Fantasy background Art for Scene Inspiration (free stock photos)

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Fantasy background Art for Scene Inspiration (free stock photos)

Free fantasy background art for scene inspiration: haunted forests, alien planets and spaceships, castles, ruins, waterfalls and a neon city street, all made with Midjourney and grouped by scene type below.

Most of my books are actually urban fantasy, based on ancient mythology, but more than a few have classical “fantasy” scenes and settings; I’ve been using Midjourney to create fantasy art to help my writing process. I’m sharing them here so you can enjoy them. Feel free to use them as inspiration, or pin them to your moodboards. You can even use them as blog headings if you want but please link back to this page

How you can use these images

  • As inspiration for scenes and settings.
  • Pinned to your moodboards.
  • As blog headings, with a link back to this page.

Haunted forests, graveyards and gothic houses

Eerie misty forest under a full moon, with a lit gothic mansion among bare trees
Foggy forest path under a full moon, lined with bare trees and crumbling stone walls
Glowing gothic church in a misty green graveyard under a full moon, with bats overhead
Haunted house glowing in a dark forest among jack-o'-lanterns under a full moon

Alien planets and spaceships

Misty teal landscape of jagged dark peaks, a glowing moon, and a still lake under haze
Huge dark saucer-shaped spaceship hovering over spiky rock spires on a misty alien plain
Sleek dark starship with a glowing blue trail over hazy alien mountains and distant craft
Dark alien terrain under a huge curved planet, with pink and violet light streaking the sky
Silver spaceship hull under a glowing orange-rimmed planet above dark alien rocks
Tall dark alien spires under a foggy sky, with a huge spacecraft hovering at the right
Two spacecraft drift past huge pale planets above a dusty, hazy alien plain
Massive disc-shaped spaceship with lit windows hovering above tall alien spires
Dark alien skyline under a huge pale planet, with a glowing saucer craft hovering nearby
Blue night sky with a sleek starship and a glowing planet above dark alien spires
Curved white spacecraft and a tall dark tower in front of giant pale planets
Huge domed alien structures and a small craft against a warm golden sky
Two pale planets over a dark rocky plain, with a dark spaceship at the left edge

Castles, towers and misty mountains

Jagged mountain peaks and a still lake under a pale moon and a distant blue planet
Crescent moon and a bright moon over jagged spires and a dark lake at night
Gnarled dead trees in mist under a pale moon, with a stream running through mossy ground
Castle with glowing windows rising above misty dark trees and a still lake
Lit castle on a misty hill above a dark lake, under a moon and heavy clouds
Dark castle on a rocky peak above a misty river valley at dusk
Jagged mountains and a lit castle nestled above a green valley under stormy clouds
Crumbling stone archways over a cobbled path, with misty mountains beyond
Huge twisted tree on a cliff above a misty valley of green hills and peaks
Dark tower with lit windows on a cliff, surrounded by misty blue peaks
Misty mountain peaks over a river and a small walled town on a rocky ledge

Ancient ruins and columned temples

Ancient columned ruin on a rocky shore under a dramatic stormy sky
Small ancient temple on a rocky island below jagged mountain peaks
Columned ruin on a rocky shore with mountains and a golden evening sky
Standing and fallen stone columns by calm water, with mountains behind
Broken stone columns and walls under a heavy, dark sky

Mountaintop castles, snowy cliffs and sunset skies

Lone bare tree on a misty ridge above a river and blue mountains
Castle on a mountain peak under a pink and purple sunset sky
Castle on a mountaintop beneath a glowing ring-shaped moon in a purple sky
Snowy mountain peaks above a winding river and dark pine forest
Glowing ring above a jagged mountain in blue mist, with a river below
Castle on a snowy cliff above blue mountains at dusk
Castle on a rocky hill above a turquoise lake under a soft pastel sky
Castle on a misty cliff above blue mountains under a pink dusk sky

Moonlit lakes, waterfalls and eerie forests

Huge pale moon over a jagged peak and a calm lake with dark islands
Misty forest with a tall, tree-covered rock spire and waterfalls at its base
Bright waterfall pouring into a lush green forest pool
Tall twisted trees rising out of green fog in a dark, eerie forest

Dark cities, storms and gloomy valleys

Dark city towers with red lights under a purple sky and low mist
Gothic castle with lit windows on a rainy riverbank, with a lone figure walking
Stormy grey sky over a winding river and marsh with distant mountains
Dark rock spires beside a misty stream in a gloomy valley
Dead twisted trees in thick fog above cracked, dry ground
Bare dark trees standing in blue mist along a foggy path
Dark ruined spire above a misty stream in a green valley
Dark fantasy castle on a misty shore under a crescent moon, with a bare tree
Neon cyberpunk street at night with glowing signs and wet reflections on the road

Turning a background into a scene

  • Pick one image and write what your viewpoint character hears and smells standing in it, before you describe what they see.
  • Decide who lives or once lived there, and what happened last.
  • Decide what is just outside the frame, and what your character is afraid is there.

Choosing a cover rather than a scene? See DIY book cover templates and AI covers. To describe the people standing in these places, the character description cheatsheet may help.

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