The AI photo prompt generator adds a keep-my-face line, written for one person, a couple, a group, a child or a pet. It writes the prompt only; the AI app makes the image.
Build a prompt that keeps your faceWhy AI apps change your face
When you ask Gemini or ChatGPT to put you in a new scene, it doesn’t cut you out and paste you in. It draws a new image and uses your photo as a reference for what you look like. Every new light, angle or outfit is a chance for the drawing to drift from the real you, and the app also leans towards an average, polished face unless told otherwise.
That means you can make the face much more stable, but not guaranteed. Results vary between apps, between versions of the same app and between two tries of the same prompt. The fixes below are in the order that helps most.
Fix 1: start with a better photo
The photo you upload sets the ceiling. Before changing the prompt, check:
- Sharp and well lit. Daylight from a window, no motion blur, no beauty filter or heavy edit already on it.
- Face large in the frame. A close photo works better than a full-length one where your face is tiny.
- Facing the camera. A strong side angle leaves the app guessing about the other half of your face.
- Nothing covering it. No sunglasses, masks, hands or hair across the eyes.
- The original file. Screenshots and photos forwarded through chat apps are compressed and lose detail. If your phone saves HEIC files that an app won’t take, convert them to JPG first.
Fix 2: word the prompt for likeness
Name the parts of the face that should stay, say what not to do to them, and say what is allowed to change. That last part matters: “change only the clothes and background” tells the app where to spend its changes. Paste one of these lines at the start of any prompt, or use the full minimal-change edit.
Face line for one person
Use the uploaded photo as the identity reference. Keep my face exactly as in the photo: same eyes, nose, mouth, jawline, face shape, skin tone, age and hairline. Do not beautify, slim, smooth or reshape my face. Change only the clothes, setting and lighting described here.
Face line for two or more people
Keep every person's face exactly as in the photo, with the same features, skin tones, ages and heights, in the same left-to-right order. Do not blend or swap faces, do not beautify anyone, and do not add or remove people.
Minimal change edit
Edit the uploaded photo. Keep me exactly as I am: face, expression, hair, pose and body unchanged. Replace only the background with [new background] and match the lighting on me to it. Photorealistic, natural skin texture, no text or watermarks.
Ask for one big change at a time. A new outfit, new background, new hairstyle and new light all at once is the fastest way to lose the face.
Fix 3: follow-up edits that work
If the first image is close, fix it in the same chat rather than starting over. Short, specific replies work best: say what is wrong, what it should match, and what to leave alone.
The face changed
My face has changed. Make my face match the original photo exactly: same features, face shape and skin tone. Keep the new clothes and background as they are.
Too smooth or too perfect
Remove the retouching. Bring back natural skin texture, pores and small marks as in the original photo, and keep my real face shape.
Looks older or younger
I look older than in the original photo. Keep my real age and remove any added wrinkles or grey hair. Change nothing else.
One person in a group drifted
The [person on the left] looks different from the original photo. Make only their face match the original exactly. Do not change anyone else.
Undo and go back
Go back to the previous version and make only this one change: [change].
Wrong skin tone
My skin tone has become lighter than in the original photo. Match my real skin tone exactly, and make the lighting more neutral.
After several rounds, faces often get worse, not better, as each edit is made from the last one. If that happens, open a new chat, upload the original photo again and send your best prompt.
What doesn’t work
- Shouting. “100% SAME FACE!!!” repeated five times doesn’t help. One clear sentence about what to keep does.
- Flattering words. “Beautiful”, “flawless”, “perfect skin” and “attractive” push the app towards a generic face.
- Mixing very different photos. Some apps accept several reference photos, and extra angles can help. But mixing an old photo with a new one, or with and without a beard, gives the app two different people to average.
- Celebrity looks. “Make me look like a famous actor” pulls your face towards theirs. Describe the styling instead.
- Tiny faces in wide scenes. A small face in a big landscape gets few details. Ask for a closer framing.
Gemini, ChatGPT and Midjourney
Gemini and ChatGPT are built for editing a photo you upload in a conversation, so the wording and follow-ups above apply directly. Midjourney is mainly for creating new images from text; it has image reference features, but they change between versions, and likeness of a real face is less predictable there. Check its current documentation, and expect more retries. In all three, results differ from person to person, so test a couple of prompts before relying on one.
Themed prompts that keep your face
Every guide in this series uses these face lines. For a profile picture, see the AI LinkedIn headshot prompts, which also cover over-editing. Two people? The AI couple photo prompts deal with blended faces. For groups and kids, try the Christmas family prompts, and for animals, the pet portrait prompts.