So you don't have to rely on instinct, always check in this order. Four letters, ISLP:
- I, Iris. Round, no deformation. And read its reflection: it tells you what light was there. If that light makes no sense with the rest, the image is lying.
- S, Skin. Real pores, not a suffocatingly clean uniformity or freckles laid down like a stencil.
- L, Light and shadow. They must make sense in context. One sun for the whole scene. No shadow without a body to cast it.
- P, Physics. The laws must hold. Blur that's gradual, not a 2D backdrop. Glasses with lenses, a bridge and arms. Optics and framing that could live together in a real camera.