Image cleanup
Negative prompt examples for realistic AI images.
Use this when an AI image has the right subject but keeps returning plastic skin, fake text, distorted hands, stock poses, or over-polished AI gloss.
First-screen answer
A negative prompt names what the image model should avoid: plastic skin, distorted hands, warped text, impossible reflections, fake shadows, over-polished AI gloss, or stock-photo posing.
But a negative prompt works best when paired with positive visual direction. "Less fake" is too vague. The stronger vocabulary is specific: editorial photography, natural skin texture, believable lens choice, grounded lighting, material texture, readable typography, and photorealism constraints.
The better terms
Negative prompt
Names what the model should avoid.
Photorealism constraints
Keeps the image grounded in plausible camera, light, material, and anatomy.
AI artifact
A visible failure mode such as warped hands, fake text, impossible shadows, or synthetic texture.
Typography fidelity
Useful when the image includes logos, UI, signs, labels, or readable text.
Material texture
Makes skin, fabric, metal, glass, or paper feel physical instead of synthetic.
Editorial photography
Moves the image toward credible real-world visual language instead of stock gloss.
Before and after
Weak ask
Make this AI image less fake.
Exact Terms ask
Use editorial photography as the positive direction, then add photorealism constraints and a targeted negative prompt for plastic skin, distorted hands, unreadable text, warped reflections, synthetic texture, over-sharpened details, and stock-photo posing.
Negative prompt vs positive visual direction
Negative prompt says what to avoid. Positive visual direction says what good should look like.
If you only write negatives, the model may avoid obvious flaws but still produce a bland image. If you only write positives, the model may still include common artifacts. Strong image vocabulary uses both.
Positive direction
Editorial portrait, natural skin texture, available-light realism, 50mm lens feel, grounded shadows, believable fabric texture.
Targeted negative prompt
plastic skin, waxy face, distorted fingers, unreadable text, warped logo, impossible reflections, oversharpened pores, glossy AI finish, stock-photo smile.
Why "less fake" fails
"Less fake" hides the real visual problem. One image might look fake because skin texture is too smooth. Another might fail because shadows point in different directions, hands are malformed, or logo text looks invented.
The useful move is to name the failure mode: plastic skin, anatomy distortion, unreadable typography, impossible reflection, inconsistent shadow, stock-photo posing, or AI gloss.
Artifact checklist
Anatomy
distorted hands, extra fingers, asymmetrical eyes, warped teeth
Text
unreadable typography, malformed letters, broken logo, fake signage
Reflection
impossible reflection, inconsistent mirror image, wrong highlight direction
Lighting
fake shadow, inconsistent light source, flat studio lighting
Texture
plastic skin, synthetic fabric, rubbery material, over-smoothed surface
Composition
awkward crop, stock-photo pose, staged expression, generic background
Weak wording to exact terminology
Remove artifacts
Name the specific artifact class: anatomy distortion, unreadable typography, impossible reflection, inconsistent shadow, synthetic texture, or AI gloss.
Make it premium
Use editorial photography, controlled lighting, natural material texture, intentional composition, and realistic lens behavior.
Make it not look stock
Avoid stock-photo posing, generic lifestyle staging, over-smiling expressions, sterile backgrounds, and artificial lighting; use documentary or editorial art direction instead.
When negative prompts help
Negative prompts help when the failure pattern is clear: repeated bad hands, fake skin texture, broken text, warped reflections, overly polished style, unwanted stock-photo cues, or generic AI smoothness.
They help less when the main brief is vague. If the prompt does not define subject, scene, framing, material, lighting, camera feel, and style, the negative prompt is cleaning up a weak direction.
Handoff example
This is a downstream handoff. Exact Terms helps you find the vocabulary, then you can use that vocabulary in a search, brief, critique, or image tool.
Common mistake
The common mistake is copying a huge generic negative prompt list. A better negative prompt is short and specific to the artifact you are actually seeing.
Another mistake is using negative prompts to compensate for an unclear subject or scene. Start with the image you want, then use negative prompts to remove predictable failure modes.
Related terms
Related guides
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Common questions
Should a negative prompt list everything?
No. List the defects you are actually seeing or likely to see. A bloated negative prompt can fight the main image direction.
What should come before the negative prompt?
Use positive visual direction first: subject, shot type, art direction, lighting, lens, composition, and material texture.