Creating Photorealistic 4K Golden Hour Portraits with MidJourney
Ready to turn your portraits into breathtaking, gallery-worthy images? These 10 MidJourney prompts help anyone create ultra-realistic, cinematic 4K portraits bathed in golden hour lighting, the soft, warm light just before sunset or after sunrise that brings out vibrant skin tones and magical atmosphere.
Perfect for content creators, photographers, and anyone wanting pro-quality looks without expensive equipment, these prompts are designed to be copy-paste simple.
What makes these prompts special?
- They focus on golden hour lighting: for natural, glowing skin and dramatic backgrounds.
- They use real photography terms (like camera model, lens, aperture) to push MidJourney to photorealism.
- You get easy, fine-tuned results in 4K quality, ideal for portfolio, social media, or professional prints.
How to Create Stunning 4K Portraits in MidJourney
Prepare Your Prompt
- Pick one of the 10 copy-paste prompts. Each should include: subject details (age, appearance, outfit), camera settings (like Canon EOS R5, 85mm lens, f/1.8), and lighting terms like "golden hour," "soft shadows," or "cinematic glow".
- Example: Beautiful woman, portrait, golden hour sunlight, Canon EOS R5 85mm f/1.8, photorealistic, soft shadows, ultra-HD --v 6.0 --ar 3:4 --style raw
Enter the Prompt in MidJourney
- Open the MidJourney Discord server.
- In any image generation channel, type /imagine and paste your chosen prompt.
- Run the command and let MidJourney generate four versions.
Select and Upscale Your Favorite
- Choose the portrait you like best and click "Upscale" for higher resolution. MidJourney can upscale to around 2K — for full 4K detail, use an external AI upscaler (like Aiarty Image Enhancer).
- Download and save your image.
Pro Tips for Golden Hour Photo Perfection
- Be specific: Name the camera, lens, aperture, and lighting for maximum realism.
- Use the --style raw parameter to remove extra artistic effects for a more lifelike photo.
- Lower the --stylize value (500–750) to favor realism over fantasy/artwork.
- Mention golden hour: It adds warm tones, soft shadows, and pro-level atmosphere automatically.
- Try shallow depth of field: Add “f/1.8” or “bokeh” for creamy backgrounds and sharp subjects.
- Iterate and refine: Slightly tweak your prompt (change lens, lighting term, or pose) and re-generate to find your best look.
Golden hour can make anybody’s portrait shine, and with these detailed MidJourney prompts, you’re just a few clicks from photorealistic, cinematic results. Try them out and see your images transformed!
MidJourney Prompts to Create Stunning Photorealistic 4K Portraits
Prompt 1:
Use This:
"The most beautiful French woman, with flawless skin, elegant features, and long, flowing hair. Dressed in a chic Parisian outfit, standing on a cobblestone street with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Warm, natural lighting. Created Using: portrait photography, fashion photography, Parisian setting, detailed textures, realistic HD quality, natural look --ar 16:9 --v 6.0"
Prompt 2:
Use This:
"Beautiful girl, portrait shot, close up of face, green eyes, great details, high quality photo, 8K, photo taken in the style of Canon EOS R5 F2 ISO30 89mm, looks as realistic girl --ar 16:9 --v 6.0"
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Prompt 3:
Use This:
"A man (25y.o) posing on street, photorealistic, in the style of social media portraiture, anglocore, smilecore, emotive faces, object portraiture specialist, ARRIFLEX 35 BL Camera, Canon K35 Prime Lenses, LinkedIn profile photo --ar 16:9 --v 6.0 --raw"
Prompt 4:
Use This:
"Underwater photography, hyper photorealistic, glide alongside graceful sea turtles, schools of colorful fish, and elusive hammerhead sharks, each contributing to the rich tapestry of life in these marine sanctuaries. As you float weightlessly in the ocean's embrace, feel a profound sense of peace and connection with the vastness of the sea. stock photo. --ar 16:9 --stylize 1000 --v 6.0 --raw"
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Prompt 5:
Use This:
"Architecture photography of a wide conceptual luxury modern Japanese house, water pond, Canon EOS Mark IV shot, --ar 16:9 --v 6.0 --raw"
Prompt 6:
Use This:
"City park, look up view cloudy sky, sunlights, 50mm lens, hyper realistic, landscape photography, magazine aesthetic, 16k, vibrant colors --ar 16:9 --v 6.0 --raw"
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Prompt 7:
Use This:
"Close-up Shot Top view | EMOTION: Tempting I SCENE: Hot Fudge Sundae Brownie Cheesecake | TAGS: High-end food photography, clean composition, dramatic lighting, luxurious, elegant, mouth-watering, indulgent, gourmet | CAMERA: Nikon Z7 | FOCAL LENGTH: 50mm | SHOT TYPE: Close-up | COMPOSITION: Top view Centered | LIGHTING: Soft directional light | PRODUCTION: Food Stylist | TIME: Daytime I LOCATION TYPE: Kitchen near windows --ar 16:9 --v 6.0 "
Prompt 8:
Use This:
"Sport photography, hero shot, wide angle shot, Mercedes AMG racing cars, dynamic pose, freeze pose, cinema quality, Mercedes AMG super car, tv commercial, lightning creative liberty, blurry action photo style, blurred motion background, asymmetrical composition, professional color grading, super Realistic, low of third photo composition --ar 16:9 --s 750 --chaos 25 --v 6.0"
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Prompt 9:
Use This:
"A realistic photo of a female cop with a dog, happy photo, realistic, the dog is a German Shepherd, they are happy, realistic photo, realistic background outside, just faces in photo, hyperrealistic, sunny day background --v 7.0 --ar 16:9"
Prompt 10:
Use This:
"Hyper-realistic macro photograph of delicate pink and white flower buds and tiny blossoms, shot with Nikon D850 and Nikon AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens, ultra sharp details, beautiful natural lighting, soft velvety petals, rich vibrant colors, shallow depth of field, creamy smooth bokeh, dark green blurred background, professional botanical photography, high dynamic range (HDR) --ar 16:9 --v 6.0"
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Image Credits: Midjourney
