fal.ai Image Generator

Use the fal.ai API to generate images from text prompts.

Official docs: https://fal.ai/docs

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When to Use

Use this skill when you need to:

• Generate images from text descriptions
• Create illustrations or visual content
• Generate blog headers, thumbnails, or social media images

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Prerequisites

1. Sign up at fal.ai
2. Get your API key from the dashboard

export FAL_KEY="your-api-key"

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Important: When using $VAR in a command that pipes to another command, wrap the command containing $VAR in bash -c '...'. Due to a Claude Code bug, environment variables are silently cleared when pipes are used directly.

bash -c 'curl -s "https://api.example.com" -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY"'

How to Use

1. Generate Image (nano-banana-pro - fast)

Write to /tmp/fal_request.json:

{
  "prompt": "A futuristic city at sunset, cyberpunk style"
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://fal.run/fal-ai/nano-banana-pro" --header "Authorization: Key ${FAL_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/fal_request.json' | jq -r '.images[0].url'

2. Generate Image (flux/schnell - fast)

Write to /tmp/fal_request.json:

{
  "prompt": "A cute cat eating a cookie"
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://fal.run/fal-ai/flux/schnell" --header "Authorization: Key ${FAL_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/fal_request.json' | jq -r '.images[0].url'

3. Generate Image (recraft-v3 - high quality)

Write to /tmp/fal_request.json:

{
  "prompt": "Abstract art, vibrant colors"
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://fal.run/fal-ai/recraft-v3" --header "Authorization: Key ${FAL_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/fal_request.json' | jq -r '.images[0].url'

4. Generate with Custom Size

Write to /tmp/fal_request.json:

{
  "prompt": "Mountain landscape",
  "image_size": "landscape_16_9"
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://fal.run/fal-ai/nano-banana-pro" --header "Authorization: Key ${FAL_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/fal_request.json' | jq -r '.images[0].url'

5. Download Generated Image

Write to /tmp/fal_request.json:

{
  "prompt": "A minimalist workspace"
}

Then run:

bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://fal.run/fal-ai/nano-banana-pro" --header "Authorization: Key ${FAL_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/fal_request.json' | jq -r '.images[0].url' | xargs curl -sL -o /tmp/image.png

6. Pipe Prompt from Echo (JSON escaped)

echo "A dragon breathing fire, epic fantasy art" | jq -Rs '{prompt: .}' > /tmp/fal_request.json
bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://fal.run/fal-ai/nano-banana-pro" --header "Authorization: Key ${FAL_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/fal_request.json' | jq -r '.images[0].url'

7. Pipe Prompt from File (JSON escaped)

cat /tmp/prompt.txt | jq -Rs '{prompt: .}' > /tmp/fal_request.json
bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://fal.run/fal-ai/nano-banana-pro" --header "Authorization: Key ${FAL_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/fal_request.json' | jq -r '.images[0].url'

8. Pipe with Additional Parameters

echo "Neon city at night" | jq -Rs '{prompt: ., image_size: "landscape_16_9"}' > /tmp/fal_request.json
bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://fal.run/fal-ai/nano-banana-pro" --header "Authorization: Key ${FAL_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/fal_request.json' | jq -r '.images[0].url'

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Available Models

Model	Description
nano-banana-pro	Fast, good quality (recommended)
flux/schnell	Fast generation
flux-pro	High quality
recraft-v3	High quality vector/illustration

See more at: https://fal.ai/models

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Image Sizes

Size	Aspect Ratio
square	1:1
square_hd	1:1 (high res)
portrait_4_3	4:3
portrait_16_9	16:9
landscape_4_3	3:4
landscape_16_9	9:16

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Prompt Guidelines

For best results:

1. Be specific - Describe the subject clearly
2. Add style hints - "modern", "minimalist", "photorealistic", "digital art", "cinematic"
3. Specify colors/mood - "blue and purple gradient", "warm tones", "dark and moody"
4. Keep it concise - Clear and focused descriptions work better