Image Battle

Summary for Photorealistic People & Portraits

This dataset reveals a distinct hierarchy in AI's ability to render human beings realistically. The primary differentiator between average and excellent models is the handling of skin texture.

🌟 Key Findings

• The 'Plastic' Problem: Models like DALL-E 3 and Flux 1.1 Pro Ultra frequently suffered from waxy, airbrushed skin textures, leading to lower scores in this specific category despite high coherence.
• The Realism Kings: Nano Banana Pro and Imagen 3.0 emerged as dominant forces, consistently scoring 9s and 10s by rendering organic imperfections, believable aging, and film-like grain.
• Style vs. Substance: Midjourney V6.1 produced artistically stunning images but was often penalized for leaning too heavily into a 'digital art' or 'painterly' aesthetic rather than true photorealism.
• Anatomy Struggles: Despite advancements, complex prompts like the Old Fisherman still caused hand/finger hallucinations in several models.

📊 Top Performing Models

1. Nano Banana Pro (Consistent 9-10 scores)
2. Imagen 3.0 (Excellent naturalism)
3. ChatGPT 4o (Surprisingly strong adherence and clarity)

📉 Major Pain Points

• Surface Smoothing: Over-polishing skin until subjects look like dolls.
• Eye Physics: Unnatural 'glowing' irises or nonsensical reflections.
• Gibberish Text: Background elements in the Neon Night Portrait often revealed the AI nature of the image.

🧠 Deep Dive: Patterns & Insights

In the realm of photorealistic portraits, the gap between 'good' and 'great' is defined by micro-details. Here is a breakdown of the comparative strengths and weaknesses observed across the dataset.

1. The "Uncanny Valley" of Skin Texture

This was the single biggest factor in scoring.

• Low Performers: DALL-E 3 and Z-Image Turbo often defaulted to a porcelain, poreless look. In prompts like the Toddler Portrait, this resulted in subjects looking like 3D renders rather than humans.
• High Performers: Nano Banana Pro and Reve Image (Halfmoon) excelled by including noise, freckles, and uneven pigmentation, which tricked the eye into seeing a photograph.

2. Prompt Adherence vs. Realism

There is often a trade-off between following instructions and looking real.

• Adherence Leaders: Ideogram 3.0 (Quality) was exceptional at including specific text and complex prompt elements (like the "Strategic Vision" text in the Businesswoman prompt), but sometimes sacrificed skin fidelity to do so.
• Realism Leaders: Models like Recraft V3 prioritized the look of a photo, sometimes softening specific prompt details (like the exact type of reflection in glasses) to maintain image coherence.

3. Handling Complex Physics

• Reflections: The Elderly Woman Portrait tested reflections in glasses. Many models pasted a flat image onto the lenses. Top models wrapped the reflection around the curvature of the glass.
• Tears & Wetness: The Crying Bride and Neon Night Portrait required rendering liquids. Flux 2 Pro struggled with 'syrupy' tears, while Nano Banana Pro rendered convincing water surface tension.

4. The Diversity Test

The Group Selfie prompt tested the ability to render distinct ethnicities side-by-side without blending features.

• Imagen 3.0 and Reve Image (Halfmoon) scored perfect 10s here, proving they can handle distinct facial structures and skin tones within a single generation without bleeding styles.

Based on the data, here are the recommended models for specific user needs within the Photorealistic People & Portraits category:

📸 Best for Pure Photorealism

Winner: Nano Banana Pro

• Why: It consistently avoids the "plastic skin" trap. Whether it was the aged skin of the Old Fisherman or the delicate features of the Toddler Portrait, this model delivered film-grain quality and organic textures.
• Runner Up: Imagen 3.0 (Excellent lighting and composition).

🎨 Best for Atmospheric & Artistic Portraits

Winner: Midjourney V6.1

• Why: If the goal is a beautiful, moody image rather than a deceptive fake. It excelled in the Neon Night Portrait and Elaborate Tattoos by prioritizing dramatic lighting and composition, even if the skin was slightly stylized.

📝 Best for Complex Prompts & Text

Winner: Ideogram 3.0 (Quality)

• Why: When the prompt requires specific text elements or distinct, separated visual concepts (like the text background in the Businesswoman prompt), Ideogram offers the best control/coherence ratio.

👥 Best for Group Shots & Diversity

Winner: Reve Image (Halfmoon)

• Why: It scored a perfect 10 on the Group Selfie, managing to render distinct textures (knitwear, hair types) and diverse facial features without the "face swapping" artifacts seen in lesser models.

⚠️ Models to Watch (With Caveats)

• DALL-E 3: Great for following instructions, but currently struggles with texture. Use this for concept art, not for photos you want to pass off as real.
• Flux 1.1 Pro Ultra: Very capable, but tends to over-smooth faces. Best used with prompts that explicitly request "rough skin texture" or "film grain" to counteract its default smoothing.