Generate realistic portraits with Midjourney 8.1

Midjourney Try it →Watch full video →Dan Kieft · May 2026

Demo summary

The video shows Midjourney's output for the library prompt, demonstrating its characteristic bokeh effect and smooth skin textures.

Step-by-step

Enter a prompt for a library scene
Include the parameter 'no blur' if you wish to reduce background depth of field

Options

Use 'no blur' in the prompt to attempt to sharpen the background

Watch out for

Midjourney may still produce background blur even when 'no blur' is explicitly requested in the prompt

Tips

Expect a characteristic smooth skin texture on generated faces
Be aware that Midjourney faces can often look very similar to one another within a single generation

Highlights

“All in all, it's not bad. But with MidJourney, for some reason, it's creating extremely like blurry backgrounds.”

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