Generate Black-and-White Editorial Headshots with AI (Midjourney)

What you’ll get

You will get a professional black-and-white editorial headshot generated by AI, styled like a TIME magazine cover portrait. This approach allows you to transform an existing photo into a high-quality, character-focused portrait while maintaining the subject’s identity.

Tools you need

• Midjourney (paid): An AI image generator that can create images from text prompts and reference photos.
• A high-resolution reference photo (free): A clear, well-lit photo of the person you want to create a headshot for.

Steps

1. Prepare your reference image: Choose a solid, high-res, well-lit photo of the person you want to feature. This photo will be used by the AI to maintain the subject’s identity. You should have a clear photo ready to upload.

2. Access Midjourney: Open Midjourney, typically through Discord. If you’re new, you’ll need to join the Midjourney Discord server and subscribe to a paid plan. You should be in a Midjourney generation channel (e.g., #newbies).

3. Upload your reference image: In the Midjourney chat, upload your reference photo. After uploading, click on the image to open it, then right-click (or long-press on mobile) and select ‘Copy Link’ to get the image URL. You should have the URL of your uploaded image.

4. Generate the men’s headshot: Use the /imagine command and paste the image URL, followed by the prompt for men. The author used a 4:5 aspect ratio and aimed for 4k output, which Midjourney can approximate with specific parameters.

   [paste your image URL here] Goal: Transform the attached photo into a professional black-and-white studio headshot in the style of a Marco Grob editorial monochrome portrait, the TIME magazine cover aesthetic: simple, psychologically intense, character-first. Subject & identity: The man in the reference image. Keep his exact facial features, facial structure, skin tone, eye color, hair, and hairline completely unchanged — same age, same build, instantly recognizable to people who know him. Change only the framing, lighting, background, wardrobe, and tonal grade. Composition & camera: Classic head-and-shoulders crop, chest-up, his eyes in the upper third of the frame, centered composition with a small margin above his head. Body squared to camera or turned 10-20 degrees, shoulders relaxed and level, head straight into the lens, chin neutral. Hasselblad medium-format look: short-telephoto perspective --ar 4:5 --v 5.2

   Midjourney will generate four variations of a black-and-white headshot based on your photo and the prompt. You may need to regenerate (reroll) or use the V buttons for variations.

5. Generate the women’s headshot (optional): The author mentions creating a separate prompt for women to avoid masculine features but does not share the exact prompt. You would adapt the men’s prompt, adding specific descriptors for feminine features and styling, for example, by adding ‘feminine features, soft lighting, elegant wardrobe’ to the prompt. If you adapt the prompt, Midjourney will generate variations for a female subject.

6. Refine and upscale: Review the generated images. If they are not quite right, use the ‘U’ buttons to upscale your favorite, or the ‘V’ buttons to get more variations of a specific image. The author suggests expecting to regenerate 2-3 times to get the desired result. You should have a high-resolution black-and-white editorial headshot.

Original source

This workflow was shared by Reddit user /u/flanmorrison, who developed these prompts after finding existing AI headshot apps unsatisfactory. The original post, dated July 31, 2026, on Reddit, details their process using a tool called Nanobanana 2 to achieve a Marco Grob-inspired TIME magazine cover aesthetic.

Notes & variations

• Free-tier alternatives: The author used ‘Nanobanana 2’, a tool whose public availability, URL, and pricing are not known. This recipe uses Midjourney, which is a paid service. For free alternatives, you could explore image-to-image features in open-source tools like Stable Diffusion (requires local setup or a free online demo if available) or free tiers of other AI image generators, though they may not offer the same level of identity preservation or control over specific styles.
• Common mistake: Not providing a high-quality reference image. The AI relies heavily on the input photo to maintain the subject’s identity and features. A blurry, poorly lit, or low-resolution image will lead to poor results.
• Tip for better results: Experiment with the --stylize parameter in Midjourney (e.g., --s 250) to control how artistic or literal the AI is with the prompt. Also, try different V (variation) buttons and reroll options to explore more outputs.