Not to ruffle feathers (lookin’ at you, @mikeappsreviewer and @chasseurdetoiles), but sometimes the supposed “magic app” isn’t the magic bullet everyone needs for realism. Their tips are solid (yes, prompts and camera jargon help), but if you REALLY want AI portraits to fool your friends—or, let’s be honest, HR—stop focusing only on lighting or templates.
Here’s what everyone keeps missing: AI models are still much, MUCH better at generating realistic faces when the training data is close to your own data. Meaning: if the app wants 8-12 selfies? Consider adding even more varieties (messy hair, glasses, tired eyes, weird lighting—all the “bad selfie” stuff, ironically, helps the AI learn normalcy). Most folks cherry-pick the “best” pics. Don’t. Feed the beast all the awkward ones, too.
Next—don’t trust the output at face value. Even Eltima AI Headshot Generator, for all its polish, sometimes spits out results that are a little “too” smooth. I actually do a second pass: plop the AI image into a classic photo editing app, nudge the textures, maybe add noise or minor skin redness, even a flyaway hair here or there. Post-AI tweaks make everything feel less clone-army and more human.
One more: Use reference images of REAL photos you admire (from Unsplash or random Insta photographers) and paste ‘em in as styles, if your app allows. AI loves having “goals” to imitate.
Last thunk—don’t overshoot on perfection. The uncanny valley often comes from chasing the flawlessly-filmed, hyperreal look that hardly exists in real life. A bit of mess, a random eyebrow hair askew, imperfect background lighting: those nuances signal authentic, not synthetic.
Or, y’know… just grow a mustache. Even AI can’t fake mustache randomness (yet).