AI photoshoots and ID photos
Lesson 8 of 13 in the course “AI Images and Slides”. Free, with animations and a quiz.
A photoshoot from selfies
Liya needs a portrait for the “about” page of her shop, but there’s no money for a photographer yet. That’s what most searches for “AI for photos” are about. She uploads 2–3 selfies and describes the scene: a workshop, a warm evening, candles on the table. Gemini with Nano Banana keeps a face’s likeness well, ChatGPT copes too, and Alice AI has a “Merge photos” mode. Better selfies mean a better result: daylight, the whole face visible, no filters.
Skin, not plastic
The main mistake is asking “make me beautiful”. AI reads that as a glossy magazine: perfectly smooth skin, a different nose, slightly different eyes. You get someone attractive, but not you, and followers can feel it. It’s better to ask directly to keep your facial features and skin texture, with visible pores and no retouching. And give it beautiful light instead of “beauty”: soft daylight by a window does more than any retouching.
Passport photos: no
Searches for “AI passport photo” are popular, but it’s a trap. In Russia, since 11 January 2021 even minimal retouching is banned for passports. On 18 September 2025 the Interior Ministry separately reminded people that AI-made photos aren’t accepted, just like retouching to improve appearance. Such a photo is grounds for refusal, and the state fee isn’t refunded. The safe way is a photo studio or having the photo taken at the office. Saving 300 roubles can cost you the fee and weeks of waiting.
Other documents
Visas, driving licences and passes work the same way. The photo in a document is there so a person at the border or at the gate can compare it with your face. So almost everywhere there’s one rule: the photo must show exactly how you look now, with no filters or digital edits. For example, the US State Department says plainly that passport photos must not be altered with software or apps. For documents you don’t need AI at all. For a CV or LinkedIn, though, a careful AI portrait in your own style is perfectly fine.
Someone else’s face
Technically you can upload any photo: a friend, an ex, a teacher. But a face is personal. In Russia, Article 152.1 of the Civil Code protects a person’s image: as a rule you can’t publish it without consent. And a friend’s “photoshoot” in a swimsuit or a meme with a teacher is already a deepfake that can hurt badly and get its author into trouble. A simple rule: your own face as much as you like, someone else’s only if they asked or agreed.
The prompt and privacy
Put it all into the prompt below and swap in your own scene. And remember the data: a selfie is biometrics. In ChatGPT you can stop your chats being used for training: Settings → Data controls → “Improve the model for everyone”, switch it off. In other services, look for a similar option in the privacy settings. And it’s best not to upload documents, children or other people’s faces at all.
Check yourself
- Liya wants to make her passport photo with AI to look fresher. What happens?
Correct answer: She may be refused, and the fee won’t be refunded. AI photos and retouching to improve appearance are grounds for refusal, and the fee isn’t refunded. - The AI portrait looks great, but friends don’t recognise Liya. What to fix in the prompt?
Correct answer: Ask to keep facial features and skin texture without retouching. Asking for “beauty” pushes the model to change the face; an explicit instruction keeps the likeness. - Liya wants to make a joke AI swimsuit photoshoot of a friend who doesn’t know. What now?
Correct answer: Don’t: someone else’s face only with consent. It’s a deepfake of someone’s body: it hurts and can get its author into trouble.