LibraryThe Best 10 Midjourney Selfie Prompts with Templates & Real-World Tests
Below is my no-nonsense playbook to help beginners and pros craft Midjourney selfie prompts that look natural, flattering, and on-brand.
If you’ve ever stared at a great selfie and thought “I wish Midjourney could make that,” this guide is for you. After dozens of trials, I learned that the difference between uncanny and unforgettable often comes down to three things: intent, lighting, and camera point of view.
What Are “Midjourney Selfie Prompts” (and Why They Matter)
Midjourney selfie prompts describe a close-range portrait with an implicit camera presence—think “front-facing phone,” arm’s-length distance, eye-level angle, and believable background/lighting. Compared with generic portrait prompts, selfie prompts must feel handheld and own the POV (arm reach, slight distortion, authentic environment).
Many “top lists” online share good phrases, but they often miss how POV + lighting + composition interact to produce realism—your edges, not your adjectives, make the image click. See curated prompt libraries and listicles for inspiration, then refine with POV details. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
The Core Formula I Use for Midjourney Selfie Prompts
Scene (place + time + light) + POV (front camera, arm’s-length, eye-level) + Subject (age/gender/style) + Skin & texture (natural pores, subtle sheen) + Mood (casual/confident/playful) + Background realism (messy desk, subway, sunset skyline) + Quality cues (soft DOF, slight lens distortion) + Style guardrails (photorealistic, minimal retouch) + Negatives (no plastic skin, no extra fingers, no phone occlusion)
For newcomers, describe effects (“soft window light, shallow depth”) rather than hardware specs—this maps better to how MJ parses prompts.
Copy-Paste Templates
A. Clean Natural Light — “Creator Headshot”
a realistic selfie, front-facing phone camera at arm’s length, eye-level, soft window light from the side, gentle shadows, natural skin texture with visible pores, subtle catchlights in eyes, tidy apartment background slightly blurred (shallow depth of field), casual cotton tee, relaxed half-smile, photorealistic, minimal retouch, color-true skin, --ar 16:9 --stylize 200 --chaos 10 --no plastic skin, no extra fingers
B. Golden Hour Glow — “Outdoor Lifestyle”
sunset street selfie, warm backlight rim on hair, front camera POV, arm’s-length framing with slight perspective warp, freckles and soft sheen on skin, bokeh city lights behind, playful expression, candid movement blur on background, photorealistic, film grain subtle, --ar 9:16 --stylize 300 --chaos 15 --no mannequin look, no over-smooth skin
C. Moody Neon — “Urban Night”
club-neon selfie under magenta/teal signage, phone held slightly above eye level, close crop, glossy highlights on cheekbones, realistic noise, shallow DOF, lively crowd blur behind, confident pose, photorealistic portrait, --ar 1:1 --stylize 250 --chaos 12 --no waxy skin, no duplicated hands
D. Studio Mirror — “Fashion Try-On”
mirror selfie in minimal studio, clean daylight overhead, visible phone but not occluding face, arm extended, crisp outfit details (linen blazer, silver hoop earrings), neutral backdrop with subtle texture, photorealistic, --ar 4:5 --stylize 150 --no warped phone, no extra arms
E. Documentary — “At Your Desk”
work-from-home selfie, laptop glow as key light, side window fill, messy desk hints (mug, notebook), shallow DOF, relaxed candid expression, slight lens distortion from close distance, photorealistic, --ar 3:4 --stylize 100 --no over-retouch, no HDR halo
Midjourney Selfie Prompts for Specific Use Cases
1) Professional Profile (LinkedIn-Ready)
daylit office selfie, front camera, eye-level, soft side window light, clean background with mild texture, natural skin texture, confident gentle smile, neutral palette wardrobe, photorealistic, --ar 16:9 --stylize 150 --no plastic skin
2) Creator Thumbnail (YouTube/TikTok)
bold thumbnail selfie, slightly higher camera angle, expressive eyebrows and open smile, crisp edge lighting, blurred studio lights behind, vibrant yet natural color, photorealistic, --ar 16:9 --stylize 300 --chaos 10 --no over-smooth
3) Travel Story (Street/Vacation)
sunny travel selfie in old-town alley, front camera arm’s-length, stone walls and hanging plants behind, warm directional light, candid half-smile, shallow DOF, photorealistic, --ar 9:16 --stylize 250 --no postcard HDR
4) Fitness Check-In
post-workout gym mirror selfie, even overhead fluorescent light, light sweat sheen, visible phone but not blocking face, toned composition, photorealistic, --ar 4:5 --stylize 120 --no warped hands
5) Low-Light Mood
dim café selfie by window at night, bokeh street lamps outside, subtle nose/cheek highlights, soft grain, introspective gaze, photorealistic, --ar 1:1 --stylize 220 --no waxy skin
Expert Tips That Actually Move the Needle
- Describe outcomes, not equipment: “shallow depth,” “soft backlight,” “telephoto feel” > f/1.4, 85mm, etc.
- Skin realism: Add “natural skin texture, barely-there retouch, color-true tones, subtle pores.”
- POV honesty: Signal “front-facing phone,” “arm’s-length,” “slight perspective warp,” “mirror selfie” for believability.
- Background character: Give it a job—“messy bookshelf,” “late train platform,” “hotel hallway carpet”—then blur it.
- Negative prompts as safety rails: “no plastic skin, no over-smooth face, no extra fingers, no warped phone.”
- Batch smart: generate small sets, compare eye highlights, skin sheen, and ear/hair edges; upscale only the keepers.
- Inspiration, then adaptation: borrow phrasing from prompt lists, but always localize light/POV to your scene.
Common Pitfalls (and Fixes)
- Plastic/Waxy Skin → Add “natural skin texture,” reduce stylize/chaos, and explicitly say “no plastic skin.”
- Warped Phone/Hands → Use “visible phone but not occluding face,” or “no phone visible,” or try mirror framing.
- Over-engineered Tech Jargon → Replace with visual outcomes (depth, blur, grain, distortion) for more consistent results.
- Identity Drift (with refs) → Tighter crop, simpler style, lower stylize; expect interpretation not duplication.
