Lighting is 80% of a good portrait. Name the setup and the AI stops guessing. Each one below says what it does, then a copy-paste line.
Rembrandt classic, a little dramatic
Key light about 45 degrees to the side and above, leaving a small triangle of light on the shadowed cheek. Flatters almost every face, adds depth.
Rembrandt lighting, soft key light 45 degrees camera-left and above, small triangle of light on the far cheek, gentle shadow falloff
Butterfly (Paramount) glamour, beauty
Light high and directly in front of the face, casting a small butterfly-shaped shadow under the nose. Symmetrical, polished, old-Hollywood.
butterfly lighting, key light high and centered above the lens, soft shadow under the nose, glamour beauty look
Split moody, edgy
Light straight from the side, 90 degrees, lighting exactly half the face and leaving the other half in shadow. Bold and dramatic.
split lighting, hard key light 90 degrees to the side, one half of the face lit and the other in shadow, moody and dramatic
Loop the everyday flattering default
Key light slightly above and about 30 to 45 degrees to the side, casting a small loop of nose shadow on the cheek. The most natural, most-used headshot light.
loop lighting, soft key light 30 degrees camera-right and slightly above, small nose shadow on the cheek, natural flattering headshot
Clamshell smooth, LinkedIn-friendly
A light above and a light or reflector below the face, sandwiching it. Fills shadows, smooths skin, brightens the eyes. Beauty and corporate.
clamshell lighting, large softbox above and a reflector below the chin, even flattering fill, smooth skin, bright catchlights
Backlit (rim / halo) dreamy, cinematic
Main light behind the subject, glowing along the hair and shoulders, with a soft fill on the face. Separates the person from the background.
backlit rim light, warm source behind the subject creating a glowing hair halo, soft frontal fill, cinematic separation
The right lens is why a phone selfie and a pro headshot feel different. Longer lenses flatter faces; wide lenses distort them up close.
85mm f/1.4 the classic portrait lens
The default pro-headshot look. Flattering compression, no facial distortion, creamy background blur. Reach for this first.
shot on 85mm f/1.4, shallow depth of field, creamy bokeh, subject tack sharp, no lens distortion
50mm natural, environmental
A touch wider, close to how the eye sees. Good when you want some room and context around the person.
shot on 50mm f/1.8, natural perspective, subject sharp with softly blurred surroundings
135mm maximum flattery
Longer telephoto: strong compression, heavy background separation, very slimming. Needs more working distance.
shot on 135mm f/2, strong compression, heavily blurred background, tight flattering headshot
Headshot framing where to crop
Crop from mid-chest up, put the eyes on the upper third with a little headroom, and angle the body 3/4 to camera with eyes to the lens.
head-and-shoulders crop, eyes on the upper third, slight headroom, body angled 3/4 to camera, eyes to lens
Avoid 24mm to 35mm for close-up faces: wide lenses balloon the nose and forehead. Save them for full-body or environmental shots.
Neutral grey the safe professional default
Studio seamless grey. It never competes and works with any skin tone or outfit. The pick for actor and corporate headshots.
neutral mid-grey studio backdrop, seamless, soft even lighting, no distractions
Seamless white (high-key) clean, modern
Pure bright white background. Crisp, corporate, weightless. Great for team pages and product-style profiles.
high-key white seamless backdrop, clean bright even lighting, corporate look
Environmental context and story
A real place that says something about the person: office, workshop, cafe, bookshelf. Adds story, kept softly blurred so it never fights the face.
environmental portrait in a sunlit modern office, blurred desk and window behind, contextual not distracting
Bokeh / blurred warm, premium
Any background thrown far out of focus into soft circles of light. Feels editorial and expensive, separates the subject cleanly.
deep bokeh background, blurred city lights at dusk, warm out-of-focus orbs, subject cleanly separated
Dark (low-key) dramatic, editorial
Deep charcoal or black background. All attention lands on the lit face. Powerful for brand and magazine-style portraits.
low-key dark charcoal background, single key light, dramatic editorial mood
Corporate / LinkedIn approachable and professional
Even flattering light, neutral or office backdrop, a genuine soft smile, business-casual wardrobe. Trustworthy, not stiff.
professional LinkedIn headshot, clean even lighting, neutral grey backdrop, warm approachable smile, business-casual
Editorial magazine feel
Bolder lighting, styled wardrobe, a stronger point of view. Reads like a profile in a glossy magazine.
editorial magazine portrait, dramatic side lighting, styled wardrobe, confident expression, fashion photography
Cinematic film-still mood
Atmosphere and color grade over neutrality: teal-and-orange or warm amber, soft haze, shallow focus. A frame lifted from a movie.
cinematic portrait, film-still mood, moody teal-and-orange grade, soft volumetric light, shallow depth of field
Natural / lifestyle candid and real
Soft window light, relaxed and in-the-moment, not posed. The friendly, human, dating-profile look.
natural lifestyle portrait, soft window light, candid relaxed expression, warm authentic tone
Left alone, AI defaults to a stiff, blank stare. Always name the expression, and say where the eyes look and what the mouth does. That single habit fixes most dead-looking portraits.
Warm and approachable
soft genuine smile, warm friendly eyes, relaxed shoulders, eyes to the lens
Confident and powerful
calm confident expression, direct assured gaze, subtle closed-mouth look, strong posture
Serious editorial
neutral intense expression, thoughtful gaze off-camera, defined jawline, quiet
Candid joy
laughing naturally, eyes crinkled, mid-laugh authentic moment, teeth showing
Contemplative
soft faraway gaze, gentle closed-mouth expression, calm, introspective
Skin realism (add to any)
natural skin texture, visible pores, catchlights in the eyes, subsurface scattering, no plastic skin
Flattering angles
shot slightly above eye level, chin forward and slightly down, 3/4 body angle, shoulders turned away, defined jaw
Eyes and gaze
eyes to lens, gaze off-camera, soft direct look, sharp focus on the near eye, bright catchlights
Retouch level
natural retouch, soft beauty retouch, editorial retouch, unretouched documentary, keep skin texture
Wardrobe
charcoal blazer, crisp white shirt, chunky knit sweater, business casual, solid colors, avoid busy patterns
Hair and grooming
neatly groomed hair, soft loose waves, flyaways controlled, clean-shaven, light stubble
Light quality
soft diffused light, large softbox, golden-hour window light, bright and even, gentle shadow falloff
Name the expression and the eyesOr you get a stiff, dead stare. Say soft smile vs neutral vs laughing, and eyes to lens vs off-camera.
Add skin realism to kill the plastic lookTack on "natural skin texture, subtle pores, catchlights in the eyes" so the face stops looking waxy.
For a real person, use a reference imageWords alone cannot lock a specific likeness. Feed a reference photo, then steer with the modifiers above.