Realism isn’t a look—it’s the consistent physics of causes across geometry, light, and camera capture.
Previous · Part 14
The Real-Camera Prompt Cookbook (Part 14): Shot Recipes That Don’t Look Like AI
This builds on Part 14: The Real-Camera Prompt Cookbook (Part 14): Shot Recipes That Don’t Look Like AI
🎬 REALISM-FIRST AI IMAGE PROMPT SHEET (MODULAR SYSTEM)
Built for fast swapping, grounded realism, and consistent output
Replace ONLY bracketed parts → keep structure intact
🧱 CORE PROMPT TEMPLATE
SHOT ON: [CAMERA TYPE] + [LENS]
FRAMING: [SHOT TYPE + DISTANCE + ANGLE]
LIGHTING: [SOURCE + DIRECTION + QUALITY + FALLOFF]
EXPOSURE: [TIME / DYNAMIC RANGE / HIGHLIGHT BEHAVIOR]
DEPTH: [FOCUS TARGET + DEPTH BEHAVIOR]
MATERIALS: [SURFACE RESPONSE]
IMPERFECTIONS: [1–2 ONLY]
COLOR: [GRADE / WHITE BALANCE]
🧩 SWAPPABLE BLOCKS
SUBJECT
a tired boxer / a nightclub DJ / a street photographer / a woman in a raincoat / a mechanic / a teenager / a CEO / a model
[ACTION/POSE] =
looking into camera / mid-motion / adjusting clothing / walking past / caught off-guard / laughing / exhausted / standing still
ENVIRONMENT
rain-soaked street at night
small cluttered apartment
backstage dressing room
underground subway platform
empty parking lot
bright supermarket aisle
studio with seamless backdrop
CAMERA + LENS
full-frame DSLR / mirrorless / older digital camera / 35mm film camera / phone camera
[LENS] =
24mm wide
35mm natural
50mm neutral
85mm portrait
135mm compression
FRAMING
tight close-up / medium shot / wide shot
[ANGLE] =
eye-level / low angle / slightly above / off-center
[DISTANCE] =
very close / 2 meters away / across the street
LIGHTING
overhead fluorescent
window daylight
neon sign
car headlights
softbox key light
streetlamp
[DIRECTION] =
side-lit / backlit / top-down / front-lit
[QUALITY] =
soft diffused / harsh / mixed lighting / uneven falloff
Unlock the full applied series
Get all 15 parts of The Physics of Better AI Images — 92 min read · 18,266 words across the full sequence.
Inside the series
Parts 1-4: Constraints make it real
Parts 5-9: Camera causes, not vibes
Parts 10-12: Surfaces, framing, and truth priority
Parts 13-14: Repair and recipe workflows
Part 15: Master Prompt Sheet
Realism isn’t a look—it’s the consistent physics of causes across geometry, light, and camera capture.
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