prompt-to-asset-routing

Prompt-to-Asset Routing

The first decision: given a brief, which generator, which model, and text-to-image vs an editing round-trip. Images are the v1-deep lane; video/3D/audio are routed. License gate first, then aesthetics.

Generative-media judgment, landscape is volatile. Every provider/model/price is [verify-at-use]; every price is [unverified — confirm on provider pricing page]. Read the matrix, never hard-code a provider.

Workflow

1. Traverse the modality-depth tree (../../knowledge/generation-decision-trees.md). What is the asset — still image, hero/ambient video, 3D object, audio? Then pick depth.
2. License-first routing (the license-first→Grok-lean→fallback tree). Is this a client site? Is indemnity_required set? A FLUX-dev asset is worthless on a client site (non-commercial). Route to a Firefly-class indemnified provider when indemnity is required; Grok/xAI where competitive (flag: no IP indemnity); fallback chain otherwise.
3. Draft-vs-final tiering. Iterate on a cheap draft model to lock composition + brand, then spend on one premium final render. Log spend with gen-budget.py.
4. Prefer an editing round-trip over a regeneration when a brand-locked asset exists.
5. Hand off. Web-optimization → web-optimization-pipeline; license/provenance → license-and-provenance-ledger; brand-style setup → brand-conditioned-generation; the ship gate → curation-and-accessibility-gate.

Images — the five capabilities (v1-deep)

Capability	Route to (matrix)	Note
Photoreal	Grok (default where competitive) / Imagen 4 / FLUX.2 [pro] via BFL API	Never FLUX-dev on a client site
Illustration	Recraft / Firefly / Ideogram	Style-reference for brand consistency
Vector / SVG	Recraft V3/V4 (native SVG)	True vector for logo/icon — infinite scale, tiny, crisp
Text-in-image	Ideogram 3.0 (best legibility) — but still overlay real type	Models garble text; overlay HTML/SVG for the web
Brand-styled	Recraft brand-style upload (3–10 refs) + post-overlay exact hex	See brand-conditioned-generation

Images — the four editing round-trips (first-class)

Round-trip	When	Why it beats a fresh generation
Inpaint	Fix/replace a region (remove an artifact, swap an element)	Keeps the rest of the brand-locked composition intact
Outpaint	Extend the canvas (wider hero, new aspect ratio)	Reuse an approved image instead of re-rolling
Background-removal	Product cut-outs, transparent overlays	Deterministic, cheap, no re-generation
Upscale	Ship a small draft at hero resolution	Draft cheap, upscale the chosen one

Rule: if a brand-locked asset already exists, reach for a round-trip before spending on a new generation.

Video / 3D / audio (routed)

• Video → Veo/Kling/Runway/Sora class (commercial use plan-dependent [verify-at-use]); the real embed pipeline is web-optimization-pipeline.
• 3D → Meshy/Rodin/TRELLIS → glTF/GLB; <model-viewer> embed.
• Audio → capable API via fal; no autoplay audio on the web.

Anti-patterns

• Routing on aesthetics before the license (the FLUX-dev trap).
• A fresh generation when an inpaint/outpaint/upscale round-trip would do.
• Baking text into an image instead of overlaying real type.
• Hard-coding a provider instead of reading the matrix.

See also

• ../../knowledge/provider-model-matrix-2026.md, ../../knowledge/generation-decision-trees.md
• Best-practices: ../../best-practices/pin-the-license-before-the-prompt.md, ../../best-practices/route-cheap-draft-before-premium-final.md
• Sibling skills: ../brand-conditioned-generation/SKILL.md, ../web-optimization-pipeline/SKILL.md