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Production guides

Choose source portraits that preserve recognizable features

A practical guide to checking face size, sharpness, expression, angle, lighting, and occlusion before using a portrait reference.

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Aesthetic 3-frame Portrait Collage of a Beautiful Young Woman
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Problem

Small faces, deep shadows, profile angles, and compression can weaken evidence around the eyes, nose, mouth, and jaw needed to compare a generated face with its source.

Outcome

You can select a clearer reference and define concrete face-review criteria before generation begins.

Preparation

  • Collect candidates where the face occupies a useful part of the frame.
  • Separate frontal views from mild profile views.
  • Mark features hidden by hair, glasses, hands, or shadow.
  • Crop to a single-person frame while retaining useful resolution around the face.
  • Set aside candidates with a strong color cast or backlight that merges skin and hair boundaries.

Decisions

Primary reference
Prefer the candidate with clear eye and mouth contours and limited compression artifacts.
Angle alignment
Pair a source and template whose face directions do not sharply conflict.
Feature priority
Choose between a neutral and extreme expression for the publication context, then decide whether identity cues, expression, or hairstyle matters most.
Person reference control
Select the person reference upload in Template setup rather than placing a face photo in the product reference field or relying on prompt text. This control supplies observable identity cues.
Consent record
Record whether the reference consent covers the intended channel and publication context, not only possession of the file.

Warnings

Heavy retouching
Strong smoothing can remove lines, marks, and contours that help distinguish a face.
Occlusion and backlight
Missing eye or jaw detail may be reconstructed differently in the output.
Likeness permission
Confirm the relevant person's permission for the intended context before publication.
Feature drift
Compare the hairline, glasses frames and lenses, and earrings with the source. Small accessories may disappear or change shape.
Unintended age change
Check whether skin texture and facial contours make the person appear materially younger or older than the source.

Pre-publish checklist

  • Compare both eye shapes and spacing.
  • Inspect nose and mouth contours at a larger view.
  • Check that source and template angles are compatible.
  • Record every important occlusion.
  • Keep a human approval step before publication.
  • Compare hairline, glasses, and earrings one by one.
  • Check for unintended age changes.
  • Confirm reference consent for the intended use.

AI disclosure

AI-generated output can contain errors in facial shape or fine detail, so a person must inspect it before publication.

Related resources

Reviewed byMagic Canvas