home / skills / jimliu / baoyu-skills / baoyu-article-illustrator
This skill analyzes article structure, identifies illustration points, and generates Type × Style visuals to enhance understanding and retention.
npx playbooks add skill jimliu/baoyu-skills --skill baoyu-article-illustratorReview the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.
---
name: baoyu-article-illustrator
description: Analyzes article structure, identifies positions requiring visual aids, generates illustrations with Type × Style two-dimension approach. Use when user asks to "illustrate article", "add images", "generate images for article", or "为文章配图".
---
# Article Illustrator
Analyze articles, identify illustration positions, generate images with Type × Style consistency.
## Two Dimensions
| Dimension | Controls | Examples |
|-----------|----------|----------|
| **Type** | Information structure | infographic, scene, flowchart, comparison, framework, timeline |
| **Style** | Visual aesthetics | notion, warm, minimal, blueprint, watercolor, elegant |
Combine freely: `--type infographic --style blueprint`
## Types
| Type | Best For |
|------|----------|
| `infographic` | Data, metrics, technical |
| `scene` | Narratives, emotional |
| `flowchart` | Processes, workflows |
| `comparison` | Side-by-side, options |
| `framework` | Models, architecture |
| `timeline` | History, evolution |
## Styles
See [references/styles.md](references/styles.md) for Core Styles, full gallery, and Type × Style compatibility.
## Workflow
```
- [ ] Step 1: Pre-check (EXTEND.md, references, config)
- [ ] Step 2: Analyze content
- [ ] Step 3: Confirm settings (AskUserQuestion)
- [ ] Step 4: Generate outline
- [ ] Step 5: Generate images
- [ ] Step 6: Finalize
```
### Step 1: Pre-check
**1.5 Load Preferences (EXTEND.md) ⛔ BLOCKING**
```bash
test -f .baoyu-skills/baoyu-article-illustrator/EXTEND.md && echo "project"
test -f "$HOME/.baoyu-skills/baoyu-article-illustrator/EXTEND.md" && echo "user"
```
| Result | Action |
|--------|--------|
| Found | Read, parse, display summary |
| Not found | ⛔ Run [first-time-setup](references/config/first-time-setup.md) |
Full procedures: [references/workflow.md](references/workflow.md#step-1-pre-check)
### Step 2: Analyze
| Analysis | Output |
|----------|--------|
| Content type | Technical / Tutorial / Methodology / Narrative |
| Purpose | information / visualization / imagination |
| Core arguments | 2-5 main points |
| Positions | Where illustrations add value |
**CRITICAL**: Metaphors → visualize underlying concept, NOT literal image.
Full procedures: [references/workflow.md](references/workflow.md#step-2-setup--analyze)
### Step 3: Confirm Settings ⚠️
**ONE AskUserQuestion, max 4 Qs. Q1-Q3 REQUIRED.**
| Q | Options |
|---|---------|
| **Q1: Type** | [Recommended], infographic, scene, flowchart, comparison, framework, timeline, mixed |
| **Q2: Density** | minimal (1-2), balanced (3-5), per-section (Recommended), rich (6+) |
| **Q3: Style** | [Recommended], minimal-flat, sci-fi, hand-drawn, editorial, scene, Other |
| Q4: Language | When article language ≠ EXTEND.md setting |
Full procedures: [references/workflow.md](references/workflow.md#step-3-confirm-settings-)
### Step 4: Generate Outline
Save `outline.md` with frontmatter (type, density, style, image_count) and entries:
```yaml
## Illustration 1
**Position**: [section/paragraph]
**Purpose**: [why]
**Visual Content**: [what]
**Filename**: 01-infographic-concept-name.png
```
Full template: [references/workflow.md](references/workflow.md#step-4-generate-outline)
### Step 5: Generate Images
⛔ **BLOCKING: Prompt files MUST be saved before ANY image generation.**
1. For each illustration, create a prompt file per [references/prompt-construction.md](references/prompt-construction.md)
2. Save to `prompts/NN-{type}-{slug}.md` with YAML frontmatter
3. Prompts **MUST** use type-specific templates with structured sections (ZONES / LABELS / COLORS / STYLE / ASPECT)
4. LABELS **MUST** include article-specific data: actual numbers, terms, metrics, quotes
5. **DO NOT** pass ad-hoc inline prompts to `--prompt` without saving prompt files first
6. Select generation skill, process references (`direct`/`style`/`palette`)
7. Apply watermark if EXTEND.md enabled
8. Generate from saved prompt files; retry once on failure
Full procedures: [references/workflow.md](references/workflow.md#step-5-generate-images)
### Step 6: Finalize
Insert `` after paragraphs.
```
Article Illustration Complete!
Article: [path] | Type: [type] | Density: [level] | Style: [style]
Images: X/N generated
```
## Output Directory
```
illustrations/{topic-slug}/
├── source-{slug}.{ext}
├── references/ # if provided
├── outline.md
├── prompts/
└── NN-{type}-{slug}.png
```
**Slug**: 2-4 words, kebab-case. **Conflict**: append `-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS`.
## Modification
| Action | Steps |
|--------|-------|
| Edit | Update prompt → Regenerate → Update reference |
| Add | Position → Prompt → Generate → Update outline → Insert |
| Delete | Delete files → Remove reference → Update outline |
## References
| File | Content |
|------|---------|
| [references/workflow.md](references/workflow.md) | Detailed procedures |
| [references/usage.md](references/usage.md) | Command syntax |
| [references/styles.md](references/styles.md) | Style gallery |
| [references/prompt-construction.md](references/prompt-construction.md) | Prompt templates |
| [references/config/first-time-setup.md](references/config/first-time-setup.md) | First-time setup |
This skill analyzes article structure, pinpoints where images add the most value, and generates consistent illustrations using a two-dimension Type × Style system. It produces an outline of image positions, creates prompts, and outputs ready-to-insert image files and metadata. The goal is coherent visual language across an article with reproducible prompts and filenames.
The skill scans the article to detect content type, purpose, core arguments, and exact positions where visuals will improve comprehension or engagement. It asks up to four quick confirmation questions (Type, Density, Style, Language) to align generation settings. Then it writes an outline (outline.md), constructs generation prompts, and sequentially produces images, applying references, palettes, and optional watermarking. Final output is organized in an illustrations/{topic-slug}/ folder with prompts, sources, and numbered image files.
How many questions will you ask me before generating images?
I will ask up to four quick questions; Q1–Q3 (Type, Density, Style) are required and Q4 is optional for language adjustments.
Can I mix Types and Styles within one article?
Yes. The workflow supports mixed types and styles per illustration, but maintain a clear outline to preserve visual consistency across the article.