CATRINA · PHOTO & PROMPT GUIDE

Plan your AI
Catrina portrait.

Start with a clear photo, describe the makeup separately from the pose, then inspect the face before using the image in a video.

Build a photo brief Photo checklist →

The brief builder is free and runs in your browser. It creates text, not an image.

YOUR STARTING BRIEF

Choose the look and framing.

Makeup directionSource composition

Copy, then adapt this writing example

Edit the supplied photo of a consenting adult into a Catrina-inspired portrait. Keep the same person, face proportions, gaze and pose. Use white face paint with fine black lines around the eyes, a small dark nose detail and a delicate painted mouth pattern. Add a crown of orange marigolds. Keep the eyes visible and the expression natural. Keep a head-and-shoulders crop. Leave room above the flower crown and do not crop through it. Keep the original clothing. Use the existing background without adding other people, text or logos. Create one still image, not a transformation sequence.

These prompts have not been tested for this effect. They do not guarantee an identity match or a particular result.

BEFORE YOU SPEND GENERATION CREDITS

Make the photo fit the idea.

01 / FACE

Keep the features readable.

Choose a sharp, evenly lit photo. Leave space above the head for flowers. Avoid sunglasses or hair covering the area you want to paint.

Adjust the crop →02 / FRAME

Use the body that is visible.

A face close-up works for a makeup brief. An outfit change needs a wider source photo. Cropping cannot recover hands or shoulders outside the original.

Check photo preparation →03 / RESULT

Inspect the face first.

After an image is generated, compare the eyes, mouth and face outline with the source. Check the paint and flower edges before planning motion.

Use the review checklist →

What does “AI Day of the Dead makeup” mean?

It can mean a still portrait with decorative Catrina-inspired makeup, or a video in which makeup and clothing appear during a transition. Those are different tasks. This guide helps you plan the still portrait and decide what a later video would need.

Treat the makeup as a creative interpretation; do not present a generated portrait as documentation of a real ceremony.

Turn a look into a usable image brief.

Choose the source. Use your own photo or a photo of an adult who has agreed to the edit. Pick the portrait or waist-up option to match what is actually visible.
Separate what stays from what changes. Name the face, gaze, pose and framing to preserve. Then describe the painted details, flowers and clothing to change.
Keep the first request focused. Start with one makeup direction. Adding a new scene, dramatic pose and elaborate costume at the same time gives you more things to check.
Copy and review the brief. Remove instructions that do not fit your source. Paste it into an image-editing tool that accepts a reference photo, then check its selected model, file requirements and displayed cost.

The preservation instructions are requests, not locked pixels. A generated edit can still change identity, anatomy, clothing or the background.

Check the result before animating it.

Identity: compare the eye spacing, face shape, gaze and mouth with the source at the same zoom.
Paint: inspect eye outlines and the mouth pattern for extra teeth, distorted lips or a blurred boundary. For a half-face look, inspect both sides.
Flowers and clothing: look for fused petals, floating accessories, damaged ears or an outfit that crosses the jaw unnaturally.
Framing: check the crown, shoulders and any visible hands. Keep an accepted still before trying to animate it.

If the face has changed too much, return to the original and simplify the requested edit. Repeatedly editing a damaged result can carry its problems forward. Another generation may use more credits.

A finished portrait is not the same as a makeup transformation video.

Animating an already painted portrait asks for movement while keeping the look. Making makeup appear on an unpainted face asks for a timed transformation. Write that choice down before selecting a video tool.

For a portrait animation, a simple writing example is: “Keep the camera fixed. Let the person slowly turn their head while the flowers move slightly. Keep the makeup design and background consistent.” This is an untested instruction, not an exact dance or light-sweep recipe.

For a transformation, define the opening appearance, the direction of the transition and the finished look. Check whether your chosen tool supports the controls or references you need. A generic prompt is not proof that it can reproduce a particular trend.

PromptToVisual has no released, validated one-click Catrina transformation template. The existing image studio below is a general editing tool; this guide does not certify a Catrina output. Compare keyframe and reference controls before choosing a separate video workflow.

Use the brief in an existing image tool.

You can take the brief to your preferred reference-image editor. To explore PromptToVisual’s existing editor, open the model page below, select your reference photo and review the prompt and credit cost. Opening this guide or copying a brief does not upload your photo or start a generation.

Open existing image studio →Read model limits