Similar situation here - I went through this last year when I was trying to ditch that "plastic" skin look. Honestly, it's been a total ride. For a long time, I was stuck in a loop of over-editing portraits because the skin always looked way too perfect. In my experience, hitting that professional level required a few technical shifts:
1. **Testing Flux**: I've been using Flux.1 [pro] lately. The way it handles environmental reflections and natural hair flow feels way more authentic than my old prompts.
2. **Texture control**: I know Stable Diffusion XL was already mentioned, but I learned the hard way that the "waxy" finish often comes from aggressive denoising during upscaling, not the base model itself.
3. **The Finisher**: I now use Magnific AI for pores. It actually reconstructs micro-details rather than just smoothing things out. It took me a lot of trial and error to find this flow!! Anyway... what's your current post-render process like?

Ok so, just saw this. Realism is basically down to the model's noise schedule and fine-tuning. Most tools over-smooth to look "clean," which kills skin texture. If youre on a budget, Leonardo.ai is a decent option with their PhotoReal pipeline. For those fine pores and hair details, Magnific AI is the gold standard for upscaling, tho it depends on ur needs since it gets pricey... anyway, good luck!

Just wanted to say thanks for everyone chiming in. Super helpful discussion.

In my experience, keeping up with these updates is literally a full-time job at this point!! i've been testing a few of these recently for my own portrait work and here is my take on how they stack up right now: 1. **Midjourney**
- **Pros:** The lighting is usually gorgeous right out of the box and it's very user friendly.
- **Cons:** Still has that 'vibe' where skin looks a bit too perfect or waxy. it's hard to get away from that polished digital art look sometimes, you know?
2. **Flux**
- **Pros:** This one is the current GOAT for realism imo. the skin pores and natural hair flow are actually insane... like, lowkey scary how good it is. it handles text and complex details way better than anything else ive seen this year.
- **Cons:** It can be a bit heavy on system requirements if you're trying to run it locally, and it might feel a bit 'flat' compared to the artistic flair of others.
3. **Stable Diffusion**
- **Pros:** Total control. you can basically micromanage every pixel if you have the patience and the right plugins.
- **Cons:** The learning curve is steep as heck. honestly, i still get lost in the settings sometimes lol. it takes a lot of trial and error to get that perfect photorealistic look without it looking 'computed'. If you want that high-end professional photo look without the plastic finish, i'd say **Flux** is the winner right now. it's the most consistent for those fine details like skin texture. anyway, hope that helps with ur project! cheers

Seconding the recommendation above! Honestly, while everyone is chasing those perfect skin pores, I’m over here worrying about the fine print. Realism is cool and all, but we gotta be careful with some of these newer tools popping up... - **Check the Terms**: Some 'hidden gems' have sketchy privacy policies where they basically keep everything you upload. Not ideal for pro portraits!
- **Reliability**: In my experience, smaller sites can be super unreliable. I’ve had them vanish mid-project before, which is a total nightmare. I’ve tried many platforms over the years and I usually stick to the safer bets, even if the learning curve is annoying. Better safe than sorry with your data, you know? gl!

tbh I feel your pain with that waxy look, it drives me crazy too. If youre looking for something fresh, Ive been getting some incredible results with Ideogram 2.0 lately. Their Realistic rendering style handles skin pores and fine hair way better than MJ v6 in my experience, and it doesnt feel like its trying too hard to be pretty. Another solid DIY move is using Adobe Firefly Image 3 Model. Since it is trained on actual professional photography from Adobe Stock, the environmental reflections and lens bokeh feel much more grounded in reality. It avoids that weird AI glow that most models have by default. If you want to stick with your current workflow but just fix the textures, check out Krea.ai AI Enhancer. I usually take my MJ renders and run them through Krea at a low strength setting to re-texture the skin. It adds back that missing detail without changing the face too much. Definitely worth a look if you want that high-end pro finish!

Same here!