Light and Shadow — AI Image Prompt
Prompt
Positive Prompt: [CRITICAL: use image reference to preserve identity and short hairstyle strictly, no face-morphing]. Subject: Side-profile portrait, gender-neutral / slightly masculine subject, clean profile, looking slightly upward and to the side, contemplating, aspiring expression. Attire: Dark form-fitting turtleneck disappearing into pure black background. Lighting: Stark high-contrast lighting, extremely hard concentrated rim light from behind, razor-sharp bright white light tracing head jawline brow and neck, face remains in deep shadow, true black background. Tech & Style: Monochrome, black and white photograph, ultra-photorealistic, cinematic, minimalist, austere, dramatic, 85mm medium telephoto lens, shallow depth of field, tight head-and-shoulders crop, fine film grain, high dynamic range, crisp edge details, subtle skin texture visible on rim. Negative Prompt: color, makeup exaggeration, glasses, jewelry, logos, text, watermark, extra limbs, face-morphing, heavy retouching, plastic look, smiling, open mouth, visible teeth, background details, painterly or illustrative styles, soft or diffuse rim light
✦ Use this prompt for free
About “Light and Shadow”
This photorealistic, portrait, dark/moody AI image prompt was created by AdX and is available to copy and use for free on PromptSpace. At 145 words, this is a detailed prompt that gives AI models precise instructions for generating the exact image you envision. It falls under the realistic, photography, portrait categories.
How to Use This Prompt
- 1
Copy the prompt
Click the “Copy Prompt” button above to copy the full prompt text to your clipboard.
- 2
Open your AI image generator
Open FLUX, Midjourney and paste the prompt into the text field.
- 3
Generate your image
Hit generate. For best results, use the default settings first and see how the output looks.
- 4
Experiment with variations
Change details like colors, lighting, or composition to make it uniquely yours.
- 5
Want your own face in the image?
Upload a clear, well-lit front-facing photo of yourself directly inside your AI tool (look for Image Reference, Face Swap, or IP-Adapter options) — then paste this prompt alongside it to generate images with your own face.
Recommended Settings
Aspect Ratio
2:3 (Portrait)
Quality
High / HD
Best For
FLUX, Midjourney
Style
Photorealistic, Portrait, Dark/Moody
Why This Prompt Works
The high word count gives the model rich context, reducing ambiguity and producing more consistent results. The photorealistic and portrait aesthetic signals are specific enough that the model can lock onto a distinct visual language. Explicit lighting direction (a leading signal in prompt engineering) significantly improves photo-realism and composition. Well-crafted prompts like this one combine subject precision, style vocabulary, and rendering hints — the three pillars of reliable AI image generation.
Best Model
FLUX is strongly recommended for this prompt. FLUX 1.1 Pro excels at photorealism and handles complex lighting instructions more accurately than older models.