The viral ChatGPT photo edits come from well-written prompts, not secret codes. You upload one photo, paste a prompt, and ChatGPT returns the new image.
This post has all 15 prompts from the video, ready to copy, plus the editing trick that fixes one part of an image without redoing the whole thing.
What you need
A ChatGPT account. The free plan works. It has stricter image limits than paid plans, and OpenAI doesn’t publish the exact number. Paid plans give you more images.
A clear photo. Good light and a visible face give the best results. One person per photo works better than a group.
OpenAI released ChatGPT Images 2.5 on 8 September 2026 for all ChatGPT users, free plan included. Two changes matter for these prompts:
More consistent details. Faces and distinctive features carry through from your photo more reliably, and follow-up edits change only what you ask for.
Editing one part of an image. You can highlight an area and change just that part. The steps are below.
How to use these prompts
Open ChatGPT, tap the + button and upload your photo.
Paste a prompt from below. Replace everything in [square brackets] with your own details.
Send it and wait for the image.
If one detail is wrong, fix only that part. On the web, open the image and click Select, then highlight the area. On the phone app, tap the image, tap Edit, then Select, and use the slider to resize the selection. Describe the change and send it.
The selection is not always exact, and an edit can spill slightly past the highlighted area, so check the result. Details are in OpenAI’s help article on ChatGPT images.
The 15 prompts
Boxed action figure
You as a collectible toy, sealed in its packaging.
Turn the person in this photo into a collectible action figure in its retail packaging. Show the figure inside a clear plastic blister pack on a cardboard backing card. At the top of the card, write ‘[NAME]’ in bold toy-brand lettering, with ‘[ROLE OR TAGLINE]’ underneath. Add three small accessories in their own slots next to the figure: [ACCESSORY 1], [ACCESSORY 2] and [ACCESSORY 3]. Keep the face, hairstyle and outfit recognisable from the photo. Photorealistic product shot, soft studio lighting, plain background.
A 1920s photo of you
A portrait that looks like it was taken a hundred years ago.
Place the person in this photo in a 1920s portrait taken in a [CITY] photo studio. Dress them in clothing and a hairstyle from that period. Make it look like an original photograph from the time: black-and-white with a slight sepia tone, soft focus, film grain, a painted studio backdrop and light wear at the edges. Keep their face and expression the same as in my photo.
Room redesign
A new look for a room, from one photo of it.
Redesign this room in a [STYLE, for example modern Scandinavian or warm Indian contemporary] style. Keep the walls, windows, doors and ceiling exactly where they are, and keep the same camera angle. Change the furniture, colours, lighting, rugs and decor to suit a [LOW / MID / HIGH] budget. Make it look like a real interior photo, not a 3D render. After the image, list the main pieces you added so I can shop for similar ones.
Your pet as royalty
A royal oil portrait of your dog or cat.
Turn my pet in this photo into an 18th-century royal oil portrait. Show them seated on a velvet cushion, wearing a jewelled crown and a red royal cape with gold embroidery, in a grand palace room. Classic oil-painting texture with visible brushstrokes, dramatic window light and an ornate gold frame. Keep my pet’s face, fur colour and markings exactly as in the photo.
Old family photo restoration
Scratches, creases and stains removed from an old print.
Restore this old family photo. Remove scratches, dust, creases, stains and torn edges. Sharpen the faces carefully without changing anyone’s features, expression or age. Keep the original clothing, background and composition. Keep it black-and-white. Do not add, remove or move any people or objects.
Photograph or scan the print flat, in good light, before you upload it. Read the section on restored photos below before you share the result.
Colourise a black-and-white photo
Natural colour added to an old black-and-white picture.
Colourise this black-and-white photo with natural, realistic colours. Use believable skin tones, and colours for clothing and surroundings that fit the period when the photo was taken. Keep every face, detail and the composition exactly the same, and keep the original grain so it still looks like an old photograph.
Professional headshot
A LinkedIn-ready headshot from a casual photo.
Turn this photo into a professional headshot for LinkedIn. Keep my face, features, skin tone and hairstyle exactly the same. Dress me in [a navy blazer over a white shirt]. Use a soft grey studio background, flattering soft lighting and a shallow depth of field. Frame from the chest up, looking at the camera, in a square crop.
Animated film character
You as a character in a hand-painted animated film.
Turn the person in this photo into a character from a hand-painted animated film. Use soft watercolour backgrounds, warm natural light, gentle linework and expressive eyes. Keep their hairstyle, outfit and key features recognisable. Place them in [a quiet street with tea stalls at sunset].
Pencil sketch portrait
A hand-drawn graphite sketch of your photo.
Turn this photo into a detailed graphite pencil sketch on textured off-white paper. Use fine cross-hatching for the shadows, leave some lines loose and unfinished at the edges, and add a light smudge where an artist’s hand would rest. Keep the likeness exact.
Sticker sheet of yourself
Nine cartoon stickers of you with different expressions.
Create a sticker sheet of the person in this photo as a cute chibi cartoon. Make 9 stickers with different expressions and poses: happy, laughing, thumbs up, thinking, surprised, sleepy, angry, waving and celebrating. Give each sticker a thick white die-cut border, on a plain light background, laid out in a 3x3 grid. Keep their hairstyle and outfit recognisable.
Vintage travel poster
You as the hero of an old-style travel poster.
Make a vintage travel poster with the person in this photo as the main figure, standing in [PLACE, for example Jaipur’s old city]. Use flat colours, bold shapes and a slightly faded printed-paper texture in a mid-century poster style. Write ‘[PLACE NAME]’ in large retro lettering at the top. Keep the person recognisable.
Magazine cover
Your photo as the cover of a glossy magazine.
Turn this photo into a magazine cover. At the top, use the invented magazine name ‘[MAGAZINE NAME]’. Add the cover headline ‘[HEADLINE]’ and three short cover lines about [TOPIC]. Use glossy studio lighting, a clean modern layout and a barcode in the bottom corner. Keep my face and outfit exactly as in the photo.
Use a made-up magazine name. A real magazine’s name and logo can mislead people into thinking the cover is genuine.
Festive outfit change
A new outfit, with everything else in the photo left as it is.
Change only the outfit in this photo to [a royal blue silk kurta with a Nehru jacket / a maroon Banarasi saree]. Keep my face, pose, hair, body and the background exactly the same. Match the lighting and shadows of the original photo so the outfit looks real.
For a cleaner result, use Select to highlight just the clothes before you send this prompt.
Product photo for online selling
A clean catalogue shot from a phone photo of your product.
Turn this phone photo of my product into a clean e-commerce product shot. Place it on a seamless white background with soft, even studio lighting and a gentle shadow underneath. Keep the product’s shape, colours, labels and text exactly as they are. Make it a square 1:1 image with the product centred, filling about 80% of the frame.
Check the labels and text on the product carefully before you use the image in a listing. Buyers should get what the photo shows.
A child’s drawing brought to life
A kid’s drawing turned into a realistic scene.
Turn this child’s drawing into a realistic 3D scene, as if the drawing came to life. Keep the exact shapes, proportions, colours and quirks of the drawing, including wobbly lines and odd details, but make everything look real, with natural textures and lighting. Show the original drawing in a small frame in the corner.
Tips for better results
Ask for one change at a time. Follow-up edits work best when each message changes one thing.
Repeat what must stay the same. If a face starts to drift, upload the original photo again and add: keep the face exactly as in this photo.
Use Select for small fixes. Highlighting a hand, a word or a background object is faster than regenerating the whole image.
Name the style, lighting and framing. The prompts above all spell these out, which is why they give steadier results than a one-line request.
Two things to remember
A restored photo is the AI’s best guess. When ChatGPT repairs a damaged photo, it fills in detail the original no longer has, such as part of a face or the pattern on a saree. The result can look right and still be wrong. Save the original photo before you start, and tell family members that the restored version is AI-enhanced.
Label AI images when you post them. Under India’s amended IT Rules, in force since 20 February 2026, social media platforms must ask users to declare AI-generated content and must label it (Business Today report). When a platform offers an AI label, turn it on. ChatGPT also adds C2PA metadata to its images, which identifies them as AI-made.
One more: only upload photos of people who are fine with it, and don’t make images that could pass as real events.
Where to start
Start with the action figure or the pet portrait. They work well even with an average phone photo, and they show you how much the details in a prompt change the result.
If these prompts helped, subscribe to this newsletter for more, and follow the page or subscribe to the channel for the video versions.
Sources
Introducing ChatGPT Images 2.5, OpenAI, 8 September 2026
Images in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center
Govt tightens rules on AI-generated content, mandates labels and faster takedowns, Business Today, 10 February 2026