. **Upload the same backyard photo you sent me** as the reference image alongside the prompt.

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## Option A — Photoshop Generative Fill (or any inpainting tool that masks a region)

**Mask:** Paint a selection over the metal pergola on the left side of the photo (everything that's standing where the new redwood extension will go — the metal posts, the louvered roof, the string lights attached to it). The selection should be a rough rectangle covering that whole area, extending from the existing wooden pavilion's left edge out to and including the metal pergola's footprint.

**Prompt:**

```
A 14-foot by 12-foot redwood pergola extension built in craftsman
post-and-beam style, attached to the existing wooden pavilion on
the right side of the masked area. Three natural redwood 4x4 posts
on the left, middle, and right of the structure, sitting on square
concrete footings. A pair of 2x8 redwood sandwich beams running
horizontally across the top of the three posts. Nine 2x6 redwood
rafters sloping gently (1:12 pitch, 12 inches of drop over the
12-foot run) from the new beams up to the existing pavilion's 4x12
beam face. Tinted gray corrugated polycarbonate roofing panels on
top, 2 panels per rafter bay with a 12-inch overlap in the middle.
Short 45-degree knee braces at every post-to-beam joint on the
visible faces, matching the existing pavilion's craftsman look.
Exposed black Simpson Outdoor Accents Avant post bases and
decorative hex-head screws at all visible connections. The 2-foot
decorative rafter tail overhang extends past the front beam as
exposed redwood. String lights optional. Maintain the same camera
angle, lighting, and shadows as the reference photo.
```

**Key things to call out if the result drifts:**
- "All redwood, not metal or vinyl"
- "Three posts in a line, not four"
- "Slight slope, not flat — 12 inches of drop over 12 feet of run"
- "Matches the existing wooden pavilion's craftsman style on the right"

---

## Option B — Midjourney (with --cref or image reference)

```
A craftsman-style 14-foot by 12-foot redwood pergola extension
attached to a wooden pavilion, in the same backyard setting as the
reference photo. Three natural redwood 4x4 posts on square concrete
footings, pair of 2x8 sandwich beams across the top, 2x6 rafters
with 1:12 slope, tinted gray corrugated polycarbonate roof with
2 panels per bay overlapped 12 inches in the middle, 45-degree
knee braces at every post-to-beam joint, exposed black decorative
hardware, 2-foot decorative rafter tail overhang. Matches the
existing pavilion's craftsman style. Bright sunny day, same camera
angle as the reference photo.
```

Use `--cref <URL of your photo>` to anchor the scene to the actual backyard. Run 4-8 variations and pick the one with the best perspective match.

---

## Option C — DALL·E 3 (ChatGPT)

Open ChatGPT, switch to GPT-4o with image generation, and:

1. Upload your backyard photo
2. Type:

```
Using the attached backyard photo as the reference, generate a
realistic image where the metal pergola on the left is replaced
with a 14-foot by 12-foot redwood pergola extension. Three redwood
4x4 posts in a line (left, middle, right) on square concrete
footings, a pair of 2x8 sandwich beams across the top of the
posts, nine 2x6 rafters sloping slightly (1:12 pitch) from the
new beams up to the existing wooden pavilion's 4x12 beam face,
tinted gray corrugated polycarbonate roofing panels on top, short
45-degree knee braces at every post-to-beam joint, 2-foot rafter
tail overhang past the front beam. Match the existing pavilion's
craftsman style. Maintain the same camera angle, lighting, and
shadows.
```

DALL·E 3 is decent at following compositional instructions but often gets structural details (the slope, the post count, the knee braces) subtly wrong. Run it 3-4 times and pick the best one.

---

## Option D — Flux via flux.ai or similar

Most Flux interfaces have a text prompt field. Paste the same prompt from Option A. Flux is generally the best at photorealism but the worst at following specific structural details, so be prepared to iterate.

---

## What to watch out for

**Common AI errors in pergola mockups:**
- Adding a 4th post (yours has 3) — if it does this, retry with emphasis on "three posts"
- Making the slope too steep (yours is 1:12, which is almost flat) — emphasize "slight slope, almost flat"
- Omitting the knee braces — emphasize "with 45-degree knee braces at every post-to-beam joint"
- Wrong number of rafters (you have 9) — emphasize "nine rafters" or "10 rafters visible from front" (5+ showing in the photo perspective)
- Wrong panel color (often defaults to clear) — emphasize "tinted gray, not clear"
- AI-invented second roof or connected structure — emphasize "replaces the metal pergola entirely in the same footprint, attaches only to the existing wooden pavilion on one side"

**Iterate on these in order:**
1. Get the layout right (3 posts, right span, attaches to pavilion)
2. Get the slope and panel direction right
3. Get the knee braces in
4. Get the color and finish right
5. Get the lighting/shadow integration right

Send me the result and I can either:
- Tell you what to fix in the next iteration
- Update the site with the rendered image once you have one you like
- Take an AI-generated render and clean up the technical errors (post count, slope, etc.) using the SVG drawings as a guide