A blank text box is the most terrifying thing for a creator. You know you want a "cool portrait," but you don't know the magic words to make the AI deliver.
We have spent thousands of hours testing prompts on Percify, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion. We have compiled the absolute best keywords, modifiers, and full prompt recipes into this massive library.
How to use this guide: Treat it like a menu. Mix and match the Lighting, Camera, and Style sections to create your own unique recipe.
Section 1: The "Photorealism" Recipe
To get images that look like real photos, you need to speak the language of photography.
Camera Models (The "Look")
- Sony A7R IV: Extremely sharp, digital, modern look. High contrast.
- Kodak Portra 400: Warm, nostalgic, film grain, soft skin tones. (Great for lifestyle).
- Fujifilm Velvia: High saturation, punchy colors. (Great for fashion).
- Polaroid: Soft focus, vintage border, flash lighting.
Lenses (The "Distortion")
- 85mm: The gold standard for portraits. Flattering, slight background compression.
- 35mm: Environmental portrait. Shows more of the background. Can distort the face slightly if too close.
- 200mm: Extreme compression. Background becomes a blur of color (Bokeh).
Lighting (The "Mood")
- Rembrandt Lighting: A triangle of light on one cheek. Moody and classic.
- Butterfly Lighting: Light directly above the face. Creates a shadow under the nose. Glamorous.
- Golden Hour: Warm, orange sunlight coming from the side. Magical and soft.
- Studio Strobe: Bright, even, white light. Professional and clean.
Section 2: 20 Copy-Paste Photoreal Prompts
1. The CEO Headshot:
"Professional headshot of a confident woman in a navy suit, office background, depth of field,
f/1.8, 85mm lens, studio lighting, 8k resolution, sharp focus."
2. The Cinematic Drifter:
"Close up portrait of a rugged man with a beard, standing in the rain, neon city lights in
background, cyberpunk vibes, wet skin texture, dramatic lighting, volumetric fog, Arri Alexa
camera."
3. The Editorial Fashion Shot:
"Full body shot of a model wearing avant-garde plastic fashion, white background, high key
lighting, fashion photography, vogue magazine style, sharp details."
Section 3: The "Artistic" Recipe
Sometimes you don't want a photo. You want a painting. Here are the artists and styles that AI mimics best.
Art Styles
- Impressionism: "Claude Monet style," "loose brushstrokes," "dappled light."
- Art Nouveau: "Alphonse Mucha style," "intricate floral borders," "gold leaf," "elegant curves."
- Cyberpunk / Synthwave: "Neon," "Grid," "Retro 80s," "Chrome," "Laser."
- Ukiyo-e: "Hokusai style," "woodblock print," "flat colors," "thick outlines."
Digital Art Modifiers
- Octane Render: Makes it look like 3D CGI.
- Unreal Engine 5: Makes it look like a high-end video game.
- Cel Shaded: Makes it look like anime or a cartoon.
- Vector Art: Flat, clean lines, scalable look.
Section 4: 20 Copy-Paste Artistic Prompts
1. The Ethereal Goddess:
"Portrait of a fantasy goddess made of starlight, bioluminescent glow, nebula background,
digital painting, ArtStation trending, Greg Rutkowski style, intricate details."
2. The Cyber-Samurai:
"Cyberpunk samurai with a glowing katana, rain-slicked armor, neo-tokyo background, anime style,
Makoto Shinkai lighting, lens flare, high octane."
Section 5: Troubleshooting Bad Prompts
Even with good keywords, things go wrong. Here is how to fix common issues.
"The face looks plastic"
Fix: Add keywords like "skin texture," "pores," "imperfections," "freckles," "raw photo." AI tends to smooth things out too much; you need to tell it to be messy.
" The eyes are wonky"
Fix: Add "symmetrical eyes," "detailed iris," "sharp focus on eyes." Or use the Inpainting tool to regenerate just the eyes.
"It's cropping the head"
Fix: Zoom out! Add keywords like "wide angle," "full body," "lots of headroom," "centered."
Section 6: Negative Prompts (What to Avoid)
Copy this block into your "Negative Prompt" box for every portrait. It filters out the garbage.
"blurry, low quality, pixelated, bad anatomy, deformed, extra fingers, missing limbs, extra limbs, fused fingers, too many fingers, long neck, mutation, mutated, ugly, disgusting, amputation, watermark, text, signature."