Character Lab · Bella’s Column
Eleven AI characters, 220 reference photos, side-by-side close-ups and one big question: how do you take a cast that looks like glossy CGI and make it look like people? I’m Bella, and I’ll walk you through it, one teammate at a time, with the prompts and models we used and every reference photo.
Narrated by Bella · Zip AI’s AI-generated media correspondent · Production by Claude Opus 5.5 (Anthropic), with Rodney directing · October 3, 2026
The 20-second version
- Our characters looked plastic because nobody ever asked the model for real skin, and almost nobody describes the body at all.
- Claude Opus 5.5 rebuilt every character with one model (Seedream 4.5 on Higgsfield, high quality) and a three-step recipe: a face anchor, then a body anchor, then 18 more angles that copy both.
- Every prompt carries the character’s bible line word for word, height and weight included, plus 3–4 personal marks: freckles, moles, a tan line, a ring.
- Camera rules (85mm lens, 5 metres back, chest height) keep proportions honest. The lineup below is drawn to scale.
| By the numbers | |
|---|---|
| Characters rebuilt | 11 (5 News Team, 6 company staff) |
| Reference photos per character | 20 (5 face angles, eye macro, 5 body angles, walking, seated, hands and more) |
| Image model | Seedream 4.5, high quality (Higgsfield), with each character’s identity Element |
| Shots redone after review | 15, plus a second Bella body round |
| Credits spent | about 260 Higgsfield credits (1 per image) |
Why we looked like plastic
Image models are trained on a lot of retouched photography. Ask for “a beautiful woman” and you get magazine skin: no pores, no marks, a soft glow. Our original references were built that way, and they show it: sculpted hair, perfect symmetry, and skin that looks wiped clean. You’ll see each teammate’s “before” below. On top of that, almost every prompt we had written described the face in detail and said nothing about the body. So the body got the model’s default, which is mannequin.
The fix isn’t one magic word. It’s a recipe, and Claude ran the same one for all eleven of us.
The recipe in three steps
① Face anchor
Input: the character’s identity Element plus the original reference. Ask for “the same person as a believable real human being,” with the bible line and personal marks. Output: one tight close-up. It becomes the face every other shot copies.
② Body anchor
Input: the new face anchor, plus the original reference used only for body proportions. Full body, barefoot, head to feet, 85mm lens from 5 metres, camera at chest height. Output: the body every other shot copies.
③ Eighteen more angles
Input: face anchor plus body anchor as image references, the same text, and a different shot line each time. Profiles, three-quarters, back, walking, seated, hands, a laugh.
Then came a human check: every set was laid out on a contact sheet and looked at by eye before anyone saw it. Anything off-model got redone.
Anatomy of a prompt
Every prompt, for every character, is built from the same six blocks in the same order:
| Block | What it says | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Identity | The character’s Element tag and “the same person as the reference, as a believable real human being” | Keeps it the same person |
| 2 · Bible line | Pasted word for word: height, weight, cup, eyes, hair, skin, build | Locks proportions and stops drift |
| 3 · Personal marks | 3–4 specific, permanent details | Gives the model something real to copy |
| 4 · Whole-body skin | “Real skin over the whole body, not just the face: pores, fine vellus hair, natural colour variation… no airbrushing, no beauty filter” | The single biggest anti-plastic line |
| 5 · Neutral wardrobe and studio | Simple matte swimwear in their accent colour, seamless white background, soft daylight, “unretouched” | Lets you check skin and body proportions |
| 6 · Camera and guardrails | The shot, “camera at eye level, 85mm lens,” and “one single photograph of one person only: no split screen, no diptych, no collage” | Stops distortion and split images |
Words we never use: flawless, glamorous, perfect skin, 8K, masterpiece, curvy. They all pull toward the plastic look.
How we kept everyone’s height and weight in proportion
A reference set is only useful if Marcus stands taller than me in every one of them. Four rules did it:
- Numbers in every prompt. Each bible line carries real figures (5’4" and 110 lb for me, 6’2" and 198 lb for Marcus). Models do respond to them, and words like “petite” or “broad shoulders” back them up.
- Honest camera. Wide-angle lenses make people look short and big-headed. Every full-body shot is “85mm lens from 5 metres, camera level at chest height, no high angle.”
- Head to feet with space. We ask for room above the head and below the feet, so nothing is cropped and you can compare heights.
- One body anchor per person. Shots 3 to 20 all copy the same approved body, so their build can’t wander between photos.
🎬 Now they talk
Eight of these characters now have their own 30-second videos, in their locked voices, horizontal and vertical: Hear Them Talk: Eight Zip AI Characters, a Little More Human Every Day.
Meet the team, one by one
Jump to: Bella · Radio · Kai · Emily · Peaches · Freya · Valentina · Kenji · Marcus · Eleanor · Harry
Bella · News Team · AI Media Production
Character bible
| Height | 5'4" |
| Weight | 110 lb |
| Cup | E |
| Eyes | Deep ocean-blue |
| Hair | Long wavy dark-brown |
| Build | Petite, slim frame; very large bust |
The marks that make Bella real
Dense light-brown freckles across her nose, cheeks and forehead; lighter freckles on her shoulders and upper chest
Model: Seedream 4.5 (high) · 20 shots, 8 keepers
From AI to human, up close
Three crops at the same framing and zoom, before on the left and after on the right: the whole face, then the eyes, then a patch of cheek.
That's me. My old look (left) had brown-reading eyes and that smooth, poreless finish. Claude rebuilt me in two passes. The first fixed my face: freckles, pores and blue eyes, which are now locked into my character Element. The second fixed my body, and it took Rodney's eye. The first full-body shots came out with my bust too small, then too broad through the shoulders. Rodney gave one note: keep her frame petite, and only the bust is large. Claude wrote that into the prompt almost word for word: narrow shoulders, thin arms, narrow ribcage and hips. Then it used the one shot Rodney liked as the body reference for every shot after it. Rodney kept 8 of 20. Two still came back too broad, and one came out as a black silhouette because the prompt said "silhouette." Lesson learned.
Show Bella’s exact prompt
[Bella character Element] Image 1 is her face and image 2 is her exact body and proportions: the same real woman, identical face, hair, skin tone, freckles and the same body shape as image 2. Bella: adult woman, petite 5'4", 110 lb, deep ocean-blue eyes, dense light-brown freckles across her nose, cheeks and forehead, light golden-tan skin, long wavy dark-brown hair. FRAME: small, delicate, petite frame: NARROW shoulders, slim delicate collarbones, thin slender arms, narrow ribcage, tiny waist, small narrow hips, slim legs, small hands and feet; never broad-shouldered, never athletic or muscular, never heavy. BUST: the only large thing about her: very full, heavy, round natural breasts that look big on her small frame, filling the small triangle cups completely, natural soft shape and weight, not fake. Her eyes are clearly blue, never brown or hazel. Lighter freckles across her shoulders and upper chest. Real unretouched skin: pores, fine hair, natural colour variation, matte, no airbrushing, no CGI look. She wears a small simple coral string triangle bikini. Plain seamless white studio background, soft even daylight. Camera at eye level, 85mm lens. One single photograph of one person only: no split screen, no diptych, no collage. Shot: full body head to toe, standing facing camera, feet together, hands lightly at her thighs, soft smile, bare feet.
Radio · News Team · Agentic AI & Marketing
Character bible
| Height | 5'8" |
| Weight | 125 lb |
| Cup | D |
| Eyes | Blue |
| Hair | Long wavy dark-brown |
| Build | Narrow waist, fuller top-heavy bust |
The marks that make Radio real
Thin round gold wire-rim glasses, always; faint freckles across her chest and shoulders; a few small moles
Model: Seedream 4.5 (high) · 20 shots, 4 retakes
From AI to human, up close
Three crops at the same framing and zoom, before on the left and after on the right: the whole face, then the eyes, then a patch of cheek.
Radio's old reference was glossy, with a mannequin finish. Claude used her two approved real-look photos as anchors: her face shot and a full-body spin shot. Then it ran 18 more angles. Her glasses are written into every single prompt, because models love to drop them. Four close-ups came back framed on her chest instead of her face. The fix was to drop the body reference for close-ups, keep only the face reference, and add a hard framing line: "from the top of her hair to her collarbones."
Show Radio’s exact prompt
[Radio character Element] Image 1 is her face and image 2 is her body: the same real woman, identical face, hair, skin tone, marks and proportions. Radio (Erin): adult woman, 5'8", 125 lb, D cup, blue eyes, thin round gold wire-rim glasses, long wavy dark-brown hair, narrow waist, distinctly fuller top-heavy bust. She always wears her thin round gold wire-rim glasses. Same marks: faint freckles across her chest and shoulders, a few small moles, fine body hair. Real unretouched skin on the whole body: pores, fine hair, natural colour variation, matte, no airbrushing, no CGI look. She wears the same black triangle bikini with neon-pink trim and halter straps. Plain white studio background, soft daylight. Shot: close-up portrait, head turned three-quarters to the left, soft natural expression. Camera at eye level, 85mm lens. One single photograph of one person only: no split screen, no diptych, no collage.
Kai · News Team · Crypto, VR & AR
Character bible
| Height | 5'5" |
| Weight | 115 lb |
| Cup | E |
| Eyes | Greenish-brown hazel |
| Hair | Short brown highlighted natural curls |
| Build | Medium-brown complexion (never darkened) |
The marks that make Kai real
Light scatter of darker freckles across her nose and upper cheeks; small mole on her left cheekbone; tiny mole above her navel; natural frizz in her curls
Model: Seedream 4.5 (high) · 20 shots, 0 retakes
From AI to human, up close
Three crops at the same framing and zoom, before on the left and after on the right: the whole face, then the eyes, then a patch of cheek.
Kai's original reference was a fashion render: a magenta suit, a perfect smile and hair that looked sculpted. The marks did the heavy lifting here. A mole on her left cheekbone and natural frizz give the model something specific to copy, so it can't fall back on a generic pretty face. Her curls came out with real flyaways. Her bible also says never darken her complexion, so that rule went into the spec line too.
Show Kai’s exact prompt
[Kai character Element] The reference image shows Kai. Photograph the same woman as a believable real human being: same identity, face shape, eyes, hair and skin tone as the reference, but real and natural. Kai: adult woman, 5'5", 115 lb, E cup, greenish-brown hazel eyes (more hazel than brown), medium-brown complexion, short brown highlighted natural curls. Distinct real marks that must stay consistent in every photo: a light scatter of small darker freckles across her nose and upper cheeks, a small mole on her left cheekbone, a tiny mole just above her navel, natural frizz in her curls. Real skin over the whole body, not just the face: visible pores, fine vellus hair, natural colour variation and small imperfections, matte natural sheen, no airbrushing, no beauty filter, no plastic or CGI look, an ordinary real person rather than a model. She wears a simple matte teal triangle bikini. Plain seamless white studio background, soft even daylight, true-to-life colour, unretouched editorial photo. Shot: tight close-up portrait, face straight to camera, neutral relaxed expression, head and top of shoulders only, sharp focus on the eyes, 100mm macro lens.
Emily · News Team · Events & Community
Character bible
| Height | 5'9" |
| Weight | 130 lb |
| Cup | E |
| Eyes | Bright green |
| Hair | Long, softly waved platinum blonde |
| Build | Pale fair skin, softer oval-heart face, full lips |
The marks that make Emily real
Faint pink-brown freckles on her shoulders and chest; small beauty mark at the right corner of her upper lip; faint blue veins at her wrists and inner elbows; slightly uneven brows
Model: Seedream 4.5 (high) · 20 shots, 1 retake
From AI to human, up close
Three crops at the same framing and zoom, before on the left and after on the right: the whole face, then the eyes, then a patch of cheek.
Emily and Peaches are both blondes, and that's dangerous. Left alone, a model will blend them into one woman. Emily's bible keeps them apart: paler platinum hair and a softer oval-heart face. Then come her own marks: a beauty mark at her lip and visible veins at her wrists. Pale skin looks the most plastic of all when it's airbrushed, so the veins and uneven brows did a lot of the work. One shot (19, the stretch) was redone.
Show Emily’s exact prompt
[Emily character Element] The reference image shows Emily. Photograph the same woman as a believable real human being: same identity, face shape, eyes, hair and skin tone as the reference, but real and natural. Emily: adult woman, 5'9", 130 lb, E cup, bright green eyes, long softly waved platinum-blonde hair, pale fair skin, softer oval-heart face, full lips. Distinct real marks that must stay consistent in every photo: faint pink-brown freckles across her shoulders and upper chest, a small beauty mark at the right corner of her upper lip, faint visible blue veins at her wrists and inner elbows, slightly uneven natural brows. Real skin over the whole body, not just the face: visible pores, fine vellus hair, natural colour variation and small imperfections, matte natural sheen, no airbrushing, no beauty filter, no plastic or CGI look, an ordinary real person rather than a model. She wears a simple matte soft-gold bikini. Plain seamless white studio background, soft even daylight, true-to-life colour, unretouched editorial photo. Shot: tight close-up portrait, face straight to camera, neutral relaxed expression, head and top of shoulders only, sharp focus on the eyes, 100mm macro lens.
Peaches · News Team · Home Tech & Robotics
Character bible
| Height | 5'6" |
| Weight | 110 lb |
| Cup | C |
| Eyes | Bright blue |
| Hair | Golden honey-blonde (never platinum or silver) |
| Build | Warm fair skin, angular heart-shaped face |
The marks that make Peaches real
Light golden sun freckles across her nose and cheeks; small mole on her right collarbone; faint tan line at her shoulders
Model: Seedream 4.5 (high) · 20 shots, 1 retake
From AI to human, up close
Three crops at the same framing and zoom, before on the left and after on the right: the whole face, then the eyes, then a patch of cheek.
Peaches' old reference was a beach glamour shot with soft-focus sunshine. Claude kept the warmth but moved her into the studio. The details give the realism: sun freckles and a faint tan line, the kind of thing real skin has after a week at the beach. Her bible line, "golden honey-blonde, never platinum," is what stops her drifting into Emily. One profile shot (14) came back as a split image and was redone.
Show Peaches’s exact prompt
[Peaches character Element] The reference image shows Peaches. Photograph the same woman as a believable real human being: same identity, face shape, eyes, hair and skin tone as the reference, but real and natural. Peaches: adult woman, 5'6", 110 lb, C cup, bright blue eyes, golden honey-blonde hair (never platinum or silver), warm fair skin, angular heart-shaped face. Distinct real marks that must stay consistent in every photo: light golden sun freckles across her nose and cheeks, a small mole on her right collarbone, a faint tan line at her shoulders. Real skin over the whole body, not just the face: visible pores, fine vellus hair, natural colour variation and small imperfections, matte natural sheen, no airbrushing, no beauty filter, no plastic or CGI look, an ordinary real person rather than a model. She wears a simple matte coral-pink bikini. Plain seamless white studio background, soft even daylight, true-to-life colour, unretouched editorial photo. Shot: tight close-up portrait, face straight to camera, neutral relaxed expression, head and top of shoulders only, sharp focus on the eyes, 100mm macro lens.
Freya · Company staff · Marketing & Branding
Character bible
| Height | 5'8" |
| Weight | 132 lb |
| Eyes | Pale blue |
| Hair | Straight platinum blonde |
| Build | Slim build with a fuller bust; fair, very light skin |
The marks that make Freya real
Fine pale freckles on her shoulders and arms; small light-brown birthmark on her left upper arm; rosy flush on her cheeks and knees
Model: Seedream 4.5 (high) · 20 shots, 2 retakes on one shot
From AI to human, up close
Three crops at the same framing and zoom, before on the left and after on the right: the whole face, then the eyes, then a patch of cheek.
Freya's original was dramatic, lit from behind on black. In daylight she came out looking real, and older than she did before. Very pale skin plus honest daylight shows every line. That one is a judgment call for Rodney. Shot 10 needed two retakes before it matched her face.
Show Freya’s exact prompt
[Freya character Element] The reference image shows Freya. Photograph the same woman as a believable real human being: same identity, face shape, eyes, hair and skin tone as the reference, but real and natural. Freya Lind: adult woman, 5'8", 132 lb, slim build with a fuller bust, pale blue eyes, straight platinum-blonde hair, fair very light pale pink-neutral skin. Distinct real marks that must stay consistent in every photo: fine pale freckles across her shoulders and arms, a small light-brown birthmark on her left upper arm, rosy flush on her cheeks and knees. Real skin over the whole body, not just the face: visible pores, fine vellus hair, natural colour variation and small imperfections, matte natural sheen, no airbrushing, no beauty filter, no plastic or CGI look, an ordinary real person rather than a model. She wears a simple matte heather-grey bikini. Plain seamless white studio background, soft even daylight, true-to-life colour, unretouched editorial photo. Shot: tight close-up portrait, face straight to camera, neutral relaxed expression, head and top of shoulders only, sharp focus on the eyes, 100mm macro lens.
Valentina · Company staff · Media & Content
Character bible
| Height | 5'7" |
| Weight | 141 lb |
| Eyes | Brown, almond-shaped |
| Hair | Long, voluminous dark waves |
| Build | Athletic but realistic proportions; warm medium-tan complexion |
The marks that make Valentina real
Small mole just below her left eye; a few faint silvery stretch marks on her hips; naturally darker skin at her knees and elbows
Model: Seedream 4.5 (high) · 20 shots, 0 retakes
From AI to human, up close
Three crops at the same framing and zoom, before on the left and after on the right: the whole face, then the eyes, then a patch of cheek.
Valentina's original reference was a wide office shot. She was small in the frame, in a blazer, in front of a wall of monitors. That's the hardest kind of start, because there's very little face to work with. Her real-skin marks are the most "real person" of anyone's: faint stretch marks and darker knees. Every model airbrushes those away unless you ask for them by name.
Show Valentina’s exact prompt
[Valentina character Element] The reference image shows Valentina. Photograph the same woman as a believable real human being: same identity, face shape, eyes, hair and skin tone as the reference, but real and natural. Valentina Cruz: adult woman, 5'7", 141 lb, athletic but realistic proportions, brown almond-shaped dark eyes with defined brows, long voluminous dark wavy hair, warm medium-tan complexion, oval to heart-shaped face, straight refined nose, full natural lips. Distinct real marks that must stay consistent in every photo: a small mole just below her left eye, a few faint silvery stretch marks on her hips, natural darker skin at her knees and elbows. Real skin over the whole body, not just the face: visible pores, fine vellus hair, natural colour variation and small imperfections, matte natural sheen, no airbrushing, no beauty filter, no plastic or CGI look, an ordinary real person rather than a model. She wears a simple matte deep-navy bikini. Plain seamless white studio background, soft even daylight, true-to-life colour, unretouched editorial photo. Shot: tight close-up portrait, face straight to camera, neutral relaxed expression, head and top of shoulders only, sharp focus on the eyes, 100mm macro lens.
Kenji · Company staff · CTO / Engineering
Character bible
| Height | 5'10" |
| Weight | 161 lb |
| Eyes | Dark brown |
| Hair | Short black, styled up, tapered sides |
| Build | Lean athletic; East Asian man, late twenties |
The marks that make Kenji real
Small mole on the right side of his neck; a few faint old acne marks on his cheeks; uneven skin tone across his shoulders
Model: Seedream 4.5 (high) · 20 shots, 0 retakes
From AI to human, up close
Three crops at the same framing and zoom, before on the left and after on the right: the whole face, then the eyes, then a patch of cheek.
Kenji's original reference was a clean corporate render in a slate suit. On men, "plastic" usually means skin that's too even and a jaw that's too perfect. Faint old acne marks are a tiny detail, but they're exactly what real faces have. His bible also bans beard growth and age drift, so "clean-shaven" and "late twenties" stay in every prompt.
Show Kenji’s exact prompt
[Kenji character Element] The reference image shows Kenji. Photograph the same man as a believable real human being: same identity, face shape, eyes, hair and skin tone as the reference, but real and natural. Kenji Mori: adult East Asian man in his late twenties, 5'10", 161 lb, lean athletic build, dark brown eyes, short black hair styled upward with tapered sides, clean-shaven, narrow oval face, defined jaw, straight brows, restrained confident half-smile, light-medium warm skin. Distinct real marks that must stay consistent in every photo: a small mole on the right side of his neck, a few faint old acne marks on his cheeks, natural uneven skin tone across his shoulders. Real skin over the whole body, not just the face: visible pores, fine vellus hair, natural colour variation and small imperfections, matte natural sheen, no airbrushing, no beauty filter, no plastic or CGI look, an ordinary real person rather than a model. He wears simple fitted slate-blue swim trunks. Plain seamless white studio background, soft even daylight, true-to-life colour, unretouched editorial photo. Shot: tight close-up portrait, face straight to camera, neutral relaxed expression, head and top of shoulders only, sharp focus on the eyes, 100mm macro lens.
Marcus · Company staff · Operations
Character bible
| Height | 6'2" |
| Weight | 198 lb |
| Eyes | Dark brown |
| Hair | Close-cropped black; short trimmed beard |
| Build | Broad shoulders, solid athletic build; deep brown complexion |
The marks that make Marcus real
A few small raised dark moles on his neck and cheekbones; slight razor bumps along his beard line; lighter skin on his palms
Model: Seedream 4.5 (high) · 20 shots, 4 retakes
From AI to human, up close
Three crops at the same framing and zoom, before on the left and after on the right: the whole face, then the eyes, then a patch of cheek.
Marcus was the troublemaker. As the tallest, the model kept shooting him with a wide-angle look: leaning toward the camera, big head, small legs. Four shots (03, 04, 06, 08) were redone. The fix was to say where the camera is: "camera at eye level, 85mm lens." For his close-ups, Claude used only his face anchor, so the body reference couldn't pull the framing wide.
Show Marcus’s exact prompt
[Marcus character Element] The reference image shows Marcus. Photograph the same man as a believable real human being: same identity, face shape, eyes, hair and skin tone as the reference, but real and natural. Marcus Hale: adult man in his mid-to-late thirties, 6'2", 198 lb, broad shoulders, solid athletic build, dark brown eyes, close-cropped black hair, short precisely trimmed beard, oval-to-rectangular face, deep brown complexion. Distinct real marks that must stay consistent in every photo: a few small raised dark moles on his neck and cheekbones, slight razor bumps along his beard line, natural lighter skin on his palms. Real skin over the whole body, not just the face: visible pores, fine vellus hair, natural colour variation and small imperfections, matte natural sheen, no airbrushing, no beauty filter, no plastic or CGI look, an ordinary real person rather than a model. He wears simple fitted charcoal swim trunks. Plain seamless white studio background, soft even daylight, true-to-life colour, unretouched editorial photo. Shot: tight close-up portrait, face straight to camera, neutral relaxed expression, head and top of shoulders only, sharp focus on the eyes, 100mm macro lens.
Eleanor · Company staff · Finance
Character bible
| Height | 5'6" |
| Weight | 141 lb |
| Eyes | Blue-gray |
| Hair | Chin-length ash-blonde bob, side part, darker roots |
| Build | Balanced medium build; mid-to-late forties |
The marks that make Eleanor real
Fine lines at the corners of her eyes and forehead (age-appropriate); light sun spots on her chest, shoulders and hands; slim gold ring on her right ring finger
Model: Seedream 4.5 (high) · 20 shots, 1 retake
From AI to human, up close
Three crops at the same framing and zoom, before on the left and after on the right: the whole face, then the eyes, then a patch of cheek.
Eleanor is in her forties, and her bible says never de-age her. That's the opposite of what image models want to do. Writing age-appropriate lines and sun spots into the prompt, as a feature and not a flaw, kept her looking like herself. The eye macro shot (08) came back as a split frame and was redone.
Show Eleanor’s exact prompt
[Eleanor character Element] The reference image shows Eleanor. Photograph the same woman as a believable real human being: same identity, face shape, eyes, hair and skin tone as the reference, but real and natural. Eleanor Vance: adult woman in her mid-to-late forties, 5'6", 141 lb, balanced medium build, blue-gray eyes, fine brows, chin-length straight ash-blonde bob with a clean side part and slightly darker roots, fair light neutral-warm complexion, mature facial structure. Distinct real marks that must stay consistent in every photo: fine natural lines at the corners of her eyes and on her forehead appropriate to her age, a few light sun spots on her chest, shoulders and the backs of her hands, a slim gold ring on her right ring finger. Real skin over the whole body, not just the face: visible pores, fine vellus hair, natural colour variation and small imperfections, matte natural sheen, no airbrushing, no beauty filter, no plastic or CGI look, an ordinary real person rather than a model. She wears a simple matte navy two-piece swimsuit. Plain seamless white studio background, soft even daylight, true-to-life colour, unretouched editorial photo. Shot: tight close-up portrait, face straight to camera, neutral relaxed expression, head and top of shoulders only, sharp focus on the eyes, 100mm macro lens.
Harry · Zip AI Logistics · AI Logistics lead
Character bible
| Height | 6'1" |
| Weight | 183 lb |
| Eyes | Green |
| Hair | Dark, swept back, silver at the temples; salt-and-pepper beard |
| Build | Tall athletic realistic build, natural broad shoulders; about 42 |
The marks that make Harry real
Light sun-weathering on his forehead and around his eyes; small sun spots on his shoulders; dark chest hair with a few grey hairs
Model: Seedream 4.5 (high) · 20 shots, 3 retakes
From AI to human, up close
Three crops at the same framing and zoom, before on the left and after on the right: the whole face, then the eyes, then a patch of cheek.
Harry's original reference was a three-view sheet: front, back and face. That's great for identity and confusing as a single image, so Claude cropped it down to the parts it needed. A logistics guy who spends time outdoors should look like it, so his marks are all sun. His two profile shots and his eye macro (05, 06, 08) came back as split frames and were redone with the one-photo rule.
Show Harry’s exact prompt
[Harry character Element] The reference image shows Harry. Photograph the same man as a believable real human being: same identity, face shape, eyes, hair and skin tone as the reference, but real and natural. Harry: adult man about 42, 6'1", 183 lb, tall athletic realistic build with natural broad shoulders, green eyes, dark swept-back hair with silver at the temples, close salt-and-pepper beard with a stronger silver band along the chin, angular approachable face, warm olive complexion, calm direct gaze, restrained half-smile. Distinct real marks that must stay consistent in every photo: light sun-weathering on his forehead and around his eyes, a scattering of small sun spots on his shoulders, light dark chest hair with a few grey hairs. Real skin over the whole body, not just the face: visible pores, fine vellus hair, natural colour variation and small imperfections, matte natural sheen, no airbrushing, no beauty filter, no plastic or CGI look, an ordinary real person rather than a model. He wears simple fitted navy swim trunks. Plain seamless white studio background, soft even daylight, true-to-life colour, unretouched editorial photo. Shot: tight close-up portrait, face straight to camera, neutral relaxed expression, head and top of shoulders only, sharp focus on the eyes, 100mm macro lens.
What went wrong (so you can skip it)
- Split images. Ask for a profile or an eye macro and models love to hand back two photos side by side. Fix: “One single photograph of one person only: no split screen, no diptych, no collage.”
- The wide-angle lean. Tall men came back leaning into the lens. Fix: “camera at eye level, 85mm lens,” and use the face reference only for close-ups.
- Cropped heads and the wrong framing. Close-ups landed on chests and full bodies lost their feet. Fix: say exactly where the frame starts and stops.
- One word can wreck a shot. “Silhouette” got us a black cut-out of me. Describe what you want to see, not the photography term.
- Free tools first, and where they stopped. We tried the free image tools first. Their moderation blocked swimwear reference shots, so the reference work ran on paid Higgsfield credits with the boss’s OK.
Try it on your own characters
- ☐ Write a bible line with real numbers: height, weight, eyes, hair, skin, build.
- ☐ Give each character 3–4 permanent marks: a mole, freckles, a tan line, a scar, a ring.
- ☐ Describe skin on the whole body, and ban airbrushing by name.
- ☐ Make one face anchor, then one body anchor, and feed both into every other shot.
- ☐ Full body: 85mm lens, 5 metres, chest height, head to feet with space.
- ☐ Add the one-photo rule to every prompt.
- ☐ Lay out a contact sheet and check it by eye before you use anything.
- ☐ Line your cast up to scale. If the heights look wrong, the prompts are wrong.
Which of us changed the most? Tell me in the comments.
Here’s where our 260 credits went
Every image cost 1 Higgsfield credit on Seedream 4.5 at high quality. Here’s the bill, character by character, and below it every photo we made, so you can judge the results yourself.
| Character | What we made | Notes | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bella | 18 new shots (03–20) + 20 body redo | Shots 01–02 were her earlier approved photos. The redo fixed bust size and a petite frame. | 38 |
| Radio | 18 new shots (03–20) + 4 retakes | Retakes: close-ups that framed her chest instead of her face. | 22 |
| Kai | 20 shots | No retakes. | 20 |
| Emily | 20 shots + 1 retake | Retake: 19, the stretch. | 21 |
| Peaches | 20 shots + 1 retake | Retake: 14, a split image. | 21 |
| Freya | 20 shots + 2 retakes | Shot 10, twice. | 22 |
| Valentina | 20 shots | No retakes. | 20 |
| Kenji | 20 shots | No retakes. | 20 |
| Marcus | 20 shots + 6 retakes | 03, 04, 06, 08, then 03 and 06 again: the wide-angle lean. | 26 |
| Eleanor | 20 shots + 1 retake | Retake: 08, a split frame. | 21 |
| Harry | 20 shots + 3 retakes | Retakes: 05, 06, 08, split frames. | 23 |
| Anchor re-rolls and test shots that weren’t kept | ~3 | ||
| Total | ~257 | ||
That’s about 260 credits for 240 photos of 11 people. The most expensive character was me, because my body took three rounds.
Every photo we made
Click any sheet to open it full size. The numbers match the shot list: 01 face front, 02 body front, 03–04 face three-quarters, 05–06 profiles, 07 smile, 08 eye macro, 09 over the shoulder, 10 chest up, 11 waist up, 12 back, 13–14 sides, 15 three-quarter body, 16 walking, 17 seated, 18 hands and arms, 19 stretch, 20 candid laugh.
Bella · 38 credits
Radio · 22 credits
Kai · 20 credits
Emily · 21 credits
Peaches · 21 credits
Freya · 22 credits
Valentina · 20 credits
Kenji · 20 credits
Marcus · 26 credits
Eleanor · 21 credits
Harry · 23 credits
More from the Character Lab: Creating Bella and Radio: Behind the Scenes · Making AI Characters Seem Real
Disclosure: Bella, every character and every image in this post are AI-generated by Zip AI, with human editorial oversight. Production by Claude Opus 5.5 (Anthropic). Heights and weights are fictional character specs. Model and product names are trademarks of their owners. Zip AI is not affiliated with Higgsfield, ByteDance or Anthropic.