# Ultimate SD1.5 Photorealistic Setup Guide: Forge Classic + CyberRealistic

## Introduction
  * In late 2025, while the **AI** image generation community chases cutting-edge models like **FLUX.2**, **Qwen**, and **Z-Image**, **Stable Diffusion 1.5** remains remarkably relevant for one specific use case: versatile, high-quality photorealistic generation of people and objects on modest hardware.
  * This guide demonstrates how to combine five carefully selected components—`Stable Diffusion WebUI Forge Classic`, `CyberRealistic v9.0`, `4x_NickelbackFS` upscaler, and `ADetailer`—into a cohesive workflow that delivers exceptional results on an **RTX 3080 10GB**. The setup represents the pinnacle of what **SD1.5** can achieve in 2025: not the newest technology, but arguably the most refined for photorealistic human and object rendering.

> "I still love using SD1.5. It's like listening to vinyl or cassette tapes: yes, high-resolution digital audio exists, but there's something personal and satisfying about older formats. For me, SD1.5 isn't just nostalgia—it's where I started. My first checkpoint, CyberRealistic, was trained on this."
> 
> — u/kaosnews (Cyberdelia, CyberRealistic creator) [11 upvotes]

## Why This Stack in 2025?

### The Case for SD1.5

| Advantage | Description |
|-----------|-------------|
| Speed | 2-4 seconds per image on **RTX 3080** |
| Low VRAM | Runs comfortably on **4GB VRAM** |
| ControlNet Maturity | No model since **SD1.5** has achieved equivalent **ControlNet** ecosystem depth |
| Checkpoint Diversity | Thousands of fine-tuned/merged models, continuously updated through 2025 |
| Inpainting Excellence | Still unmatched for detail correction workflows |

### The Component Synergy
  * **Stable Diffusion WebUI Forge Classic**: Stripped-down **WebUI** optimized exclusively for **SD1.5/SDXL**—no bloatware
  * **CyberRealistic v9.0**: The most **LoRA**-compatible photorealistic checkpoint with exceptional prompt comprehension
  * **4x_NickelbackFS**: Detail-preserving upscaler specifically trained on photographic content
  * **ADetailer**: Automatic face/hand detection and inpainting to fix **SD1.5**'s anatomical weaknesses

---

## Component 1: Forge Classic — The Lightest SD1.5 WebUI

### What is Forge Classic?
  * `Forge Classic` is a community fork of the original **Stable Diffusion WebUI Forge**, developed by **Haoming02**. After **lllyasviel**(the original **Forge** creator) shifted focus to other projects in late 2024, the community fragmented into multiple forks. **Forge Classic** took a unique approach: strip everything except **SD1.5** and **SDXL** support to create the fastest, lightest **WebUI** available.

> "Classic mainly serves as an archive for the 'previous' version of **Forge**, which was built on Gradio 3.41.2 before the major changes were introduced. Additionally, this fork is focused exclusively on **SD1.5** and **SDXL** checkpoints, having various optimizations implemented, with the main goal of being the lightest **WebUI** without any bloatwares."
> 
> — Forge Classic GitHub README

### Key Features

| Feature | Benefit |
|---------|---------|
| SD1.5/SDXL Exclusive | Removed **SD2**, **Alt-Diffusion**, **SVD**, **Z123** code for smaller footprint |
| ~25% Speed Boost | Via fp16_accumulation (PyTorch 2.7+) or cublas_ops |
| ~10% Additional Speed | Via **SageAttention** on **RTX 30XX+ GPU**s |
| Persistent LoRA Patching | No reload between generations—saves ~1 second per image |
| v-pred SDXL Support | Compatible with **NoobAI** and similar v-prediction checkpoints |
| UV Package Manager | Dramatically faster dependency installation |

### Installation
  * **Prerequisites:**
    - **Windows 10/11**
    - **NVIDIA GPU** with **CUDA** support (**RTX 20XX** or newer recommended)
    - **Git** installed
    - **Python 3.11.9** (specific version required)

#### Step 1: Install Python 3.11.9
  * Download from:

```powershell
# Download Python 3.11.9
https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.11.9/python-3.11.9-amd64.exe
- During installation:
- Check "Add python.exe to PATH" (bottom checkbox)
- Click "Install Now"

# Verify installation:
PS> where.exe python
C:\Users\{YOUR-USERNAME}\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python311\python.exe
```

#### Step 2: Clone Forge Classic

```powershell
PS> git clone https://github.com/Haoming02/sd-webui-forge-classic
PS> cd sd-webui-forge-classic
```

#### Step 3: Configure Launch Script
  * Open `webui-user.bat` in a text editor:

```powershell
PS> notepad webui-user.bat
```

  * Replace contents with:

```powershell
@echo off
set PYTHON=C:\Users\{YOUR-USERNAME}\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python311\python.exe
set COMMANDLINE_ARGS=--no-download-sd-model --cuda-malloc --cuda-stream --pin-shared-memory
call webui.bat
```

#### Step 4: First Launch

```powershell
PS> .\webui-user.bat
```

  * The first launch will download dependencies and set up the environment. This may take 10-20 minutes depending on your internet connection.

#### Tip: Command Line Arguments Explained

| Argument | Purpose |
|----------|---------|
| `--no-download-sd-model` | Prevents automatic model download; you'll add your own |
| `--cuda-malloc` | Uses **CUDA**'s memory allocator for better **GPU** memory management |
| `--cuda-stream` | Enables **CUDA** streams for parallel operations |
| `--pin-shared-memory` | Pins shared memory for faster **CPU-GPU** transfers |

  * For **RTX 3080 10GB**, add `--medvram` only if you encounter out-of-memory errors during high-resolution generation.

---

## Component 2: CyberRealistic v9.0 — The Checkpoint

### What is CyberRealistic?
  * `CyberRealistic` is a photorealistic checkpoint created by **Cyberdelia(kaosnews)**, one of the most respected model creators in the **SD1.5** community. First released in early 2023, it has been continuously refined through version **9.0**(released 2025). The model served as a foundation for **Realistic Vision**, one of the most downloaded **SD1.5** checkpoints on **Civitai**.

> "The last version of CyberRealistic amazed me with its ability to accurately understand long prompts. I prefer personal merges, but V9 is a must-have in the SD 1.5 library. We are lucky to have projects like CyberRealistic."
> 
> — u/parasang [11 upvotes]

### Why CyberRealistic v9.0?

#### 1. Superior Prompt Comprehension
  * **SD1.5** models typically struggle with the **CLIP** tokenizer's 77-token limit and complex prompt interpretation. **CyberRealistic v9.0** stands out for its ability to parse and follow detailed prompts accurately.

#### 2. Best-in-Class LoRA Compatibility

> "EpicRealism has much better prompt following but is terrible with LoRAs. Realistic Vision isn't that... realistic. CyberRealistic is amazing with LoRAs, though prompt following isn't as good as EpicRealism. I usually use CyberRealistic for realistic photo generation because I combine multiple LoRAs."
> 
> — u/BogFrog1682 [4 upvotes]

#### 3. Beginner to Expert Range

> "CyberRealistic is tuned for both textual inversion and LoRA, so it's great for anyone from total beginners to hardcore prompt wizards."
> 
> — Civitai model description

### Download and Installation

```bash
# Download
https://civitai.com/models/15003/cyberrealistic
- Select: `cyberrealistic_v90.safetensors`

# Installation: Place the file in:
sd-webui-forge-classic\models\Stable-diffusion\
```

### Official Recommended Settings
  * According to **Civitai** model page:
    - **Sampling method**: [DPM++ SDE Karras] / [DPM++ 2M Karras]
    - **VAE**: Already Baked In (None)
    - **Sampling steps**: 30
    - **Resolution**: 512x768
    - **CFG**: 5
    - **Upscale**: 2x
    - **Upscaler**: 4x_NickelbackFS_72000_G
    - **Denoising strength**: 0.3

### Tip: CyberRealistic Negative Embedding
  * **Cyberdelia** provides a companion negative embedding that improves output quality:

```bash
# Download
https://civitai.com/models/77976/cyberrealistic-negative

# Installation: Place the file in:
sd-webui-forge-classic\models\embeddings\

# Usage
- Add `CyberRealistic_Negative` to your negative prompt box.
```

---

## Component 3: 4x_NickelbackFS — The Upscaler

### What is 4x_NickelbackFS?
* `4x_NickelbackFS` is an **ESRGAN**-based upscaler trained specifically on photographic content. It belongs to the **Nickelback** family of upscalers that prioritize detail preservation over aggressive enhancement.

> "This model aims to improve further on what has been achieved by the old Nickelback which was an improvement attempt over 4xESRGAN and also 4xBox. It can upscale most pictures/photos (granted they are clean enough) without destroying as much detail as Box and basic ESRGAN."
> 
> — OpenModelDB

### Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Architecture | **ESRGAN** |
| Scale | 4x |
| Size | 64nf23nb |
| Color Mode | RGB |
| Training Dataset | Wallpapers |
| Training Iterations | 72,000 |

### Why This Upscaler?
  * 1. **Photorealistic Optimization**: Trained on high-quality wallpaper images, making it ideal for photorealistic outputs
  * 2. **Detail Preservation**: Unlike aggressive upscalers, it maintains original details without adding artificial sharpening
  * 3. **Community Proven**: Frequently recommended on **r/StableDiffusion** for realistic image workflows
  * 4. **Official Recommendation**: Listed as the recommended upscaler on **CyberRealistic**'s **Civitai** page

### Download and Installation

```bash
# Download
https://openmodeldb.info/models/4x-NickelbackFS

# Installation: Place the `.pth` file in:
sd-webui-forge-classic\models\ESRGAN\
```

### Optimal Hires Fix Settings
  * For **CyberRealistic v9.0** with **4x_NickelbackFS**:

| Setting | Value | Notes |
|---------|-------|-------|
| Upscaler | 4x_NickelbackFS_72000_G | Select from dropdown |
| Hires Steps | 15 | Sufficient for detail refinement |
| Denoising Strength | 0.3 | Official recommendation; 0.5 introduces composition changes |
| Upscale by | 2 | 512x768 → 1024x1536 |

### Tip: Denoising Strength Guidelines

| Denoising | Effect |
|-----------|--------|
| 0.25-0.35 | Preserves composition, adds detail only (recommended) |
| 0.4-0.5 | Begins modifying image; some elements may change |
| 0.5+ | Significant changes; result may differ from original |

---

## Component 4: ADetailer — The Face/Hand Fixer

### What is ADetailer?
  * `ADetailer`(**After Detailer**) is an extension that automatically detects faces, hands, and bodies in generated images, then applies targeted inpainting to fix them. It's the primary solution for **SD1.5**'s notorious issues with facial distortion and anatomical errors.

> "ADetailer is an extension for the stable diffusion webui that does automatic masking and inpainting. It is similar to the Detection Detailer."
> 
> — ADetailer GitHub

### Available Detection Models

| Model | Target | mAP 50 | mAP 50-95 |
|-------|--------|--------|-----------|
| face_yolov8n.pt | 2D/realistic face | 0.660 | 0.366 |
| face_yolov8s.pt | 2D/realistic face | 0.713 | 0.404 |
| hand_yolov8n.pt | 2D/realistic hand | 0.767 | 0.505 |
| person_yolov8n-seg.pt | 2D/realistic person | 0.782 | 0.555 |

### Installation

```bash
# From [Extensions] Tab (Recommended)
1. Open Forge Classic
2. Go to [Extensions] tab
3. Go to [Install from URL] tab
4. Enter: https://github.com/Bing-su/adetailer.git
5. Click [Install]
6. Go to [Installed] tab
7. Click [Apply and restart UI]
8. Restart the Forge Classic completely
```

### Recommended Settings for Photorealistic Output

| Setting | Value | Notes |
|---------|-------|-------|
| ADetailer model | face_yolov8n.pt | Fast, accurate for realistic faces |
| ADetailer prompt | (leave blank) | Uses main prompt |
| ADetailer negative prompt | (leave blank) | Uses main negative prompt |
| Detection confidence | 0.3 | Default; lower = more detections |
| Mask min ratio | 0.0 | |
| Mask max ratio | 1.0 | |
| Inpaint denoising strength | 0.3-0.4 | Higher values change face style |

### Tip: Hand Detection Limitations
  * The hand detection model(`hand_yolov8n.pt`) is functional but not as refined as face detection. For critical hand accuracy:
    * 1. Generate multiple images and select the best
    * 2. Use **img2img** inpainting for manual correction
    * 3. Consider hand-specific **LoRA**s

---

## Complete Workflow: Putting It All Together

### Final Settings Summary
  * **Checkpoint**: [cyberrealistic_v90.safetensors]
  * **VAE**: [None]
  * **Sampling Method**: [DPM++ 2M SDE]
  * **Sampling Steps**: [30]
  * **Hires. fix**: [Enabled]
  * **Upscaler**: [4x_NickelbackFS_72000_G]
  * **Upscale by**: [2]
  * **Hires steps**: [15]
  * **Denoising strength**: [0.3]
  * **Resolution**: [512x768]
  * **CFG Scale**: [5]
  * **ADetailer**: [Enabled]
  * **ADetailer model**: [face_yolov8n.pt]
  * **ADetailer denoising**: [0.35]
  * **Negative Embedding**: [CyberRealistic_Negative]

### Example Prompts

```bash
# Object Example:
# Positive Prompt
(raw photo:1.4),(photorealistic:1.4),(8k uhd:1.4),(magazine pictorial:1.4),(candid photography:1.4),(captured in the moment:1.4),(candid moments:1.4),
(wide angle view:1.4),
(bokeh:1.4),(fujifilm xt3:1.4),(35mm film grain:1.4),(analog film photography:1.4),(vintage editorial style:1.4),(Kodak Portra 800 film:1.4),(lo-fi aesthetic:1.4),
(shallow depth of field:1,4),(sharp focus:1.4),
(natural lighting:1.4),(soft diffused light:1.4),(soft shadows:1.4),
(ultra-detailed:1.4),(skin texture:1.4),(high detailed skin texture:1.4),(detailed skin texture:1.4),(skin pores:1.4),(detailed skin:1.4),(translucent skin:1.4),(alabaster complexion:1.4),
(subsurface scattering:1.4),(subsurface skin scattering:1.4),(realistic epidermal texture:1.4),(microscopic details:1.4),(fine pores:1.4),
(commercial advertisement style:1.4),(refreshing atmosphere:1.4),(lively atmosphere:1.4),(airy feel:1.4),
(extremely bright sunny day:1.4),(blinding mid-day sun:1.4),(clear deep blue sky with fluffy white clouds:1.4),

(full body:1.4), (wide shot:1.4), extreme long shot, a mysterious Inuit person standing alone on a vast snowy field, wearing traditional thick fur parka and leather boots, (neutral expression:1.2), (looking at viewer:1.1), face visibly cold, breathless silence, soft diffused light, whiteout background, negative space

# Negative Prompt
(CyberSuperDuperNeg:1.4),

(close up:1.5), (portrait:1.5), (face focus:1.4), zoom in, smiling, happy, warm colors, bright sun, colorful, cropped, out of frame, multiple people, illustration, painting, 3d, render, cartoon, anime, low quality, worst quality, deformed, blurry
```

### Generation Workflow
  * 1. **Compose Prompt**: Write detailed positive/negative prompts
  * 2. **Generate Base Image**: 512x768 at 30 steps
  * 3. **ADetailer Pass**: Automatic face correction runs
  * 4. **Hires Fix**: Upscales to 1024x1536 with detail enhancement
  * 5. **Review and Iterate**: Adjust seed or prompt as needed

---

## Performance Expectations

### RTX 3080 10GB Benchmarks
  * Based on community reports and Forge Classic documentation:

| Operation | Approximate Time |
|-----------|------------------|
| Base generation (512x768, 30 steps) | ~3-5 seconds |
| ADetailer pass | ~2-3 seconds |
| Hires fix (2x upscale, 15 steps) | ~8-12 seconds |
| Total per image | ~15-20 seconds |

### VRAM Usage

| Stage | Approximate VRAM |
|-------|------------------|
| Model loaded | ~4GB |
| During generation | ~6-7GB |
| During Hires fix | ~8-9GB |
| Peak | ~9GB |

  * The **RTX 3080 10GB** has comfortable headroom for this workflow without requiring `--medvram`.

---

## Advanced Optimizations

### SageAttention (Optional)
  * For (())RTX 30XX GPUs(()), SageAttention provides ~10% additional speed:
    * 1. Install Triton manually (see Forge Classic GitHub for instructions)
    * 2. Add `--sage-attention` to command line arguments

### Persistent LoRA Patching
  * **Enabled** by default in **Forge Classic**. This prevents **LoRA** reload between generations, saving ~1 second per image when using the same **LoRA** configuration.

---

## Limitations and Workarounds

### Known SD1.5 Limitations

| Limitation | Workaround |
|------------|------------|
| Hand/finger issues | **ADetailer** + manual inpainting |
| 512px native resolution | Always use **Hires fix** |
| Complex poses | Multiple generations + cherry-picking |
| Text rendering | Use **ControlNet** or external tools |

### When to Consider Alternatives
  * **Need higher native resolution**: **SDXL** with **Illustrious/Pony**
  * **Need latest model architectures**: Forge **Neo** with **FLUX/Qwen**
  * **Need complex node workflows**: **ComfyUI**

---

## References
  * Forge Classic: https://github.com/Haoming02/sd-webui-forge-classic
  * ADetailer: https://github.com/Bing-su/adetailer
  * CyberRealistic: https://civitai.com/models/15003/cyberrealistic
  * CyberRealistic Discord: https://discord.gg/GUByyMuua3
  * CyberRealistic Prompt Helper (ChatGPT): https://chatgpt.com/g/g-6834133e3ab881918a91b3ec6b9eb01f-cyberrealistic-prompt-helper
  * CyberRealistic Negative: https://civitai.com/models/77976/cyberrealistic-negative
  * 4x_NickelbackFS: https://openmodeldb.info/models/4x-NickelbackFS
  * r/StableDiffusion Forge abandonment discussion: https://www.reddit.com/r/StableDiffusion/comments/1h5jdmz/has_forge_been_abandoned/
  * SD1.5 in 2025: https://www.reddit.com/r/StableDiffusion/comments/1lyw8rm/
  * Best SD1.5 checkpoints: https://www.reddit.com/r/StableDiffusion/comments/1jbiw3x/