Lend an Influencer Creed to Your Portraits with a “Looksmaxxing” Effect
May 11, 2026
David Prochnow
Our resident “how-to” project editor, David Prochnow, lives on the Gulf Coast of the United States in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He brings his expertise at making our photography projects accessible to everyone, from a lengthy stint acting as the Contributing How-To Editor with Popular Science magazine. While you don’t have to actually build each of his projects, reading about these adventures will contribute to your continued overall appreciation of do-it-yourself photography. A collection of David’s best Popular Science projects can be found in the book, “The Big Book of Hacks,” Edited by Doug Cantor.
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What happens when a self-improvement wannabe drinks three energy drinks, downloads five grooming apps, and starts ranking jawlines like it’s the NFL draft? “Looksmaxxing” is what happens and it’s THE new viral trend.
At its core, it’s the internet’s dramatic term for trying to improve your appearance through skincare, fitness, fashion, posture, haircuts, and occasionally staring at your face from twelve angles under bathroom lighting like a TV gumshoe trying to solve a crime.
One minute you’re buying moisturizer; the next, you’re watching a two-hour self-help video called “How Breathing Correctly Unlocks Your Cheekbones.”
The culture around looksmaxxing can be both hilarious and oddly motivating. People debate “hunter eyes” with the seriousness of ancient philosophers and treat a fresh fade like a spiritual awakening.
Of course, some factions of the trend get way too intense, but the lighter side is basically a giant online makeover montage. At the end of the day, looksmaxxing is just humanity’s latest way of saying, “Maybe I would look better with clearer skin and better lighting…not to mention a defined jawline.”
Let AI Give You Looksmaxxing Looks
Any photographer who would like to don a lens and dox a looksmaxxing portrait need look no further than applying a simple AI effect. Be prepared, however. Obtaining the ideal look can turn into a rabbit hole adventure searching for that definitive cheekbone.
In other words, this is the photographic equivalent of a looksmaxxing pursuit on a portraiture level.
Deep AI, Inc. is the best source for trying your hand at this smudge-free makeup application. In this context, the following prompt was used for obtaining the results seen in these images:
Prompt – use this image, create a new image using the looksmaxxing effect, and display the new image: path-to-photograph
The images used in this article were obtained from the following sources:
Enjoy.
David Prochnow
Our resident “how-to” project editor, David Prochnow, lives on the Gulf Coast of the United States in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He brings his expertise at making our photography projects accessible to everyone, from a lengthy stint acting as the Contributing How-To Editor with Popular Science magazine. While you don’t have to actually build each of his projects, reading about these adventures will contribute to your continued overall appreciation of do-it-yourself photography. A collection of David’s best Popular Science projects can be found in the book, “The Big Book of Hacks,” Edited by Doug Cantor.
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