Human

"Human" means nothing to the AI. Every other race has a visual hook — elves have ears, dwarves have beards, tieflings have horns. Humans have nothing. You have to build the visual identity from scratch.

Specify Ethnicity

AI defaults to a narrow demographic unless directed otherwise. Be precise: "deep brown skin" not "dark-skinned." "Wind-chapped fair skin" not "pale." Reference real-world anchors: "East Asian features", "Mediterranean complexion", "West African build."

The Three Levers

1. Age

The strongest differentiator. A 20-year-old and a 60-year-old produce completely different portraits.

• Young: "smooth skin", "bright eager eyes", "slight build"
• Prime (30s-40s): "defined features", "first gray hairs", "laugh lines"
• Veteran (50s-60s): "deep weatherlines", "salt-and-pepper hair", "knowing tired eyes"
• Elder: "deeply lined face", "thin white hair", "stooped posture"

2. Profession

Profession shapes the body. A blacksmith has different hands than a scribe.

• Soldier: "military bearing", "cropped hair", "alert scanning eyes"
• Scholar: "ink-stained fingers", "squinting eyes", "pale from indoor life"
• Merchant: "well-fed build", "calculating gaze", "fine clothing with travel wear"
• Sailor: "sun-weathered skin", "wind-tangled hair", "lean wiry build"

3. Scars and Marks

Nothing makes a portrait more memorable. Add one or two:

• "jagged scar across left cheek"
• "ritual tattoos covering neck and jaw"
• "broken nose healed crooked"
• "heterochromia — one brown eye, one blue"

Prompt Structure

[Age + ethnicity] + [Distinctive feature] + [Profession markers] + [Clothing] + [Expression] + [Setting]

Example: "weathered 50-year-old human man with deep brown skin and a jagged scar bisecting his left eyebrow, salt-and-pepper close-cropped hair, battered leather brigandine over a faded gambeson, weary but vigilant expression, stone battlements at dusk, cold blue twilight, detailed fantasy portrait"

Troubleshooting