PROMPT GUIDE

Letterboxed (Black Bars) and Cinematic Composition Prompts

letterboxed is a Danbooru tag that draws black bars (a letterbox) at the top and bottom of the image, and just adding it makes your picture look like a scene from a movie. Add wide shot, depth of field and film grain on top, and it really starts to feel like a single frame from a film. On the flip side, if the bars keep showing up when you don't want them, putting the tag in your negative prompt gets rid of them.

Last updated: 2026-10-16 approx. 2 min read

日本語版

What does letterboxed mean and how does it work?

letterboxed is the tag for images that have "black bars above and below," the kind you get when widescreen footage is fit onto a screen. Put it in your prompt and black bars are drawn at the top and bottom of the image, making it look like a still cut from a movie or anime.

The bars are drawn as part of the image, so their thickness changes with the seed and image size
Landscape sizes (e.g. 1216x832 or 1344x768) fit the movie look more easily
It also works at portrait sizes, but the character tends to get small
Bars on the left and right are a different tag: pillarboxed

Which tags make an image look cinematic?

letterboxed on its own stops at "a picture with black bars." Add lighting, framing, blur and texture one at a time, and it starts to feel like a real movie shot.

Tags that work for a cinematic look

Tag	Meaning	Note
`letterboxed`	Black bars top and bottom	The foundation of the movie feel Details
`cinematic lighting`	Movie-like lighting	Not a Danbooru tag, but a phrase that works well in SD models
`film grain`	Film grain texture	Adds slight grit for a footage look Details
`wide shot`	Wide shot	Shows the character together with the background Details
`very wide shot`	Very wide shot	The character is small within the scenery
`depth of field`	Depth of field	Background or foreground blur gives a filmed look Details
`blurry foreground`	Foreground blur (mae-boke)	Objects in front, like peeking through Details
`lens flare`	Lens flare	Rings of light when backlit Details
`chromatic aberration`	Chromatic aberration	Color fringing on edges. Don't overdo it Details
`dutch angle`	Tilted composition	For tense shots Details
`backlighting`	Backlighting	The character's outline glows, very dramatic Details

Shot you want	Combination	Notes
Movie opening	letterboxed, very wide shot, scenery, horizon, sunset	Keep the character small and let the scenery lead
Dialogue scene	letterboxed, upper body, looking to the side, depth of field	Looking away to the side feels like being filmed
Old movie style	letterboxed, film grain, cinematic lighting	Add muted colors to tone down the colors a bit
Backlit final shot	letterboxed, backlighting, lens flare, from behind	A back view leaves a lingering mood

Rinka's tips

The trick to a movie feel is having her look away. Drop looking at viewer and use looking to the side or looking away instead
Pushing both film grain and chromatic aberration hard tends to make the image noisy. Start with just one of them
If subtitle-like text appears, add subtitled and text to your negative prompt

For framing and camera angle tags: Composition Prompt Tag List (Framing, Camera Angles, Foreground Blur) →

Black bars not showing up, or showing up on their own?

If the bars don't appear, strengthen letterboxed a little or switch to a landscape size. On the other hand, if black bars or borders show up uninvited in ordinary images, put the following tags in your negative prompt.

Negatives to remove bars and borders

Tag	Meaning	Note
`letterboxed`	Black bars top and bottom	In the negative, bars become less likely Details
`pillarboxed`	Black bars left and right	Tend to appear at portrait sizes
`black border`	Black edge	A black frame around the image
`border`	Border / frame	Also for when a white border appears
`subtitled`	Subtitles	Text that tends to appear with cinematic tags

worst quality, low quality, lowres, letterboxed, pillarboxed, black border, border, subtitled, text, watermark, signature

For a standard negative prompt set: Recommended Negative Prompts and a Copy-Paste Template →

Copy-paste templates

Just swap out the parts in [brackets]. A landscape size (such as 1216x832) is recommended.

1girl, solo, [hairstyle], [outfit], looking to the side, upper body, [location], letterboxed, cinematic lighting, depth of field, film grain, masterpiece, best quality

1girl, solo, from behind, standing, very wide shot, scenery, horizon, sunset, backlighting, lens flare, letterboxed, film grain, masterpiece, best quality

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What does letterboxed mean?

It refers to the black bars above and below the picture that appear when widescreen footage is fit onto a screen. It exists as a Danbooru tag, and putting it in your prompt draws black bars at the top and bottom of the image so it looks like a scene from a movie.

The black bars don't appear.

Strengthen letterboxed a little, like (letterboxed:1.2), or use a landscape size such as 1216x832. It works less well near the end of the prompt, so placing it near your composition tags is also a good idea.

How do I stop black bars or borders from appearing?

Put letterboxed, pillarboxed, black border, border in your negative prompt. When you're using cinematic tags, adding subtitled as well helps prevent subtitle-like text.