Glossary
Photorealism
Short answer
A generated image being realistic enough to be indistinguishable from a photograph.
Photorealism is not just detail density but obeying photography's physical rules: consistent light, correct shadows, believable depth of field, lens character.
The most effective prompt technique is writing in photographic terms: focal length (85mm), aperture effect (shallow depth of field), light direction and quality (soft window light from the left).
Flux and Stable Diffusion's photoreal checkpoints lead here. Midjourney always stays slightly stylised; it gives a result that is "very beautiful" but "not quite a photograph".
See also
You will meet this in
- Flux — The Model That Leads on Photorealism and TextThe strongest open-weight family for photorealistic people and for text rendered inside images.
- Stable Diffusion — Unlimited Generation on Your Own MachineOpen source; installed locally it is free, uncensored and completely controllable.
- Midjourney — The Aesthetic Quality LeaderThe subscription generator that delivers the most consistent artistic and aesthetic results.