Slides Grab Image

slides-grab Image Skill

Generate whole-slide raster images where the generated PNG is the slide. Each slide is generated individually with slides-grab image, passing the matching reference template page image(s) via --reference so the model reproduces the template's layout, colors, fonts, and density — only swapping in the new slide's content. Use this pipeline when the user wants to match an existing corporate template, filled deck, or brand form visually.

Mode signal

The plan stage records mode: image-native in slide-outline.md. The user typically provides a reference template (PPTX, PDF, HTML examples) and says "make slides in this form."

Core rule: reference-guided per-slide generation

• Generate one slide at a time with slides-grab image. Do NOT use slides-grab generate-images (the batch command auto-assembles garbage prompts from markdown and produces inconsistent output).
• Always pass at least one reference template page image via --reference <path> (repeatable). The reference page(s) must be the same slide-type (cover, content, closing) from the source template. The model must copy the reference's layout, color bands, typography hierarchy, whitespace, and density — only the text content and any embedded photos change.
• The prompt must explicitly instruct: "Follow the reference image's layout, composition, color palette, and typography hierarchy exactly. Keep the same band positions, spacing, and visual rhythm. Only replace the text content and photos with the new slide's content below."
• Pass any real photos/assets to embed as additional --reference images so the model can place them into the template layout.

Prompt structure (use this pattern)

slides-grab image \
  --prompt "Follow the reference image layout exactly — same color bands, same typography hierarchy, same spacing and density. This is a [cover/content/closing] slide. Replace the text with: Title: '<new title>'. Body: '<new body text>'. Bullets: <bullet list>. Keep the template's visual style, fonts, and color palette. Render all text sharp and legible. 16:9, 720pt × 405pt." \
  --slides-dir <path> \
  --reference <template-page-cover.png> \
  --reference <real-photo-to-embed.png>

Key prompt principles:

• Describe the content to inject, not the visual design — the reference image defines the design.
• Name the slide type (cover, content, closing, stat) so the model picks the right reference density.
• List the exact title, body, and bullets as literal strings the model should render.
• If embedding real photos, name them in the prompt ("place photo-1 in the left grid cell") and pass them as --reference.
• Require sharp, legible, correctly spelled text.

Workflow

Stage 1 — Plan (template-driven dense outline)

Use the installed slides-grab-plan skill with image-native outline density rules.

1. Take topic, audience, and tone.
2. If the user provides a reference template/PDF/PPTX, import it with slides-grab import-template --input <path>. Also render the template pages to PNG (e.g. pdftoppm -png -r 150 <input>.pdf <prefix>) and store under <slides-dir>/.slides-grab/template-previews/. These page renders are the --reference images for Stage 2.
3. Read the template pages in order (page-01, page-02, ...). For each page, identify its layout type and information density — how many text blocks, data points, bullets, captions, and visual elements it carries. This is the critical step: the outline must match the template's per-slide density, not write a thin HTML-style summary.
4. Write a dense outline: one outline slide per template page, carrying the full content the user wants — titles, subtitles, body paragraphs, full bullet lists, stat values, table data, captions, and image placement notes — at the volume the template page demonstrates. Image-native slides are single rasters with no HTML structure limits, so they hold more text and data per slide than semantic HTML. Do not under-fill.
5. Tag each outline slide with template-page: NN so Stage 2 knows which reference image to pass.
6. Record mode: image-native and style: template-pack in slide-outline.md meta.
7. Present outline, revise until approved.