# UGC AVATAR: IMAGE PROMPT ANATOMY REFERENCE
# Model: nano-banana-2 via Kie AI | Aspect: 9:16 | Resolution: 2K
# Use case: Ultra-realistic UGC avatars for product content (TikTok, Reels, Shorts)

## WHAT MAKES A UGC AVATAR WORK

A UGC image is NOT a beauty photo. It is NOT advertising photography.
It is a photo that looks like a real person filmed themselves at home,
discovered a product, and is telling you about it.

The entire prompt must serve ONE objective: make the viewer believe
a real human being created this content.

The enemy is perfection. Perfect skin, perfect lighting, perfect composition,
these break the UGC contract. The viewer's brain recognises studio production
and stops trusting the person.

Every detail in the prompt exists to preserve or build that trust.

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THE SIX ENEMIES OF UGC REALISM
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These are the AI default behaviours that destroy UGC believability.
Every prompt must actively fight all six.

1. PLASTIC SKIN, AI defaults to perfect, pore-free, slightly luminous skin.
   Fix: describe specific imperfections, pore visibility, skin texture zones.

2. SYMMETRICAL FACE, AI defaults to mathematically symmetrical faces.
   Fix: describe slight asymmetry explicitly (one brow slightly higher, etc.)

3. STUDIO EYES, AI generates eyes that are too sharp, too perfectly lit,
   with identical catch-lights in both eyes.
   Fix: describe iris texture, natural scleral veining, soft catch-light from
   a single ambient source.

4. PRODUCT SHOWCASE HANDS, AI defaults to hands presenting the product like
   a catalogue model: flat palm, bottle facing camera, perfect label alignment.
   Fix: describe casual grip, natural angle, partial label visible or not visible.

5. PROFESSIONAL LIGHTING, AI defaults to even, flattering light with no
   practical source logic. This reads immediately as produced.
   Fix: name a specific practical source (ring light, window, bathroom bulb),
   describe what it does to one side of the face, describe the shadow behaviour.

6. STERILE ENVIRONMENT, AI defaults to clean, neutral, perfect backgrounds.
   Fix: describe real-person environmental details: one slightly out-of-focus
   item on a shelf, a towel on a hook, a door frame.

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LAYER-BY-LAYER ANATOMY
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## LAYER 1: CHARACTER ANCHOR

This is the locked identity of the avatar. Every image in the series
must reference this description verbatim in the relevant parts.

Weak version: "a pretty girl in her 20s"

Expert version:
"Young woman, 24-27 years old. Warm medium-light skin tone with natural
uneven undertone, slightly warmer on the forehead and cheekbones, cooler
at the jaw. Oval face with slightly softer jawline on the right side.
Nose: slightly rounded tip, not sharp. Natural brow shape, left brow
sits approximately 2-3mm higher than the right. Eyes: medium almond shape,
dark brown iris with faint amber flecks at the inner ring. Upper lids
carry a natural crease, not surgical-even. Lips: upper lip slightly thinner
than lower, natural pale pink without lipstick or gloss. Hair: dark brown,
medium thickness, naturally slightly wavy, not styled, loosely air-dried,
a few shorter strands fall forward around the face."

What changed:
- Named asymmetry explicitly (brow height difference)
- Gave skin description with tonal variation (not uniform)
- Described iris with internal detail (amber flecks)
- Described lips with asymmetry (upper vs lower)
- Hair described as natural-state, not styled

## LAYER 2: AUTHENTICITY LAYER (Natural Imperfections)

Weak version: "natural look, no makeup, real skin"

Expert version:
"Skin surface: visible pores on the nose and upper cheeks at close viewing
distance. One small blemish or faded spot at the left chin, not prominent,
not retouched. Under-eye area: natural slight shadow, not dark circles,
the colour of someone who slept normally. T-zone has a faint natural shine
from skin oils, not product. Cheeks: dry-matte texture with no highlight.
A cluster of 3-4 light freckles on the right side of the nose bridge.
Upper lip: faint natural lip line texture, not smooth. Neck: no retouching,
natural skin transition at the jawline."

What changed:
- Named exact locations for imperfections (not just "some imperfections")
- Described the blemish with size and visibility level
- Distinguished between types of shine (skin oil vs product)
- Named freckles with quantity and location
- Specified what was NOT done (no retouching at neck)

## LAYER 3: PRODUCT INTEGRATION

This is where most UGC prompts fail. The product should look like it belongs
in the person's hand, not in an advertisement.

Weak version: "holding a skincare bottle toward the camera"

Expert version:
"Left hand holds a skincare serum bottle in a relaxed grip, thumb on the
back, index and middle fingers curled around the front. The bottle is tilted
approximately 15° toward the camera, not perfectly perpendicular. The label
faces approximately 70% toward the camera, readable but not centred.
The hand is at chest height, slightly off-centre to the left side of the frame.
A small amount of product residue is visible on the thumb tip, as if she
just applied some. The right hand is partially visible at the lower frame
edge, fingers relaxed."

What changed:
- Named the specific grip type (thumb placement, finger behaviour)
- Gave a tilt angle (15°), not straight-on
- Named the label rotation (70% facing, not perfectly centred)
- Placed the hand in the frame with spatial precision
- Added a use-evidence detail (product residue on thumb)
- Included the other hand as a natural element

## LAYER 4: ENVIRONMENT

The background makes the claim: "I filmed this at home."
It should be identifiable as a real domestic space without being the focus.

Weak version: "bathroom background, natural setting"

Expert version:
"Setting: home bathroom, implied by the out-of-focus background. Visible
background elements at soft-focus: a white tile wall occupying the upper
left quadrant, a small open wooden shelf at upper right with 2-3 indistinct
product bottles, the blurred corner of a white towel on a hook. The surface
the person stands in front of appears to be a countertop or sink area,
implied by the shoulder position relative to the background. No ring light
visible. No professional equipment visible. No neutral photography backdrop."

What changed:
- Described specific real-bathroom elements by position in frame
- Used "implied by", the background suggests the space without showing it
- Described the out-of-focus behaviour (soft, not abstracted bokeh)
- Listed explicit absences (no ring light visible, no neutral backdrop)

## LAYER 5: LIGHTING & CAMERA FEEL

The lighting must read as "self-filmed with a phone" not "photographed."

Weak version: "natural lighting, warm and soft"

Expert version:
"Light source: a large window to the subject's right, approximately 90°
from the camera axis, natural daylight, overcast (soft, not directional).
The right side of the face receives most of the light. The left side falls
into a natural shadow fill, not dark, approximately 1.5 stops under the
lit side. No catch-light on the left eye, a single soft catch-light in
the right eye at approximately the 10 o'clock position. Camera: phone
front-camera feel, slight softening of the outer frame, not optically
perfect. No depth-of-field simulation (phone cameras at arm's length show
near-uniform focus except extreme background). Subject-to-camera distance:
approximately 50-60cm, as if arm's-length selfie or placed phone."

What changed:
- Named the window as the source, gave its angle relative to camera
- Named overcast (soft, no hard shadows) vs sunny (directional)
- Described the shadow ratio in stops (1.5 stops, very specific)
- Described catch-light by position and eye (not both eyes, one only)
- Described the camera character as phone (slight softening, near-uniform focus)
- Gave a distance estimate (50-60cm)

## LAYER 6: EXPRESSION & BODY LANGUAGE

Weak version: "smiling, friendly, looking at camera"

Expert version:
"Expression: a relaxed mid-sentence expression, mouth slightly open as if
mid-word, not posing a smile. Eyes directed straight at lens with a natural
soft focus, not wide open, not narrowed. The expression reads as conversational,
as if explaining something to a friend, not performing for an audience.
Eyebrows in a neutral slightly raised position, the micro-expression of
mild enthusiasm, not surprise. Shoulders: one slightly lower than the other,
natural weight-shifted posture, not squared to camera."

What changed:
- Named the specific moment (mid-sentence, not posed smile)
- Described the eye direction with a quality (natural soft focus, not intense stare)
- Named the social frame (talking to a friend, not performing)
- Described a specific brow micro-expression
- Added shoulder asymmetry (weight-shifted posture)

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COMPLETE ASSEMBLED PROMPT, REFERENCE EXAMPLE
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Use case: Skincare serum UGC avatar, Brazilian female, 25 years old,
casual bathroom setting, daytime, product in hand.

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"Young woman, 25-28 years old. Warm medium-light Brazilian skin tone,
slightly golden undertone, cheekbones a touch warmer than the jaw. Oval face
with slightly fuller right cheek. Natural brow shape, left brow sits 2mm
higher. Almond-shaped dark brown eyes, faint amber inner ring, natural lid
crease. Lips: upper lip thinner than lower, natural pale rose. Hair: dark
chestnut brown, medium thickness, loosely wavy air-dried, shorter strands
falling forward around the face. Light natural makeup: mascara only,
no foundation, no highlight.

Skin surface: visible pores on the nose and upper cheeks. One faded small
spot at the left chin. Natural slight under-eye shadow. T-zone skin-oil shine,
cheeks matte. 3-4 light freckles on right nose bridge. No retouching at neck
or jaw transition.

Left hand holds a small amber glass dropper serum bottle in a relaxed grip,
thumb at back, index and middle fingers curled at front. Bottle tilted 15°
toward camera, label facing approximately 65% to lens, readable but not centred.
Hand at chest height, slightly left of centre frame. Right thumb visible at
lower right, relaxed. Small product drop visible on left thumb tip.

Background: home bathroom implied. Upper left: white tile wall, soft focus.
Upper right: blurred wooden shelf edge with 2-3 indistinct product shapes.
Lower background: hint of a white countertop. No ring light. No backdrop.
No professional equipment.

Window light from subject's right, 90° off-axis. Natural overcast daylight,
soft, no hard edge. Right face lit, left falls into natural 1.5-stop shadow fill.
Single soft catch-light in right eye at 10 o'clock. No catch-light in left eye.
Phone-camera character: slight outer-frame softening, near-uniform focus from
face to mid-ground, only background abstracted.

Expression: relaxed mid-sentence, mouth slightly open as if mid-word.
Eyes to lens, natural soft focus. Mild enthusiasm in brow, not surprise.
One shoulder slightly lower, natural weight-shifted posture.

9:16 vertical, 2K, photorealistic. Style: UGC phone content, not editorial,
not advertising photography. Avoid: symmetrical face, plastic skin, even studio
lighting, catalogue product hold, perfect label alignment, clean empty background,
ring light reflection in eyes, identical catch-lights in both eyes."

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END OF REFERENCE DOCUMENT
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