AI Photo Editing Puts ChatGPT To The Test

(Image credit: Ariane Sherine)

While the thought of an AI takeover is common, there's no harm in exploring its creative side in the meantime. That was precisely the mindset when a fascinating photo editing prompt started making the rounds on social media. The original creator is unknown, but the prompt itself is a masterclass in detailed AI instruction.

The Viral AI Prompt That Started It All

Here is the prompt that captured the internet's attention:

"Without changing my facial features, but just adding lashes, create a high contrast close portrait of my face focusing on front head, in black and white closeup, 35mm lens, 4K HD quality, giving proud expression, water droplets on my face, black shadow background, only face is visible with my profile looking sharper, adding wet hair, Ratio 4:3."

Though creatively powerful, the prompt has some technical quirks. The term '4K HD quality' is a confusing blend of video resolution standards, and specifying a 35mm lens for a portrait is unusual, as a 50mm or longer lens is typically preferred to avoid distortion.

Despite these points, I decided to test it with a simple selfie. The transformation was stunning. My casual, still-in-bed photo was turned into a dramatic portrait that looked like an album cover. The ability to add complex effects like water droplets in seconds is a game-changer, saving creators from watching lengthy Photoshop tutorials for a similar result.

Phone selfie (left) and ChatGPT generated image (right) (Image credit: Ariane Sherine)

First Impressions: A Striking but Flawed Transformation

However, the result wasn't perfect. The AI gave my skin the texture of an old leather handbag and made my eyes appear bloodshot. When I decided to edit the result, I used a different selfie and asked the AI to make the generated image's features more closely match my new photo.

ChatGPT's response was disarmingly polite: "To make the facial features in the second image... look more like the features in the first close-up image... I’ll adjust the following while preserving your natural beauty... I’ll now create the modified version for you. Please hold on."

Flattery aside, the new result wasn't as compelling. The image was now straight-on and the leathery skin and bloodshot eyes remained, perhaps an AI quirk in interpreting 'high-res' requests.

(Image credit: Ariane Sherine)

Pushing the Limits: From Pro Portrait to Devil Horns

For my final experiment, I modified the prompt to create something more fantastical:

"Don't change my facial features, but generate a portrait of my face in black and white closeup, 50mm lens, 300dpi quality, looking thoughtful, longer lashes, paint droplets running down the left side of my face, black devil horns, black shadow background, Ratio 4:3."

(Image credit: Ariane Sherine)

This was the least successful attempt in terms of flattery, as it aged my appearance significantly. However, the technical execution was impressive. The devil horns were textured and realistic, even if one was smaller than the other. Creating such an element in Photoshop from scratch would be an incredibly time-consuming task.

The Future of AI in Photography

ChatGPT's image generation capabilities are still very new, which means a lot of trial-and-error is involved. But for portrait photographers, this technology offers a powerful new tool. When a client requests a complex or time-consuming effect, AI can provide a starting point or even a final result in a fraction of the time.

Even for casual users, experimenting with these prompts can be incredibly fun and yield amazing images. Let your imagination run wild—you might just be surprised by what you and the AI can create together.