How to Create Ultra Realistic Studio Portraits Using Midjourney
Creating realistic studio portraits with Midjourney is a skill that combines creativity with technical know-how. In this post, I’ll share my experience and tips for making lifelike digital portraits using this AI tool.
We’ll look at what makes a good studio portrait and how to craft prompts that bring your vision to life.
Basics of Realistic Studio Portraits
A good studio portrait captures more than just a person’s appearance. It reveals their personality and mood. When I create portraits, I focus on several key elements:
- Lighting: Soft, even lighting is crucial. It smooths skin texture and creates gentle shadows that add depth to the face.
- Expressions: A genuine expression brings the portrait to life. It could be a warm smile, a thoughtful gaze, or a moment of laughter.
- Details: Sharp, clear details in the eyes, hair, and skin make the image feel real.
- Background: A simple, non-distracting background keeps the focus on the subject. Solid colors or subtle gradients work well.
- Composition: How the subject is positioned in the frame affects the overall feel of the portrait. I often use the rule of thirds for a balanced look.
- Depth of field: A slight blur in the background can make the subject pop and add a professional touch.
When using Midjourney, I try to include these elements in my prompts. This helps the AI generate portraits that have that polished, studio-quality look.
Create a Base Prompt for Midjourney
To get consistent results with Midjourney, I use a base prompt as my starting point. Here’s the template I’ve developed:
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of [subject], captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid [color], ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing [outfit description].
This prompt covers all the key elements of a good studio portrait. Let’s break it down:
- Subject description: This is where you specify who you want in the portrait.
- Facial expressions and features: This tells Midjourney to pay attention to the details that make the portrait lifelike.
- Lighting: Soft lighting with natural shadows is key for a realistic look.
- Skin, hair, and eye details: These elements add realism to the portrait.
- Background: A solid color keeps the focus on the subject.
- Depth of field: This adds a professional touch to the image.
- Outfit: Describing the clothing helps set the tone of the portrait.
By adjusting these elements, you can create a wide range of portraits.
21 Example Prompts
Here are some prompts I’ve used. Feel free to use these as inspiration for your own portraits.
Here are the example prompts with their titles:
Portrait of a Smiling Woman
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of a smiling woman, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid pastel pink, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a bright yellow sundress.
Portrait of a Thoughtful Man
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of a thoughtful man, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid navy blue, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a dark gray turtleneck sweater.
Portrait of a Child
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of a child, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid baby blue, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a colorful striped T-shirt.
Portrait of an Older Woman
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of an older woman, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid soft lavender, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a light blue shawl.
Portrait of a Bearded Man
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of a bearded man, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid dark green, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a plaid flannel shirt.
Portrait of a Confident Woman
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of a confident woman, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid light gray, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a black blazer.
Portrait of a Laughing Child
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of a laughing child, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid yellow, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a red T-shirt.
Portrait of an Elderly Man with Glasses
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of an elderly man with glasses, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid beige, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a gray cardigan.
Portrait of a Young Woman with Long Hair
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of a young woman with long hair, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid pale pink, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a floral dress.
Portrait of a Man with a Beard
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of a man with a beard, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid dark blue, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a green T-shirt.
Portrait of a Smiling Woman with Curly Hair
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of a smiling woman with curly hair, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid coral, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a yellow blouse.
Portrait of a Teenage Girl
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of a teenage girl, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid light blue, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a pink sweatshirt.
Portrait of a Man with a Mustache
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of a man with a mustache, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid dark red, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a black T-shirt.
Portrait of a Woman with Braids
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of a woman with braids, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid purple, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a white blouse.
Portrait of a Man in a Suit
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of a man in a suit, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid black, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a dark blue suit.
Portrait of a Child in a Hoodie
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of a child in a hoodie, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid light green, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a red hoodie.
Portrait of an Elderly Woman with Short Hair
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of an elderly woman with short hair, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid lavender, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a light blue sweater.
Portrait of a Man with a Baseball Cap
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of a man with a baseball cap, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid olive green, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a black T-shirt and a dark cap.
Portrait of a Woman with Glasses
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of a woman with glasses, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid light pink, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a white blouse.
Portrait of a Man with Dreadlocks
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of a man with dreadlocks, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid teal, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a green shirt.
Portrait of a Woman with Short Hair
Ultra-realistic studio portrait of a woman with short hair, captured with precise attention to facial expressions and unique features. The lighting is soft, creating natural shadows that highlight the texture of the skin, hair details, and eye reflections. The background is a solid pale yellow, ensuring the focus remains on the subject’s personality. Subtle depth of field. The subject is wearing a light pink T-shirt.
Creating realistic studio portraits with Midjourney is a mix of art and technique. With the base prompt and examples I’ve shared, you’re now equipped to start making your own stunning AI portraits.
As you practice, you’ll develop your own style and preferences. Maybe you’ll find that certain background colors work best for specific types of portraits, or that particular clothing descriptions yield more interesting results.
The world of AI-generated art is always changing, so keep exploring and trying new things. Your next amazing portrait might be just a prompt away.