How to make AI skin look real, not plastic

Why AI faces look waxy, the prompt habits that help, and a one click pass that puts pores and freckles back without changing the face.

The fastest way to spot an AI picture is the skin: smooth, shiny and even, like a doll. Real skin has pores, small marks, uneven colour and a little shine in some places only.

Why AI skin looks plastic

• Most models were trained on retouched photos, so smooth skin is their idea of "good".
• Words like "beautiful", "flawless" and "perfect skin" push them further that way.
• Upscaling a small picture smears what little texture there was.

Prompt habits that help

• Ask for a real camera: "phone photo", "natural window light", "no makeup".
• Leave out "flawless", "perfect" and "airbrushed".
• Ask for "visible pores" or "light freckles" on close ups.
• Pick an engine built for realism. In Sable, try Krea 2 Large, FLUX.2 max or Seedream 5.0 Pro on the same prompt.

The fix for a picture you already have: Skin Polish

1. Open the picture in your library and choose Skin polish.
2. Pick a finish, from the three below.
3. Leave Detail on Quick. Switch to High only if Quick did not do enough.
4. Press Apply. The result lands next to the original, which is never changed.

The three finishes:

• Add freckles: visible pores and freckles across the nose and cheeks. The most natural of the three.
• Even and clean: smooth, even skin without spots, for a polished look.
• Matte, no shine: takes away oily highlights.

Skin Polish redraws only the skin. The face, the pose, the framing and the background stay where they were, so it is safe to use on a character you want to keep the same.

Tips

• Compare with the original at full size. If a small detail moved, run it again.
• Skin Polish adds detail. To make a picture bigger, use Upscale after it.

Updated 2026-10-13