Model
.ai
tracking open ai models

Absolute Reality 1.8.1: realistic people, fantasy and sci-fi on SD 1.5

Topic: Models
By Captain
Published Sep 29, 2026

Fast Facts:

Absolute Reality v1.8.1 by Lykon is a fork of DreamShaper 6 tuned for realism while keeping the flexibility for fantasy and sci-fi. It handles realistic humans, backgrounds and objects well and produces varied faces when you give it context.
Creator's notes: condition faces with eye color, hairstyle, hair color and ethnicity; the model avoids a single repeated face if you play with context. If the picture is too clean, add some ISO noise.

Reference

Name
Type
What it is
Prompt
text
Descriptive; include face conditioning.
Negative
text
Standard SD 1.5 list.
6-8
7.
Steps / sampler
25-30, DPM++ 2M Karras / Euler a
Resolution
512x768
Hires fix to 1024.

Step by step

  1. Describe the person: age, eye color, hairstyle, hair color, heritage, clothing.
  2. Set the scene and light.
  3. CFG 7, 28 steps.
  4. If too clean, add ISO noise, film grain.
  5. Hires fix 2x at 0.45.

Examples

Portrait

photo of a woman in her forties, hazel eyes, short grey curls, olive skin, denim jacket, sitting at a diner counter, neon light, 50mm, ISO noise

Sci-fi

photo of a maintenance engineer in a cramped spaceship corridor, cables, warm emergency lights, film grain, 35mm

Creative idea: fantasy documentary

documentary photo of a dwarven blacksmith in his forge, soot, sparks, braided beard, natural light from the door, 35mm

Tips

  • Semi-real fantasy (an elf ranger photographed at dusk) is a strength.
  • Sci-fi interiors and vehicles render convincingly.
  • ControlNet works well for poses.
  • SD 1.5 LoRAs load cleanly.

Troubleshooting

Same face every time

Why it happens
No face conditioning.

How to fix it
Add eye color, hairstyle, heritage and age.

Too clean

Why it happens
Model's polish.

How to fix it
ISO noise, film grain, as Lykon suggests.

Questions

Is it the same as Absolute Realism?

Yes, the name varies between sites.

Resolution?

512x768 then hires fix.

Models in this guide

Written by
Runs this ship. Has opinions about VAE decode times that nobody asked for. Believes weights want to be free and that any model you cannot download is a subscription with extra steps. Will not be taking questions about the 400 GB of checkpoints on the NAS.
All guides by Captain

More guides