15 Creative Photo Styles to Try Using ChatGPT

Last week, I decided to test ChatGPT’s image abilities with a simple photo. The results? Pretty amazing. I tried 15 different style prompts and wanted to share what worked best.

If you’re looking for fresh ways to transform your photos, these prompts might give you some ideas.

First of all go to chatgpt.com and attach your photo. Then use any of the following prompts to convert it into different styles. In this blog post, I used the following photo.(credits: pixabay)

1. Bright Anime Portrait

Prompt: Please turn the attached photo into a bright anime portrait with clean line art, large expressive eyes, soft cel shading, and a pastel sparkly background.

This style gave the photo a complete anime makeover. The clean lines and expressive eyes really capture that classic anime look. The soft shading adds dimension without being too busy, and the pastel background makes the whole image pop with that magical anime feeling.

What makes this work so well is the balance between simplicity and detail. The line art stays true to anime conventions while still keeping the subject recognizable.

2. Stylized 3D Character

Prompt: Convert my photo into a stylized cute 3D character with smooth geometry, shiny eyes, and a subtle cinematic rim light.

This transformation feels like something straight out of a Pixar or Dreamworks film. The smooth surfaces and slightly exaggerated features give it that signature 3D animation charm.

The shiny eyes add so much personality, and the rim lighting creates depth that makes the character seem to jump off the screen. This style works great for profile pictures or creating a digital avatar.

3. Loose Watercolor Portrait

Prompt: Paint the photo as a loose watercolor portrait with light washes, visible paper texture, and tiny paint splatters.

The watercolor effect adds such a soft, artistic quality to photos. The light color washes blend into each other in that distinctive watercolor way, while the visible paper texture makes it feel like a real painting.

I particularly liked how the tiny paint splatters add character and a handmade feel. This style strips away details but keeps the essence of the subject.

4. Moody Cyberpunk Look

Prompt: Render the attached photo in a moody cyberpunk look—neon signs, magenta-teal glow, shiny rain reflections, and a night-city vibe.

This transformation puts your subject right into a futuristic urban nightscape. The contrast between the magenta and teal lighting creates that distinctive cyberpunk atmosphere we know from movies like Blade Runner.

The rain reflections add a moody, reflective quality, while the neon signs in the background suggest a bustling futuristic city. This style completely changes the context of your photo.

5. Bold Pop-Art Comic

Prompt: Reimagine the image as bold pop-art comic art with thick black outlines, Ben-Day dots, and bright primary colors.

This style comes with with its bold comic book aesthetic. The thick black outlines and Ben-Day dots create that classic comic print look, while the bright primary colors make everything stand out.

What I find interesting about this style is how it flattens the image while still making it visually striking. It turns ordinary photos into something that could hang in a modern art gallery.

6. Classic Film Noir Portrait

Prompt: Turn the photo into a classic film-noir portrait in deep black-and-white, rich shadows, and a hint of swirling cigarette smoke.

The film noir transformation adds instant drama to any photo. The high-contrast black and white gives everything a classic cinematic quality, while the deep shadows create mystery and mood.

That hint of cigarette smoke adds just the right touch of 1940s atmosphere. This style strips away color to focus on light, shadow, and mood.

7. Precise Ink Sketch

Prompt: Draw the picture as a precise ink sketch with clean cross-hatching on a plain white page.

This style reduces your photo to pure line work, focusing on form and texture through careful cross-hatching. The result feels like something from a fine art sketchbook or an old book illustration.

The clean lines on white paper create a timeless, classic look that works well for portraits or landscapes. It’s amazing how much personality comes through with just black lines.

8. Claymation Figure

Prompt: Transform the photo into a claymation figure with visible fingerprints and a small handmade miniature set.

This quirky style reimagines your subject as if they stepped out of a stop-motion animation. The slightly imperfect texture with visible fingerprints gives it that handcrafted charm that makes claymation so appealing.

The miniature set background adds context and story. This style has a nostalgic quality that reminds me of shows like Wallace and Gromit.

9. Glossy Magazine Cover

Prompt: Restyle the photo as a glossy magazine cover with flawless studio lighting and empty space for cover lines.

This transformation gives your photo that professional, high-end magazine quality. The flawless lighting smooths out imperfections while adding dimension in all the right places.

The empty space for cover lines makes it look ready for publication. This style is perfect for creating professional-looking portraits or mock magazine covers.

10. 8-Bit Pixel Portrait

Prompt: Turn the picture into an 8-bit pixel portrait: chunky square pixels, a 32-color palette, and a simple solid backdrop.

This retro gaming style reduces your photo to its most basic elements. The chunky pixels and limited color palette create that nostalgic video game look from the 1980s and early 90s.

What’s fun about this style is seeing which details survive the pixelation process. It’s amazing how recognizable faces remain even when reduced to a handful of squares.

11. Vibrant Graffiti

Prompt: Convert this photo into vibrant graffiti—spray-paint textures, bold outlines, drips, and a brick-wall background.

The graffiti style adds urban energy to any image. The spray paint textures and bold outlines create that authentic street art look, while the drips add movement and spontaneity.

The brick wall background places everything in an urban context. This style transforms formal portraits into something edgy and contemporary.

12. Holographic Glitch Effect

Prompt: Give the image a holographic glitch effect: shifting RGB channels, scanline flicker, and iridescent sheen.

This modern digital style adds a technical, futuristic feel to photos. The shifting color channels create that “broken digital” look, while the scanlines add texture and rhythm.

The iridescent sheen makes everything look like it’s on a holographic card or screen. This style works great for creating album covers or social media posts with a tech-forward vibe.

13. Layered Paper-Cut Collage

Prompt: Create a layered paper-cut collage version of the attached photo with crisp colored-paper edges, subtle drop shadows, and handcrafted vibe.

This artistic style reimagines your photo as if it were carefully cut from layers of colored paper. The crisp edges between color areas create that distinctive collage look.

The subtle drop shadows between layers add depth and dimension. What makes this style special is how it simplifies forms while creating a tactile, handmade quality.

14. Modern Comic Book Cover

Prompt: Draw the picture as a modern comic-book cover: dynamic pose, sharp cel shading, speed lines, etc.

This style puts your subject into superhero territory. The dynamic composition and sharp cel shading create that contemporary comic book energy, while speed lines add movement and action.

Unlike older comic styles, this modern approach uses a wider color range and more detailed shading. The result looks ready for the latest issue of your favorite comic series.

15. Paper Mario-Style Character

Prompt: Convert the subject into a flat Paper Mario-style character: 2.5-D cut-out look, crisp outlines, and soft drop shadows on a simple stage set.

This gaming-inspired style creates a charming, playful version of your photo. The flat, cut-out look with crisp outlines mimics the distinctive Paper Mario aesthetic.

The soft drop shadows create that signature 2.5D effect, where flat characters exist in a 3D space. This style works especially well for full-body shots that can be transformed into standing “paper” characters.

After trying all these styles, I found that ChatGPT handles certain transformations better than others. The anime, comic, and 3D character styles came out particularly strong, while some of the more textured styles like watercolor varied in quality.

The clearer your prompt, the better your results. Being specific about lighting, textures, and background elements makes a big difference.

These 15 styles are just starting points. You can mix elements from different prompts or add your own specific references to create something totally unique.