# Retro Halftone Poster > Use when the user asks to identify, analyze, generate, recreate, or make prompts for retro newspaper, risograph, editorial halftone, vintage magazine, letterpress, philosophical quote poster, Chinese quote card, brand knowledge card, or premium lifestyle poster visuals; especially tea, cigar, wine, collecting, long-termism, preservation, seasonal, or brand-culture content. - Skill: `yuming-captain518/retro-halftone-poster` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add yuming-captain518/retro-halftone-poster` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/yuming-captain518/retro-halftone-poster/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Design & Media - Author: Yuming-captain518 (https://skillmd.com/u/yuming-captain518) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/yuming-captain518/retro-halftone-poster --- # Retro Halftone Poster ## Core Rule For anything that involves generating or editing an image, first use the Image Gen skill. Do not replace image generation with SVG, HTML, or text-only instructions unless the user explicitly asks for a non-image artifact. Use this skill to turn Chinese copy into a visual strategy and image prompt for a "retro newspaper / editorial risograph / halftone magazine quote poster" style. The skill is not merely "put text on a picture"; it translates copy into theme, emotion, metaphor, color, layout, and production style before calling Image Gen. ## Workflow 1. Read the user's input and classify it: - quote or aphorism - brand concept or value statement - seasonal or solar-term content - product or collection knowledge - lifestyle or preservation advice 2. Extract: - core theme - emotional tone - implied tension or point of view - intended use, if known 3. Convert the text into visual language: - rational or restrained -> cool monochrome ink, spacious editorial layout - sharp or critical -> angular landscape, mountain ridges, precise linework - time, storage, preservation -> cellar, cabinet, archive, rings, vessels, patina - tea or calm cultivation -> misty mountains, tea steam, kiln texture, quiet table - cigar or wine -> aging room, wood grain, humidified cabinet, labels, glass reflection - long-termism or compounding -> mountain, ascent, strata, steps, accumulation 4. Build the poster system: - off-white or cream paper background - one dominant ink color, default Deep Teal - halftone dots, risograph grain, letterpress or old newspaper texture - left text / right image editorial split, unless user asks otherwise - large English editorial headline, smaller subtitle, Chinese main copy, short English footnote - restrained brackets, corner marks, small starburst, short rules, or dotted dividers 5. Create the Image Gen prompt using the template below. 6. After generation, inspect whether the result matches the intended style and whether text is usable. 7. Explain the design decisions briefly: theme, metaphor, color, layout, and risk notes. ## Text Accuracy Policy Chinese text inside generated images is risky. If the user needs a brand-ready commercial poster, prefer one of these: - Generate a no-text or minimal-placeholder background, then tell the user to typeset the exact Chinese copy in Figma, Canva, PS, or another layout tool. - If the user still wants text embedded by Image Gen, keep the Chinese copy short, line-broken, and quoted exactly. Warn that the image must be checked for wrong, missing, or distorted characters. When exact Chinese is important, put this in the prompt: ```text All Chinese text must be copied exactly as provided. Do not invent, simplify, translate, misspell, distort, or add Chinese characters. ``` ## Prompt Template Use this as the base Image Gen prompt and adapt only what the user's content requires: ```text Use case: ads-marketing Asset type: retro editorial quote poster / brand knowledge card Primary request: Create a refined retro newspaper and editorial risograph style poster from this Chinese copy: "" Concept translation: - Core theme: - Tone: - Visual metaphor: Scene/backdrop: Cream or warm off-white paper, subtle fiber texture, aged print surface, no glossy modern gradient. Subject:
rendered as monochrome halftone / engraving / risograph print, not photorealistic. Style/medium: Retro newspaper print, editorial magazine spread, letterpress, risograph grain, halftone dots, single-ink print. Composition/framing: Landscape poster, clean two-column editorial layout. Left side is text-led with generous negative space. Right side contains a large halftone illustration panel. Add restrained corner brackets, small starburst mark, short horizontal rule, and dotted divider. Typography: Large uppercase serif English headline: "" Small serif subtitle: "" Main Chinese copy in large refined Ming/Song style print typography, broken into elegant short lines. Small English footnote: "" Color palette: Deep Teal ink on cream paper by default. Keep it mostly monochrome. Optional tiny accent only if needed. Constraints: Premium, quiet, knowledge-card feeling. Avoid commercial hard-sell, loud colors, stock-photo look, cartoon style, neon, glossy 3D, cluttered layout, and modern tech gradients. ``` ## Headline And Footnote Generation Generate English support text from the theme, not literal translation. Examples: | Chinese idea | Headline | Subtitle / footnote | |---|---|---| | 不能复利的努力 | ON COMPOUNDING | The arithmetic of effort | | 时间沉淀收藏价值 | ON AGING WELL | Notes on patience, storage, and quiet value | | 恒温恒湿保存 | THE CLIMATE OF TIME | Preservation is a discipline of restraint | | 茶的回甘 | AFTERTASTE | A quiet measure of leaf, water, and time | | 雪茄养护 | HUMIDOR NOTES | Where patience becomes aroma | | 酒的陈年 | CELLAR LOGIC | Time needs conditions before it becomes value | ## Style Definition If the user asks "这是什么风格", describe it as: ```text 复古报刊印刷风 / Editorial Risograph Poster Style. 也可以叫复古杂志内页 + 凸版印刷 + 半调网点海报风，或复古半调印刷风哲思海报。 ``` Core features: - one-color ink feeling, usually deep teal, navy, forest green, burgundy, or charcoal - halftone dots and newspaper screen texture - cream paper and tactile print grain - editorial layout with English title, Chinese body, and English note - philosophical, knowledge-card, independent-magazine mood - small experimental symbols, brackets, misregistration-like details, and generous white space ## Deliverable Shape For generation tasks, return: 1. The image output from Image Gen. 2. A short design note in Chinese: - 文案主题 - 视觉隐喻 - 配色 - 版式 - 风格名 - 中文文字是否需要人工复核 For analysis-only tasks, return the style name, visual features, and how to reproduce it as a prompt. ## Avoid - Do not make motivational corporate stock posters. - Do not use busy collage, pure photo background, glossy product-ad style, or large decorative gradients. - Do not overuse text. If the Chinese copy is long, summarize visually and recommend post-production typesetting. - Do not claim generated Chinese text is accurate without inspecting it.