Contents
- 1. The reference note: tell the model what it may take from the reference
- 2. The face rules: name every part that must not change
- 3. Output requirements: don’t let it become a 2×2 grid
- 4. The shot pool: draw at random so the set doesn’t repeat
- 5. Light, color and the avoid list: keep the “AI look” in check
- Summary
The most common problem with AI portrait sets is face drift: the first image looks like the person, and by the fourth it’s someone else. I now use a modular prompt structure that keeps the face steady most of the time. The full text is in the prompt library; here’s what each block does.
1. The reference note: tell the model what it may take from the reference
Besides the face, a reference image has clothes, a background and a pose. If you don’t spell it out, the model copies all of it. So the first block does exactly one thing: take only the face, bone structure, hair color and hair length, and nothing else.
2. The face rules: name every part that must not change
A vague line like “keep the face consistent” doesn’t work. List the items one by one: face width, jawline, chin, eye shape and size, eye spacing, nose bridge, mouth, philtrum, apparent age… Then add the things AI loves to do on the sly, like enlarging the eyes, sharpening the chin or making a baby-doll face, and ban them explicitly.
3. Output requirements: don’t let it become a 2×2 grid
If you want 6 separate images, say “no 2×2 grid, no collage” outright. Otherwise many models will cram all 6 frames onto one canvas.
4. The shot pool: draw at random so the set doesn’t repeat
Give 10 specific camera setups, like a puddle reflection, a convex mirror or a straight-down overhead shot, and have the model pick 6 without repeats. For each one, spell out where the camera is, what she’s doing and what’s in the foreground. The set will look like a friend caught the moments, not 6 copies of the same posed shot.
5. Light, color and the avoid list: keep the “AI look” in check
- Be specific about light: the sun behind her to one side, a warm rim on her hair, one side of the sky slightly blown out.
- Describe texture by what to keep: slight noise and soft edges, no oversharpening or skin smoothing.
- End with one consolidated avoid list: plastic AI face, HDR look, light particles, broken hands…
Summary
| Module | What it solves |
|---|---|
| Reference note | Borrow only the face, not the clothes or background |
| Face rules | No face drift |
| Output requirements | No collage, the right count |
| Shot pool | Variety across the set |
| Light / color / avoid | Removes the AI look |
For a new theme, just change the shot pool and the outfit; the other modules can be reused as they are.
