CFG Scale Parameters
Classifier-Free Guidance Scale - a parameter that controls how closely the AI follows your text prompt versus generating more freely. Higher values mean stricter adherence to the prompt.
CFG Scale (Classifier-Free Guidance) is one of the most important parameters in AI image generation. It determines the balance between following your prompt and the model’s general image quality.
How It Works
At each denoising step, the model generates two predictions:
- Conditional: Guided by your text prompt
- Unconditional: Without any guidance
The CFG scale determines how much to favor the conditional prediction:
- Low CFG (1-4): More creative, but may ignore parts of your prompt
- Medium CFG (5-10): Balanced results (recommended starting point: 7)
- High CFG (11-20+): Strictly follows prompt but may oversaturate or distort
Recommended Values
| CFG Scale | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | Very creative, often ignores prompt |
| 4-6 | Creative with some prompt adherence |
| 7-8 | Balanced (default for most use cases) |
| 9-12 | Strong prompt adherence |
| 13+ | Very strict, may cause artifacts |
Tips
- Start at 7 and adjust based on results
- Complex prompts may need higher CFG
- If images look oversaturated, reduce CFG
- Different models have different sweet spots
- Combine with negative prompts for better control