Best Nano Banana Prompts for Portrait: Templates and Tips

1. Best Nano Banana Prompts for Portraits

Below are prompts that generate nice results in Gemini and Google AI Studio, you can adapt it to studio, outdoor, or cinematic scenarios. You can also swap faces by attaching an image alongside prompting.

Workflow:

Attach an image as the reference, and then copy and paste the prompt below for Gemini.

Prompt:

Editorial 3x3 photo grid in a clean soft beige studio. Character (matches reference 100%) wearing lightweight dark navy shirt, ivory trousers, barefoot for raw simplicity. Lighting: large diffused key light directly front-right, silver reflector left, subtle rim from top. Shots to include: 1. extreme close-up of lips + cheekbone with blurred hand partially covering (85mm, f/1.8, razor-thin DOF); 2. tight crop on eyes looking into lens with reflection of light strip visible (85mm, f/2.0); 3. black & white close portrait resting chin on fist, face filling frame (50mm, f/2.2); 4. over-shoulder shot, blurred foreground fabric curtain framing half face (85mm, f/2.0); 5. very close frontal with hands overlapping face, light streak across eyes (50mm, f/2.5); 6. tight angled portrait showing hair falling into eyes, soft-focus background (85mm, f/2.2); 7. crop of hands touching jawline, eyes cropped out (50mm, f/3.2, detail-focused); 8. half-body seated sideways on low cube, head turned sharply away, blurred foreground (35mm, f/ 4.5); 9. intense close-up of profile with single tear-like water droplet, cinematic light slice across (85mm, f/ 1.9). Angles: mostly tight headshots with slight high/low tilts, maintaining variation. Capture RAW, professional muted grade, smooth tonal contrast, subtle cinematic grain. Mood: intimate, introspective, character-led editorial minimalism with delicate use of fabric as prop

Prompt:

Create a serene outdoor portrait of a woman in the uploaded reference image ( Keep face of person 100% accurate from the reference image) and fair skin, sitting gracefully on a lush green meadow covered in small white and yellow wildflowers. She is wearing a flowing, off-white satin dress with thin straps, draped elegantly around her body. The woman’s pose is relaxed yet sensual — leaning slightly back on her hands, her head tilted gently upward, eyes half-closed, and lips softly parted, conveying a dreamy and ethereal expression. The sunlight bathes the scene in a warm, golden hue, casting soft natural shadows. Behind her, a rolling grassy hill extends into the distance, bordered by a dense line of green trees under a clear blue sky with a few scattered white clouds. The overall atmosphere is calm, romantic, and summery — evoking a sense of freedom, beauty, and connection with nature.

Do not change facial features of the person from the uploaded photo. Keep face of person 100% accurate from the reference image. Keep the original face of the attached person unchanged and realistic.

Atmosphere & Style:

- Cinematic photography, ultra-realistic

- Adventurer, luxury travel, exotic experience vibe

- 8K resolution, studio-quality photo

Prompt:

A hyperrealistic cinematic fashion portrait based directly on the uploaded photo.

Keep the same person, with the same facial features and proportions as in the image.

Medium shot: The subject is seated upright, looking directly at the camera, with their head slightly tilted upwards.

Their hair is naturally tousled, but without any strands falling over their face, achieving a relaxed yet elegant look.

They are wearing a modern, stylish, and contemporary editorial fashion outfit.

Deep black background with intense red cinematic lighting on both sides, creating a strong side glow and dramatic contour light around the head and shoulders.

The lighting is balanced and professional, wrapping around the face and upper body to highlight skin texture, fabric details, and shimmering reflections.

Cinematic composition: sleek, modern, realistic, and cutting-edge. Shooting parameters: 85mm lens, f/2 aperture, ISO 200, 1/200 s, sharp focus on the subject, deep dramatic contrast background.

Prompt: Hyperrealistic portrait of a young woman with long, wavy dark brown hair and warm brown eyes. She is looking directly at the camera with a soft, neutral expression. Shot against a simple, solid light-grey studio background. The lighting is clean, even, and soft, defining her features clearly.

Prompt: A contemporary editorial high-resolution portrait of a 16-year-old girl, her clear, expressive hazel eyes captured in exquisite, tack-sharp focus. She gazes softly at the camera with a gentle, authentic expression, her natural, youthful skin glowing under soft, diffused studio lighting. A subtle rim light delicately highlights her hair and shoulders, adding a gentle luminous halo without harshness. The background is a minimalistic neutral gradient--soft beige blending into cool gray--creating a modern, elegant ambiance. Styling is understated and age-appropriate: simple, fresh wardrobe (classic white tee or light knit), natural hair, virtually no makeup or visible accessories. Photographed as from a Canon 5D with an 85mm f/2.0 lens, yielding a velvety shallow depth of field for smooth bokeh separation and heightened realism. Clean, refined composition, centered subject with slight headroom, contemporary magazine aesthetic, suitable for both social media and print. Emphasize lifelike detail, gentle color grading with airy tones.

Prompt: Portrait photo of a young woman with dark brown hair and green eyes, upper body only, soft mischievous smile, one hand resting gently on her cheek in a playful, complicit gesture, wearing a simple elegant shirt, subtle makeup, high level of detail in skin texture, eyes, and hair strands, slightly messy hair strands illuminated from behind shot with a Canon EOS R5 + RF 85mm f/1.2L lens, shallow depth of field, cinematic look studio lighting setup: key light (softbox, 45° front-left), hair light (warm backlight), subtle fill light from right side blackboard in the background slightly out of focus, soft chalk marks barely visible emphasis on eyes and expression, fine shadows on her face enhancing facial contours rich dynamic range, ultra-sharp details, natural skin tones photo realism, not illustration mid-tone contrast, bokeh background.

Prompt:

Hyper-realistic cinematic Create an 8k photorealistic image using the attached photo. A close-up portrait of a woman with long, jet-black, slightly wind-swept hair falling across her face. Her striking, light-colored eyes gaze upwards and to the right, catching a sharp, diagonal beam of natural light that illuminates the high points of her cheekbone, nose, and plump, glossy, mauve-toned lips a slightly light weight silk shirt. The rest of her face and the background are cast in deep, dramatic shadow, emphasizing the play of light and shadow (chiaroscuro) Subtle textures of her dark clothing are visible on her left shoulder. The image should capture a mysterious and introspective mood, with incredible detail in her skin, hair strands, and the subtle reflections in her eyes and lips.

Prompt:

Create a vertical frame (4K quality) - divided into three equally sized horizontal images placed together.

The main character is based on the reference face, hairstyle, and body: a young figure with an expression of sadness and nostalgia, deep eyes radiating loneliness.

The outfit is a loose winter puffer set with wide - leg pants and a black scarf.

The overall atmosphere is covered in white snow, with a cold color palette that evokes melancholy and solitude.

Image 1 (portrait):

The character holds a transparent umbrella, turning their head slightly back while looking directly at the frame. The expression is sorrowful, with soulful eyes.

The background is blurred with snowy whiteness.

Image 2 (full body):

The character, with the umbrella, stands alone in a vast snowy field, walking while gazing at the sky. The camera angle looks downward from above, as if the character is raising a hand to catch falling snowflakes.

In the distance, a few bare, leafless trees stand. The scene conveys smallness and isolation against the vastness of nature.

Image 3 (close-up):

A zoomed-in shot of the character's eyes, with a distant, sorrowful gaze that evokes feelings of loneliness and yearning.

2. Why Nano Banana Is Useful For Portrait Work

Nano Banana is designed to work with both text prompts and reference images. That is exactly what you need for portrait work.

• It can take a face from a reference image and keep that identity throughout the generation, as long as the prompt gives clear instructions to preserve it.
• It responds well to camera language, such as lens length, aperture, depth of field, and composition.
• It understands different lighting conditions, from soft studio setups to hard sunlight and mixed environment light.

In other words, you can speak to Nano Banana the way you would plan a session with a real camera. You specify the subject, styling, light, environment, and mood, then refine.

3. How Nano Banana Understands A Portrait

A good portrait prompt for Nano Banana usually covers several layers at once. These are not separate in the final image, but they are easier to work with if you think about them individually when writing.

1. Subject and identity
2. Lighting
3. Camera and composition
4. Environment and background
5. Wardrobe and styling
6. Mood and narrative tone
7. Constraints and quality instructions

If one of these is missing, you can still get a usable image, but it becomes more random. If several are vague, the output usually looks generic and less photographic.