Navy Suit on Charcoal Editorial Portrait

# LOCKED MASTER PROMPT — EDITORIAL STUDIO PORTRAIT, NAVY SUIT ON CHARCOAL

## ROLE

You are a world-class editorial and corporate portrait photographer working in a controlled studio with a single large soft key, and a retoucher who preserves skin rather than polishing it.

Create a premium, photorealistic cinematic studio portrait using **two references**:

* **IDENTITY REFERENCE** — the uploaded photograph of the subject. Identity comes from here and only here.
* **COMPOSITION REFERENCE** — the uploaded portrait. Framing, pose, wardrobe, lighting, background and grade come from here and from this prompt.

The task is to **place the subject from the identity reference into the composition reference**, replacing the person shown there completely, while keeping everything else about that portrait intact.

The output must look like a magazine-cover or annual-report portrait captured on a high-end full-frame camera — NOT like an AI-generated image, a 3D render, a face-swap with a visible seam, or a beauty-filtered headshot.

Aspect ratio: **9:16 vertical.**

---

# 1. IDENTITY LOCK — ABSOLUTE PRIORITY

Use the person from the **IDENTITY REFERENCE** only.
Preserve identity with maximum fidelity.
DO NOT redesign, beautify, reinterpret, slim, widen, age, de-age, or idealize the subject.

**The subject's sex, gender presentation, age, ethnicity and build are whatever the identity reference shows. Nothing in this prompt, and nothing in the composition reference, overrides the identity reference on any of these.**

Preserve exactly:

* Facial geometry and skull proportions
* Face shape and width-to-height ratio
* Forehead height and hairline shape, including any temple recession
* Brow ridge projection
* Eyebrow shape, thickness, density and spacing
* Eye shape, size, spacing, eyelid structure, iris colour and under-eye character
* Nose bridge, tip and nostril structure
* Cheekbone height and projection
* Jawline definition and angle
* Chin shape and projection
* Lip shape, thickness and proportions
* Ear size, shape, position and attachment
* Natural facial asymmetry
* Skin tone and undertone
* Natural skin texture, pores, lines, blemishes and surface irregularity
* Neck thickness and shoulder width
* Apparent age
* Any moles, scars or distinguishing marks

The subject must remain unmistakably the same individual as the identity reference.

### HAIR — CONDITIONAL
Preserve the identity reference hairstyle exactly: the same length, volume, hairline, texture, parting and any greying. Do NOT shorten, lengthen, restyle, straighten or curl it. Do NOT adopt the hairstyle of the person in the composition reference.

### FACIAL HAIR — CONDITIONAL
Facial hair appears **only if the identity reference shows it**. If present, preserve its exact length, density, colour, greying and cheek line. If absent, add none. Do NOT adopt the facial hair of the person in the composition reference.

### NOTHING FROM THE COMPOSITION REFERENCE PERSON SURVIVES
No facial feature, skin tone, hair, eye colour, ear shape, neck or build from the person in the composition reference may carry over. That person is **fully replaced**.

**IMPORTANT:** Identity is determined ONLY from the identity reference. Do not borrow facial characteristics from the composition reference, any celebrity, model, example image, or visual reference.

---

# 2. TWO-REFERENCE SPLIT LOCK — CRITICAL

Every attribute in the image comes from exactly one of three sources. There is no overlap.

**FROM THE IDENTITY REFERENCE:**
Face, hair, facial hair, skin, ears, neck, build, age, sex, gender presentation, ethnicity.

**FROM THE COMPOSITION REFERENCE:**
Camera angle, framing, head position, body position, gaze direction, expression character, wardrobe, background, lighting direction and quality, colour grade.

**FROM THIS PROMPT:**
The numeric limits and prohibitions that keep the above stable across generations.

Do NOT let the composition reference contribute any identity attribute.
Do NOT let the identity reference contribute any composition, wardrobe, lighting or background attribute.
Do NOT blend the two faces.
Do NOT leave any seam, edge, colour mismatch or lighting mismatch between the replaced face and the rest of the portrait.

---

# 3. CAMERA POSITION & ORIENTATION LOCK

### Camera
Eye level, within **5 degrees** above or below the subject's eye line.
The lens axis is horizontal.

### Subject orientation
* The head is near-frontal, rotated no more than **10 degrees** toward one side
* Lateral head tilt no more than **4 degrees**
* The chin is level or lowered by a maximum of **4 degrees**
* The shoulders are rotated **10–20 degrees**, giving a subtle diagonal to the suit's lapels and shoulder line

Do NOT use a low or high angle.
Do NOT tilt the camera (no dutch angle).
Do NOT produce a three-quarter or profile head position.
Do NOT square the shoulders perfectly flat to the lens.
Do NOT introduce wide-angle distortion.

---

# 4. FRAMING LOCK — CRITICAL

Use a **close-up head-and-shoulders portrait**.

Show:

* The whole head with the full hair silhouette
* Neck, shirt collar and the knot of the tie
* Both shoulders of the suit jacket and the upper lapels
* The lower edge of the frame at approximately the **upper chest**, a hand's width below the tie knot

The head (top of hair to chin) occupies approximately **44–50% of the total frame height**.
The eye line sits approximately **36–40% down from the top of the frame**.
The chin sits at approximately **62–66%** down from the top.
The shoulders span approximately **75–88% of the frame width**.

### HEADROOM LOCK
Leave approximately **8–12% of the total frame height** as backdrop above the top of the hair.
The hair must be fully inside the frame and must NOT be clipped by the upper edge.

### CROP LOCK
Do NOT crop the top of the head.
Do NOT crop the chin.
Do NOT crop either shoulder at the frame edges — both shoulder points are inside the frame.
Do NOT tighten into a face-only crop.
Do NOT pull back into a chest-up, waist-up or full-body composition.

---

# 5. SUBJECT POSITION

Place the head at approximately **48–52% of frame width**, centred.
The subtle shoulder rotation produces a marginally asymmetric jacket silhouette, but the head stays on the centre line.
Backdrop is visible on both sides of the head and above it.

Do NOT offset the head.

---

# 6. GAZE & EXPRESSION

The subject looks **directly into the lens**, with a steady, unbroken gaze.
Both eyes are fully open and clearly readable, each carrying a single soft catchlight positioned high and toward the key side.

Expression:

* Serious and confident
* Composed, assured, in command — not hard, not aggressive
* Brow level to very slightly lowered
* Lips closed and relaxed, with a faint, almost imperceptible firmness at the corners
* Jaw relaxed

Do NOT smile or show teeth.
Do NOT produce a warm, friendly or approachable expression.
Do NOT produce a scowl, smoulder, squint or theatrical intensity.
Do NOT produce a blank, vacant or bored look.
Do NOT direct the gaze away from the lens.

---

# 7. WARDROBE LOCK — CRITICAL

### Suit
A **dark navy tailored suit jacket**.

* Deep, saturated navy — approximately **#141E38 to #1C2A4A** under the key light, falling to near-black in shadow
* Fine wool or wool-blend with a subtle, tight weave visible only where the key light grazes the shoulder and lapel
* Notch lapels of moderate width, pressed flat, with a clean, sharp roll line
* Structured shoulders with a clean line and no wrinkling
* Jacket buttoned or closed at the lower edge of the frame — the closure itself is below the crop
* No pocket square, no lapel pin, no visible buttons above the crop

### Shirt
A **crisp white dress shirt**.

* Pure, clean white with a faint fabric texture
* A spread or semi-spread collar, pressed, sitting symmetrically under the jacket lapels
* The collar points crisp and clean, no wrinkles, no gap at the neck
* Approximately **1–1.5 cm** of collar visible above the jacket at the back of the neck

### Tie
A **dark navy tie**.

* A navy marginally darker or marginally more saturated than the jacket, so that the two read as distinct but harmonious — never identical, never contrasting
* Plain silk or a very fine, almost invisible texture — no pattern, no stripe, no print
* A neat, symmetrical knot — four-in-hand or half-Windsor scale — sitting snug against the collar with a small, natural dimple below the knot
* Tie width proportionate to the lapel

The overall read is **clean, professional, restrained**.

Do NOT use a black, grey, charcoal or brightly coloured suit.
Do NOT use a patterned, striped, checked or textured suit.
Do NOT add a pocket square, lapel pin, tie bar, cufflink or watch.
Do NOT use a coloured, patterned or striped shirt.
Do NOT use an open collar or omit the tie.
Do NOT use a patterned, striped, knitted, bow or novelty tie.
Do NOT use a tie that matches the jacket exactly or contrasts with it strongly.
Do NOT add a waistcoat or an overcoat.
Do NOT add glasses, earrings, a chain or any accessory unless present in the identity reference.

---

# 8. BACKGROUND LOCK — CRITICAL

A **dark textured charcoal studio backdrop**.

* A hand-painted or mottled canvas backdrop in deep charcoal grey — approximately **#1E1E20 to #2C2C30** at its lightest, falling to near-black at the edges and corners
* Subtle, organic tonal variation: soft cloud-like mottling, no repeating pattern, no visible brush strokes
* The backdrop is marginally lighter behind and around the head than at the frame edges, providing gentle separation for the hair — this is backdrop falloff, not a lit hotspot
* Slightly out of focus, so the texture reads as atmosphere rather than as a surface
* No visible seams, creases, stand or edge

NO objects, furniture, props or set elements.
NO gradient that reads as a spotlight, halo or glow behind the head.
NO pattern, geometry, wall, window or architecture.
NO visible studio equipment.
NO text, typography, logos, watermarks or graphic elements.
NO inset image, picture-in-picture, secondary photo, thumbnail or collage element anywhere — including the bottom-right corner.
NO border or frame.

---

# 9. LIGHTING LOCK — CRITICAL

A **soft but directional two-light studio setup**.

### KEY
A large soft source — a **1.2–1.5 m octabox or softbox** — positioned approximately **40–50 degrees** to one side of the lens axis and approximately **25–35 degrees above** eye level, angled down toward the face.

It produces:

* A broad, gentle wrap across the forehead, cheekbone and jaw on the key side
* A soft, gradual shadow across the far side of the face — clearly present, clearly shaped, but never hard-edged
* A defined nose shadow falling toward the far cheek, with a soft, gradual edge
* Modelling that separates the cheekbones, the brow ridge and the jawline without exaggeration
* A single soft catchlight in each eye

### FILL
A large, weak fill from the opposite side, at a key-to-fill ratio of approximately **3:1 to 4:1**.
The far side of the face is darker but fully readable, with skin texture and eye detail preserved.

### RIM / SEPARATION
A subtle, narrow separation light from behind, on the far side, at approximately **1.5–2 stops below key**. It produces a fine edge along the far shoulder and the far side of the hair, keeping the navy jacket from merging into the charcoal backdrop.

Do NOT use flat, on-axis or ring-light illumination.
Do NOT use hard, small-source light producing sharp shadow edges.
Do NOT lift the fill to eliminate the facial shadow.
Do NOT crush the far side of the face into black.
Do NOT add a visible glow, halo or hotspot on the backdrop.
Do NOT let the rim light become a bright neon edge.

---

# 10. LIGHTING DIRECTION LOCK

The lighting setup must remain **identical across every generation**, regardless of changes in the identity reference person's gender, age, skin tone, hairstyle, or facial structure.

The identity changes.
The **lighting does NOT change.**
Key side, key angle, key height, source size, fill ratio, rim position and rim strength stay fixed.
Only the way the light falls across the individual's specific anatomy varies.

---

# 11. EXPOSURE & TONAL BALANCE LOCK

A **rich, controlled, mid-to-low-key image**.

Approximate distribution of the frame:

* Charcoal backdrop, mid-dark to near-black: **35–45%**
* Navy suit and tie, dark-to-deep tones: **25–35%**
* Face and neck, correctly exposed in the mid-tones: **15–22%**
* White shirt, bright but not clipped: **3–6%**

Behavior:

* The face is correctly exposed, with full tonal range from the key-side highlight to the far-side shadow
* Skin highlights on the forehead, nose bridge and cheekbone are bright but retain texture — never clipped
* The white shirt is the brightest element, held just below clipping so the fabric texture reads
* The suit retains weave and lapel structure in its lit areas and falls to deep navy-black in shadow
* The backdrop sits below the face in value everywhere, so the head reads clearly against it

Do NOT overexpose the face or the shirt.
Do NOT crush the suit into a black silhouette.
Do NOT lift the backdrop to mid-grey.
Do NOT flatten the image into an evenly lit, low-contrast result.
Do NOT push into harsh, high-contrast, crushed-black drama.

---

# 12. CAMERA LOOK

Professional studio portraiture on a full-frame system.

Focal length: **85mm**.
Aperture: **f/2.8 to f/4** — shallow, but with the whole face inside the plane of focus.

Focus:

* Critical focus on the **near eye**
* Both eyes, brows, nose, lips, skin texture, hairline and beard fully sharp
* The far ear and the far shoulder very slightly softer
* The backdrop softly out of focus, its texture dissolved into gentle atmosphere

Do NOT use extreme shallow depth of field that softens one eye.
Do NOT stop down so far that the backdrop texture becomes sharp.
Do NOT render visible bokeh shapes.
Do NOT introduce lens flare, chromatic aberration or a heavy applied vignette.

---

# 13. IMAGE QUALITY

Photorealistic.
Ultra-detailed natural skin with clearly visible pores across the forehead, nose and cheeks.
Fine facial texture including natural lines, subtle surface irregularity and a faint, realistic sheen on the forehead and nose bridge.
Individually resolvable hair strands, with the hairline and any greying rendered accurately.
Facial hair, where the identity reference shows it, as discrete individual hairs with visible skin beneath.
Crisp fabric rendering: suit weave where lit, shirt cotton texture, tie silk sheen at the knot.
Physically believable soft shadow falloff with wide, gradual penumbra.
Natural highlight roll-off on skin and shirt.
Fine, organic film grain at low intensity.

No plastic, waxy or airbrushed skin.
No skin smoothing or blemish removal.
No excessive sharpening or edge halos.
No artificial HDR tone-mapped appearance.
No beauty-filter effect.
No CGI, 3D-render or video-game surface quality.
No visible seam, mask edge or colour mismatch at the hairline, jaw or neck where the identity was placed.

---

# 14. COLOUR GRADING

A **restrained cinematic editorial grade** built on navy, charcoal and natural skin.

Palette:

* Backdrop: neutral-to-cool charcoal, low saturation
* Suit and tie: deep saturated navy, the only strong colour in the frame
* Shirt: clean neutral white
* Skin: natural, accurate to the identity reference, with a faint warmth that separates it from the cool backdrop and navy

Tonal structure:

* Moderate saturation overall — the navy is rich, everything else is quiet
* Contrast is moderate-to-strong, with deep clean blacks and a soft highlight shoulder
* A faint cool cast in the shadows, a faint warmth in the skin highlights — subtle, not a split-tone effect

Do NOT push the skin toward orange, red, tan or magenta.
Do NOT desaturate the navy toward grey or shift it toward blue or teal.
Do NOT introduce a colour accent anywhere.
Do NOT apply a heavy teal-orange, split-tone or filmic look.
Do NOT lift the blacks into a faded or matte look.
Do NOT allow banding in the backdrop gradient.

---

# 15. VISUAL HIERARCHY

**Eyes → Face → Hairline and beard → Tie knot and collar → Lapels and shoulders → Charcoal backdrop**

The face is the subject.
The white shirt and tie knot are a structural anchor beneath it.
The navy suit and charcoal backdrop are the quiet frame around both.

---

# 16. NON-NEGOTIABLE RULES

These must NEVER change between generations:

1. Identity from the identity reference only; nothing from the composition reference person survives.
2. Composition, wardrobe, lighting, background and grade from the composition reference and this prompt.
3. No seam, mask edge, colour mismatch or lighting mismatch where the identity is placed.
4. Camera at eye level, within 5 degrees.
5. Head near-frontal, rotated no more than 10 degrees; shoulders rotated 10–20 degrees.
6. Direct, unbroken eye contact.
7. Serious, confident, closed-mouth expression.
8. Close-up head-and-shoulders framing, crop at the upper chest.
9. Head occupies 44–50% of frame height; eye line at 36–40% from the top.
10. 8–12% headroom; both shoulder points inside the frame.
11. Head centred at 48–52% of frame width.
12. Dark navy tailored suit, notch lapels, no accessories.
13. Crisp white spread-collar shirt.
14. Dark navy plain tie, neat symmetrical knot with a dimple.
15. Dark textured charcoal backdrop, mottled, softly out of focus, no hotspot.
16. Large soft key at 40–50 degrees off axis, 25–35 degrees above eye level.
17. Key-to-fill ratio 3:1 to 4:1; far side of the face readable.
18. Subtle rim separation 1.5–2 stops below key on the far side.
19. Face correctly exposed; shirt just below clipping; suit retaining weave in lit areas.
20. 85mm at f/2.8–f/4, near eye in critical focus, both eyes sharp.
21. Visible pores, hair strands and fabric texture.
22. Restrained navy-charcoal-skin grade with no colour accent.
23. No inset, picture-in-picture, secondary photo, collage, text, logo, watermark or border.
24. 9:16 vertical aspect ratio.

---

# 17. REFERENCE PRIORITY SYSTEM

### PRIORITY 1 — IDENTITY (from the identity reference)
Face, hair, facial hair, skin, build, sex, gender presentation, age and natural likeness.

### PRIORITY 2 — THE TWO-REFERENCE SPLIT
Identity only from the identity reference; everything else only from the composition reference and this prompt. No blending.

### PRIORITY 3 — COMPOSITION AND EXPRESSION
The head-and-shoulders framing, the subtle shoulder rotation and the direct confident gaze.

### PRIORITY 4 — LIGHTING
The large soft key, the 3:1–4:1 fill and the subtle rim.

### PRIORITY 5 — WARDROBE AND BACKGROUND
The navy suit, white shirt, navy tie and charcoal textured backdrop.

### PRIORITY 6 — GRADE AND CAMERA
The restrained editorial grade and the 85mm perspective.

If the identity reference conflicts with the composition reference or with this prompt, **preserve identity, anatomy, hair, facial hair and natural likeness from the identity reference, and preserve composition, expression, lighting, wardrobe, background, grade and camera specification from the composition reference and this prompt.**

---

# 18. NEGATIVE CONSTRAINTS

### Identity and reference-split errors
Do NOT generate:

* Any facial feature, hair, facial hair, skin tone, eye colour or build from the person in the composition reference
* A blend of the two faces
* A visible seam, mask edge, halo or colour mismatch at the hairline, jaw, ears or neck
* A lighting mismatch between the face and the rest of the portrait
* A change in the subject's sex, gender presentation, age, ethnicity or build from the identity reference
* A restyled, shortened or lengthened hairstyle
* Added or removed facial hair
* An aged, de-aged, beautified, slimmed, widened or idealized face
* A generic or default face not derived from the identity reference

### Composition and camera errors
Do NOT generate:

* A low, high, dutch or tilted angle
* A three-quarter or profile head position
* Shoulders perfectly flat to the lens
* A face-only, chest-up, waist-up or full-body crop
* A cropped top of head, chin or shoulder
* An off-centre head
* Wide-angle distortion
* Extreme shallow depth of field softening one eye
* Sharp backdrop texture from stopping down
* Visible bokeh shapes
* Lens flare, chromatic aberration or a heavy vignette

### Expression errors
Do NOT generate:

* A smile, open mouth or visible teeth
* A warm, friendly or approachable expression
* A scowl, smoulder, squint or theatrical intensity
* A blank, vacant or bored look
* A gaze away from the lens

### Wardrobe errors
Do NOT generate:

* A black, grey, charcoal or brightly coloured suit
* A patterned, striped, checked or textured suit
* A pocket square, lapel pin, tie bar, cufflink or watch
* A coloured, patterned or striped shirt
* An open collar or a missing tie
* A patterned, striped, knitted, bow or novelty tie
* A tie identical to the jacket or strongly contrasting with it
* A waistcoat or an overcoat
* Glasses, earrings, a chain or any accessory not in the identity reference
* Wrinkled, creased or ill-fitting clothing

### Background errors
Do NOT generate:

* A plain flat backdrop with no texture
* A backdrop lifted to mid-grey
* A spotlight, halo, glow or hotspot behind the head
* A repeating pattern, visible brush strokes, seams or creases
* Objects, furniture, props, walls, windows or architecture
* Visible studio equipment
* An inset image, picture-in-picture, secondary photo, thumbnail or collage element — anywhere, including the bottom-right corner
* Text, typography, logos, watermarks, borders or frames

### Lighting, exposure and grade errors
Do NOT generate:

* Flat, on-axis or ring-light illumination
* Hard, small-source light with sharp shadow edges
* Fill lifted to eliminate the facial shadow
* A far side of the face crushed to black
* A bright neon rim edge
* An overexposed face or clipped shirt
* A suit crushed to a black silhouette
* A flat, evenly lit, low-contrast result
* A harsh, high-contrast, crushed-black result
* Orange, red, tan or magenta skin
* Navy shifted toward grey, blue or teal
* A colour accent anywhere
* A heavy teal-orange, split-tone or filmic look
* Lifted, faded or matte blacks
* Banding in the backdrop gradient

### Rendering errors
Do NOT generate:

* Plastic, waxy or airbrushed skin
* Beauty-filter smoothing or blemish removal
* Facial reshaping or exaggerated jaw and cheekbones
* Facial hair as a flat mask; grey hair as a tint
* Asymmetrical or misaligned eyes caused by generation error
* Mismatched, missing or duplicated catchlights
* Deformed ears; distorted teeth
* Melted or discontinuous hair
* Over-sharpened edges or halos
* Artificial HDR appearance
* Heavy digital noise mistaken for film grain
* CGI, 3D render or video-game look
* Illustration, painting or stylized rendering

---

# FINAL INSTRUCTION

Create the image as if the **same photographer, same studio, same charcoal backdrop, same two-light setup, same camera, same 85mm lens, same navy suit, white shirt and navy tie, same framing, same expression and same editorial grade** photographed a completely different person.

Only the **identity of the subject** — taken from the identity reference — should change.

The result must belong to a single, consistent editorial portrait series — not a set of unrelated AI generations.

**IDENTITY CHANGES. EVERYTHING ELSE STAYS LOCKED.**