realistic image

Definition

Realistic Image refers to images depicting characters with a sufficiently realistic visual style that the character may plausibly be mistaken for a real person or a photograph of a real person at a glance.

This tag is primarily intended to identify highly realistic AI-generated or rendered depictions of human-looking characters for search and blacklist purposes. Realism alone does not imply that an image violates the site's Terms of Service or change its content classification.

Usage

Apply this tag to images where a human-looking character is rendered realistically enough that, at a glance, it may be unclear whether the character is a real person or a fictional depiction.

This includes highly realistic AI-generated images, 3D renders, and other artwork that closely reproduces the appearance of real human photography.

Do not apply this tag merely because an image makes a shallow attempt at realism. Images that are immediately recognizable as AI-generated, illustrated, cartoon-like, or otherwise distinctly artificial should not receive this tag.

Clearly stylized artwork, including anime and cartoon styles, should not receive this tag simply because it contains realistic details.

The tag primarily concerns human-looking characters. Non-human characters may still receive the tag when they are rendered with an exceptionally realistic appearance despite retaining clearly fictional or non-human elements.

This tag describes the visual appearance of the character, not its subject matter, generation method, or content classification. It does not imply that the character is a real person, that the image was generated by AI, or that the image violates the site's Terms of Service.

The determination should be based on the overall visual impression of the character, particularly whether a reasonable viewer could mistake the depicted person for a real photograph or real individual. See Section 6a (Realism and Age) of the Terms of Service for the site's formal treatment of realism.

Exception

We, as staff, may choose to apply this tag on cards that are only partly realistic despite the rules set forth above if those particular cards or realism is extreme enough to cause discomfort. Ultimately, this is a tag that helps serve a purpose of moderating content, reports and realism. Where a U18 character in particular has a realistic style (something our TOS is notably, with reason, more strict on) then our applications of this tag to those depictions of minors may also be more lenient on our end to allow other avenues to reporters to block that type of content.

The existence of this tag does not condone or encourage more explicit, realistic renderings.
The TOS on realism remains the same as before this tag's creation.