How to Write AI Image Prompts That Keep Your Face

Copying a prompt works well, but sooner or later you will want something slightly different: another outfit, another city, another mood. This guide explains how the prompts on PromptAI are put together, so you can change them without losing the one thing that matters most, which is your own face.

Why prompts lose your face

When you upload a photo and ask Gemini for a new scene, it has to balance two goals: following your description and staying faithful to your photo. Long, vague or contradictory prompts tip that balance toward invention. Common causes include:

• Describing physical features that don't match you, such as "dark wavy hair" when yours is short and straight.
• Asking for heavy stylisation (cartoon, sketch, painting) without asking to keep the face.
• Stacking many follow-up edits on an already edited image.

A clear structure and one firm face instruction fix most of this.

The six-part structure

Most strong prompts on the site follow the same order. You don't need every part, but knowing them makes editing easy.

1. Subject and face instruction: who is in the picture and that the face must match the upload.
2. Outfit: garments, colours, fabrics and accessories.
3. Pose and expression: how the person stands or sits and where they look.
4. Setting: location, background and props.
5. Lighting: source, direction, time of day and mood.
6. Camera and style: lens, angle, aspect ratio, colour grading and overall look.

Here is how Corporate Executive Look for Man maps onto it, in short form:

• Subject: "a professional profile photo, maintaining the exact facial structure, identity and key features of the person"
• Outfit: "premium navy business suit, crisp white dress shirt, understated tie"
• Pose: "chest up, slight 3/4 angle, looking directly at the camera"
• Setting: "solid neutral studio background"
• Lighting: "soft, diffused studio lighting with a subtle catchlight in the eyes"
• Camera: "85mm f/1.8 lens, shallow depth of field, focus on the eyes"

Because each part is separate, you can swap the suit for a white coat or a blazer without touching the rest.

Face-preservation phrases that work

Put the face instruction near the start of the prompt, and say it once, clearly. Phrases used across the site include:

• "Use the face from the uploaded photo and preserve the same facial features. Do not alter the face."
• "Face identical to the uploaded image."
• "Keep the same face and hairstyle as in the uploaded photo, expression unchanged."
• For couples: "faces exactly as in the photo" or "keep both faces unchanged".

Avoid describing your facial features in detail unless they are accurate. If you do describe them, describe them correctly, since a wrong eye shape or nose description competes with the photo.

Example 1: Change the outfit, keep everything else

Urban Street Style Portrait puts a man in a dark red shirt and beige trousers on a heritage street with doves. To make it yours, edit only the outfit section:

A stylish man with the same face and hairstyle as in the uploaded photo (keep expression unchanged). He wears a white linen kurta with rolled sleeves and light blue jeans, brown loafers and a steel wristwatch. The environment is a heritage street lined with old stone buildings and palm trees, with doves in motion around him. Natural daylight.

The face line, setting and lighting stay the same, so the result stays recognisable and close to the original look.

Example 2: Change the location

Beach Surfboard Portrait is short and easy to adapt. Swap the setting while keeping the light consistent with the new place:

Create a sun-kissed portrait of the boy from the photo, face identical to uploaded image. He wears a white linen shirt with sleeves rolled up and khaki shorts, standing on a hilltop viewpoint with a backpack. Background: misty green mountains under soft morning light. Relaxed travel vibe, natural lighting, high resolution.

Notice that "golden sunlight" became "soft morning light" to suit mountains. Matching the light to the setting is what stops a face from looking pasted in.

Example 3: Shorten a long prompt

Snow Field Saree Editorial is very detailed, describing the saree stripes, blouse, jewellery, pose and fabric textures. Detail is useful, but if the face keeps changing, trim the parts that describe her appearance and keep the parts that describe the scene:

From the attached picture, create a fashion editorial portrait of the same woman, face unchanged, standing in a snow-covered field. She wears a flowing pastel chiffon saree with a periwinkle sleeveless blouse and oxidized silver jhumkas. Soft golden-hour light, background of soft-focus snow, 3:4 portrait orientation.

Removing lines like "flawless, warm-toned skin" and "voluminous brunette hair" lets your real skin and hair come through.

Example 4: Couples

Couple prompts need both faces protected and a clear arrangement. Autumn Picnic Couple Portrait does this in a few lines: who wears what, where they sit and what they hold. If you adapt it, keep the structure "She wears... he wears... they sit..." so Gemini doesn't mix up the outfits.

Lighting and camera words worth knowing

You don't need photography training, but a few terms change results noticeably:

• Golden hour: warm, low sunlight; flattering for most skin tones.
• Soft, diffused light: even light with gentle shadows; good for headshots.
• Rim light or backlight: a glow around the edges of the subject; dramatic.
• 85mm lens, shallow depth of field: a portrait look with a blurred background.
• Low angle: camera below eye level; makes the subject look confident.
• Film grain, faded colours: a retro look, used across the retro prompts.

Testing your edits

1. Change one section at a time and compare results.
2. Keep a copy of the version that worked, so you can return to it.
3. If the face drifts, start a new chat with the original photo instead of editing the edited image.
4. Use follow-up messages for small fixes and edit the prompt itself for big changes.

Once you are comfortable with the structure, browse the fashion prompts and studio prompts for well-structured examples to learn from.