Photorealism: make it look like a real photo.
Recent Midjourney models are startlingly photographic — but only if you talk to them like a photographer. Here is the workflow that gets believable images instead of glossy AI ones.
01Speak in camera, not adjectives
Photographers describe gear and light, not "realistic." Name a lens and aperture (85mm, f/1.8, shallow depth of field), the light (overcast, golden hour, single softbox), and the film or sensor look. Those cues map to real optics, which is what reads as a photo.
A photographic promptcandid portrait of an older barista, 85mm lens, f/1.8, natural window light, slight film grain, muted colors, shallow depth of field, documentary style --ar 4:5
02Kill the AI tells
The giveaways are too-perfect skin, plastic highlights, and impossible symmetry. Ask for imperfection — texture, grain, asymmetry, "natural skin." Then inpaint the usual failure points: hands, teeth, eyes, and text on signs.
The more "beautiful" you ask for, the more AI it looks. Photorealism comes from restraint and specificity — real light, real lens, real imperfection — not from piling on superlatives.
Frequently asked
Midjourney — your questions, answered
How do I make Midjourney images look like real photos?
Describe gear and light like a photographer — lens, aperture, lighting, film look — and ask for natural imperfection. Then inpaint hands, eyes, and text.
Why do my Midjourney photos look fake?
Common tells are too-perfect skin, plastic highlights, and impossible symmetry. Add grain and asymmetry, request "natural skin," and avoid piling on superlatives.
What prompt terms help with realism?
Concrete camera language: a specific lens (85mm), aperture (f/1.8), light source, depth of field, and film grain — these map to real optics that read as photographic.
Can Midjourney fix bad hands?
Yes — generate the photo, then inpaint the hands (and teeth, eyes, and any text) which are the most common failure points.
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