You might want to check out a book on composition. Your individual elements might be fine. It could be how they're put together that is causing the problem. I know some of the really good Poser pictures here use postwork - some blending of burning and dodging - though I don't know what their secret is. (Boy, I wish I did!) Here's what I can suggest: Kill the default Poser lights but don't use pure white lights, either. Put just a hint of blue or yellow in them so it's more like natural light. RGB 255 255 245, as an example, would give a touch of a sky-blue tinge. Keep your poses from being completely symmetrical. Almost no one sits with both shoulders perfectly squared nor stands with their center of gravity perfectly centered between their feet. Pay attention to where the character's center of gravity and make sure that it is properly supported. (I see a lot of pictures where the model must be straining her legs because her body weight isn't properly supported.) Don't use perfectly symmetrical faces, either. Some models can raise or lower an eye. Use that dial! Also, when smiling, make sure to raise the lower eyelids slightly as the cheeks will move upward and push the lower eyelids up. Have you heard the expression - her smile didn't reach her eyes? That's why. Similarly, if you raise or lower the eyebrows, it will affect the upper eyelids. In action sequences, show the action at the beginning or end of the motion sequence. E.g. if you're showing a baseball pitcher, show him at the beginning of the wind-up or as he releases the ball. Everything in the middle will be much weaker and may look awkward. (Obviously if you're doing an animation, ignore this!) If you're not sure if a pose looks real, try it out yourself. If it's not comfortable, it's probably not realistic. (Obviously if you're showing someone running, you can't hold the pose, but you can still tell whether or not it feels natural as you step through the pose.) Pet peeves: Don't put the breast dials to obscene values. Don't show the female arching her back and jutting out her breasts, especially if she's in high heels. (For giggles, I've tried a few of those poses, and boy does it hurt the back!) I have some tips in the tutorials section on my site for posing and facial expressions, if you're interested - www.fallencity.net. Hope this helps!