Content creation
Make realistic AI images without the giveaways
You will have a realistic image prompt, a short checklist of common flaws and a plan for labelling.
Before you start
- An image tool you already use
- A clear use for the image, such as a blog header
Think like a photographer
Realistic images come from realistic choices: a real kind of light, a real lens feel and an ordinary setting. Fancy words rarely help.
Step 1: Write a photographic prompt
Prompt you can copy
Subject: [what is in the picture] Setting: [ordinary place] Light: soft window light, late afternoon Camera feel: 35mm photo, natural colours, slight grain Composition: [close-up or wide], subject slightly off centre Avoid: text, logos, extra fingers, distorted hands
Step 2: Check for common flaws
- Hands and fingers
- Teeth and eyes
- Writing on signs or labels
- Shadows that point different ways
- Objects that melt into the background
Zoom in on each. Regenerate or edit anything that looks wrong.
Step 3: Be honest about it
- Say an image is AI-made when it could mislead, and wherever a platform asks you to.
- Do not use it to show a real product, result or person you did not photograph.
- Never create a realistic image of a real person without their permission.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Passing an AI image off as a real photo
- Not zooming in to check details
- Using a real person’s likeness without permission
- Using AI images as proof of a product’s results
Final checklist
- My prompt describes light, setting and camera feel
- I checked hands, text and shadows
- I labelled the image honestly