AI Trend Transforms Modern Photos into 1980s Retro Portraits
2 sources across 2 countries · Chile · India
Who reported this
- La Tercera
- Hindustan Times
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
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Every outlet covering this story shares the same political lean; read with that in mind.
A new social media trend is allowing users to transform current photographs into portraits inspired by the aesthetics of the 1980s using artificial intelligence. The phenomenon involves uploading a photo to AI chatbots such as ChatGPT or Gemini and providing specific prompts to modify the image. Users can customize the results by requesting period appropriate elements such as voluminous hairstyles, bright colors, shoulder pads, and specific backgrounds like studio portraits or family photos. The trend has spread across platforms like Instagram, where users often share their results using the Add Yours sticker to encourage others to participate. Both general users and public figures from politics and television have joined the trend. To achieve the best results, sources recommend using high quality photos with clear lighting and detailed prompts that instruct the AI to maintain the original facial features while changing the clothing and environment.
How each side framed it
- Centre-right
- Outlets with this lean framed the event as a viral digital trend and provided practical guides on using AI tools to achieve the retro look.
Sources
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