# Prompt weighting
Sometimes the model ignores a crucial part of your prompt or focuses too much on a minor detail. **Prompt Weighting** allows you to manually adjust the importance of each token.
### Syntax (Automatic1111 / ComfyUI)
Most interfaces use parenthesis for emphasis:
* `(word)` increases attention by a factor (usually 1.1x).
* `[word]` decreases attention by a factor (usually 0.9x).
* `(word:1.5)` or `(word:0.8)` explicitly sets the weight to 1.5x or 0.8x.
> [!example]
> - `a photo of a cat`
> -> The model balances "photo" and "cat" **equally**.
> - `a photo of a (cat:1.3)`
> -> The model prioritizes "cat" features **more strongly**.
> - `a photo of a [cat]`
> -> The cat becomes **less prominent**, perhaps blending into the background.
### Best Practices
* **Keep it Subtle**: Weights between `0.8` and `1.2` usually suffice. Going above `1.5` often breaks the image, causing artifacts or "deep-frying" colors.
* **Fix Bleeding**: If `red shoes` is making your whole image red, try `(red shoes:0.8)` or move it later in the prompt.
* **Emphasize Style**: Weighting stylistic keywords (e.g., `(oil painting:1.2)`) is a great way to force a specific look without changing the subject.
### Use Cases
* **Prioritize the Subject**: When competing concepts fight for attention (e.g., "red dress" and "winter scene"), weight the more important one: `(red dress:1.3) winter scene`.
* **Tone Down Unintended Effects**: If a style modifier is too strong, reduce it: `(cyberpunk:0.8)` instead of fully removing it.
* **Layer Rare Concepts**: Uncommon phrases ("art nouveau," "chiaroscuro") need higher weights to break through and affect the image: `(chiaroscuro:1.5)`.
* **Fix Lighting Issues**: If your prompt lacks lighting control, weight lighting terms: `(volumetric lighting:1.2) (golden hour:1.1)`.