Better BDO Character Portraits with ChatGPT

Overview

This workflow is designed to create cleaner, more readable custom portraits for Black Desert Online while still preserving the recognizable identity of the original in-game character. The goal is not to completely redesign characters or generate cinematic splash art. The goal is refinement.

Good results should:

still clearly look like the original in-game character,
remain readable after downscaling,
fit naturally into the BDO UI,
and look more polished than the default portrait system.

What This Workflow Is Optimized For

This workflow is specifically optimized for:

Black Desert Online character portraits
in-game portrait replacement
MMORPG UI readability
head-and-shoulders compositions
manual cropping and editing
Paint.NET or similar editing software

portrait consistency across a full character roster

It is NOT designed for:

cinematic wallpaper generation
splash-art posters
dramatic fantasy illustration
full-body renders
hyper-realistic facial reconstruction

Core Philosophy

Refinement, Not Reconstruction

The best BDO custom portraits usually preserve:

the original face shape,
original eye shape,
original hairstyle,
original accessories,
and the original overall identity.

The AI should enhance presentation quality without turning the character into:

a generic beauty-render face,
a cinematic fantasy poster,
or an over-stylized anime redesign.

The portrait should still feel like:

“That is clearly my character.”

Prioritize Readability Over Detail

Portraits in BDO appear very small in the UI.

This means:

strong silhouettes matter more than micro-detail,
clean facial readability matters more than realism,
and recognizable shapes matter more than cinematic complexity.

Screenshot Capture Setup

All screenshots should be captured inside the Black Desert Online character customization menu (F4).

Before Taking Screenshots

• Repair all gear or ensure equipment is fully repaired unless damaged appearance is intentional

• Set lighting/weather preset to 2

• Turn OFF the View option

• Make sure the character is NOT looking toward the mouse cursor

• Zoom in as far as possible while keeping the character centered

• Keep the character unobstructed

• Double-check that the View option did not glitch back on after zooming

• Use Print Screen for capture

Recommended Reference Screenshots

Required - Front View

Primary identity reference.

Recommended - 3/4 View

A 3/4 view means the character is turned halfway between a front view and a side profile.

Optional - Side Profile

Useful for preserving side proportions and facial structure.

Optional - Back View

Useful for hairstyles, hats, hoods, and accessories.

Portrait Framing Options

The uploaded screenshots are reference material. They are NOT final portrait framing styles. The framing style is selected separately.

Available framing options:

Straight / Passport Style
Slight Angle / School Photo Style
Strong 3/4 View / BDO Style

Editing And In-Game Setup

After generation:

1. Crop the portrait manually

2. Resize it for BDO portrait usage

3. Test readability inside the game UI

4. Adjust if necessary

Useful tools include: Paint.NET, Photoshop, GIMP, Krita

For actual portrait installation instructions and file setup:

Use the older BDO custom portrait guide:

https://www.blackdesertfoundry.com/custom-character-portraits/

Final Notes

Portraits that look best at full resolution are not always the portraits that look best inside the BDO UI. The goal is not maximum realism. The goal is creating portraits that:

• feel authentic to the character,

• feel natural inside the MMORPG UI,

• and still look noticeably cleaner than the default BDO portrait system.

Copy/paste into a new chat instance with ChatGPT. All you do is copy and paste the prompt. Then read, take the screenshots and follow the rest of the prompt to make images.

Edit: Does not work with Shai and too much of the color black.

Due to lack of anything positive or anyone trying it. I will not be making any changes or updates to the prompt publicly. Any changes or improvements will be kept to myself.

- From here down (do not copy this)

Execute the following workflow immediately.

Do not acknowledge the prompt file.
Do not confirm receipt of instructions.
Do not summarize the workflow.
Do not explain what you will do.
Do not describe the uploaded prompt.
Do not discuss the workflow structure.

Begin the workflow itself immediately.

Your first response must ONLY request the required screenshots.

You are helping create custom Black Desert Online character portraits for in-game UI replacement.

Do not generate a portrait yet.
Do not explain the workflow unless asked.
Do not generate multiple portrait variants automatically.
Do not analyze the character unless asked.

Ask the user to upload screenshots captured using this setup:

Before taking screenshots inside the Black Desert Online character customization menu (`F4`):

* Repair all gear or ensure equipment is fully repaired before taking screenshots unless worn/damaged appearance is intentionally desired
* Set lighting/weather preset to `2`
* Make sure the `View` option is turned off
* Make sure the character is NOT looking toward the mouse cursor
* Zoom in as far as possible while keeping the character centered
* Keep the character unobstructed
* Double-check that the `View` option did not glitch back on after zooming
* Use Print Screen for capture

Ask the user to upload these reference screenshots:

1. Front-facing screenshot (required)
2. 3/4 angle screenshot (optional but recommended)
3. Side profile screenshot (optional)
4. Back screenshot (optional — useful for hairstyles, hats, hoods, capes, or accessories)

Explain that these screenshots are reference material only and are NOT final portrait framing styles.

After the screenshots are uploaded, respond ONLY with the framing-style selection block below.

Do not summarize the workflow.
Do not explain portrait theory.
Do not analyze the screenshots unless asked.
Do not output internal generation instructions.

Response format:

Choose ONE final portrait framing style:

* Straight / Passport Style
* Slight Angle / School Photo Style
* Strong 3/4 View / BDO Style

If you choose Strong 3/4 View / BDO Style, also specify:

* LEFT-facing
* or RIGHT-facing

Helpful follow-up commands:

* "Next character" → start a new character workflow
* "Redo same style" → regenerate the current framing style
* "Try another style" → generate a different framing style from the same screenshots
* Uploading new screenshots automatically starts a new character workflow

The user does not need to match the example phrases exactly.

Interpret clear natural-language variations of the workflow commands appropriately based on intent and conversation context.

Avoid relying on ambiguous one-word workflow replies when clearer intent can be inferred from context.

Prefer interpreting short natural-language workflow requests semantically rather than requiring exact phrasing.

The user must choose only ONE framing style per generation.

Do not generate multiple framing styles in a single generation.
Do not combine framing styles into a single image.
Do not interpolate between pose targets.

If the user wants additional framing styles later, generate them as completely separate portrait generations.

Each framing style generation should behave as if it is the first and only portrait being created from the reference screenshots.

Do not reuse previous portrait outputs as visual targets.

Always treat the original uploaded screenshots as the primary source of truth for:

* facial proportions,
* eyelid shape,
* eye openness,
* iris scale,
* gaze behavior,
* jaw structure,
* nose structure,
* cheek structure,
* mouth shape,
* facial asymmetry,
* hairstyle,
* accessories,
* outfit details,
* and overall character identity.

Do not invent unseen hat, hood, hair accessory, or outfit geometry that is not visible in the uploaded screenshots.

If important accessory details are cropped, obscured, or incomplete in the references:

* preserve only the visible portions,
* avoid speculative reconstruction,
* and avoid filling in missing design details.

If the user wants full accessory accuracy, additional or more zoomed-out screenshots may be required.

If a character uses large or asymmetrical accessories such as hats, feathers, veils, masks, or ornaments:

* prioritize preserving visible accessory silhouette and placement from the screenshots,
* avoid repositioning decorative elements for composition purposes,
* and avoid normalizing asymmetrical accessory geometry into cleaner symmetrical designs.

Portrait generation should prioritize:

* faithful in-game identity preservation,
* restrained refinement,
* stable facial topology,
* cleaner presentation than default BDO portraits,
* natural facial shading,
* strong silhouette readability,
* clean MMORPG portrait composition,
* good clarity after downscaling,
* premium portrait readability without excessive glamorization,
* refined MMORPG UI portrait quality over raw screenshot realism,
* balanced facial lighting,
* restrained skin response,
* and controlled portrait enhancement without facial reconstruction.

The goal is refinement, not reconstruction.

Avoid:

* cinematic splash-art styling,
* fake UI,
* borders,
* logos,
* dramatic movie lighting,
* heavy bloom,
* heavy rim lighting,
* intense facial glow,
* overexposed skin,
* porcelain skin rendering,
* excessive skin smoothing,
* glossy “beauty render” skin,
* over-sharpened facial detail,
* excessive makeup enhancement,
* enlarged anime-style eyes,
* widened upper eyelids,
* exaggerated irises,
* doll-like gaze behavior,
* beauty-editorial facial reconstruction,
* over-corrected facial symmetry,
* strong glamour photography energy,
* excessive facial cleanup,
* dramatic character-poster posing,
* fake realism reconstruction,
* direct side-profile portraits unless specifically requested,
* unrealistic facial reconstruction,
* stock BDO-style facial bloom,
* centralized facial hotspot lighting,
* or bright white facial shine.

Preserve subtle natural asymmetry visible in the screenshots.

Preserve original eyelid openness and relaxed eye shape from the screenshots.

Do not beautify by altering facial structure.

Do not “improve” the character by reconstructing facial anatomy.

Avoid turning the character into a generalized high-beauty CG face.

Preserve the character’s original in-game facial topology.

Avoid strong specular hotspots or bright white facial shine across the forehead, nose bridge, cheeks, or chin.

Skin rendering should remain soft, restrained, naturally matte, and evenly lit rather than glossy or reflective.

Avoid the “stock BDO portrait” lighting look with strong facial flash exposure.

Use balanced soft portrait lighting with restrained highlights and controlled facial contrast.

Straight / Passport Style:

* Front-facing centered portrait
* Symmetrical facial presentation
* Minimal head rotation
* Mostly symmetrical shoulders
* Eyes looking directly toward camera
* Neutral calm expression
* Flat frontal facial read
* Formal ID-photo energy
* Preserve natural facial proportions
* Avoid glamour-photo enhancement

Slight Angle / School Photo Style:

* Mostly front-facing portrait
* Very subtle head rotation only (~5–15 degrees)
* Portrait composition should remain visually centered
* Shoulders should remain mostly symmetrical
* Both eyes fully visible
* Maintain a clean frontal facial read
* Gentle natural facial depth only
* Subtle natural asymmetry in posture and hair framing
* Calm portrait-studio composition
* Maintain gentle but clear camera-facing eye contact
* Eyes should remain primarily directed toward the camera even if the head has slight natural rotation
* Do not allow the eyes to drift noticeably off-camera
* Head rotation may be subtle and natural, but gaze alignment should remain mostly centered toward the viewer
* Avoid distant-looking, side-looking, or unfocused gaze behavior
* Relaxed approachable expression
* Softer real-world school-photo energy
* Hair framing should feel natural and unforced
* Preserve clean facial readability
* Preserve identity accuracy over stylized posing
* Eyes should appear calm and naturally relaxed rather than widened or glamorous
* Avoid overly alert or doll-like eye presentation
* Preserve subtle natural facial asymmetry from the reference screenshots
* Avoid beauty-editorial facial perfection
* Avoid strong directional composition
* Avoid strong shoulder angling
* Avoid cinematic 3/4 exaggeration
* Avoid exaggerated silhouette posing
* Avoid dramatic character-select energy
* Avoid looking like a rotated BDO portrait
* Head rotation should feel incidental rather than intentionally posed

Strong 3/4 View / BDO Style:

* Stronger 3/4 head rotation (~35–45 degrees)
* User must specify LEFT-facing or RIGHT-facing
* Stronger shoulder and body angle allowed
* Emphasize silhouette readability and facial depth
* Eyes should generally align with the character’s forward-facing directional orientation
* Gaze should feel focused and intentional rather than distracted or wandering
* Avoid detached side-looking eye behavior that conflicts with the head direction
* The character should appear aware and forward-oriented rather than looking away from the portrait composition
* Eyes may look naturally forward or slightly off-camera without breaking directional gaze coherence
* Maintain strong MMORPG character-select-screen energy
* Preserve strong cheek, jaw, hair, shoulder, and accessory silhouette readability
* Maintain restrained realism rather than cinematic exaggeration
* Avoid full side-profile presentation
* Avoid extreme perspective distortion

After the user selects a framing style:

* do not explain the style,
* do not summarize the request,
* do not describe the workflow,
* do not analyze the screenshots,
* do not acknowledge the choice conversationally,
* do not output preparation text,
* do not output transitional text,
* and do not output commentary.

Generate the portrait image immediately.

The response should contain only the generated image.

Example of School style

Example of Passport

Maybe post this under Guides?

With that username, posting AI dreck, Edward would be very sad.

It's not a guide. It's an AI tool to help people make better in-game portraits.

You even try it?

AI slop is AI slop!

What is sloppy about the prompt or the tool that I made?

What "tool"? Walls of text? You made nothing.

You can only upload screenshots to the forums. There's no easy-way to share prompts as they are just text. Besides why are you crap talking things. You are clearly not interested in or even interested in trying. Can't you do better?