1980s yearbook portrait with a laser backdrop
A grown-up retro yearbook-style portrait of you with 80s hair and a laser backdrop. Upload a clear photo, paste this prompt into ChatGPT, Gemini or Grok, change the parts in brackets to suit you, and generate.
Part of the Retro yearbook photo trend
- Written for
- ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok
- You'll need
- A clear photo to upload
- Status
- Tested 20 Oct 2026 in grok-imagine-image-2.0
- Test settings
- Reference photo: an AI-generated picture of a fictional man (not a real person), made in Grok for this test. Uploaded with the default copy text unchanged. Aspect ratio 3:4 (no 4:5 preset). First result used. Resized to 1440x1920 and converted to WebP.
- Variability
- Faces, poses and small details vary between runs; always compare the result with your own photo.
Prompt
Use the uploaded photo as the reference for the person. Preserve their recognisable face, natural skin tone, hairline and body proportions as closely as the model permits; check the result against the reference. Scene: a 1980s yearbook-style photo studio with a dark backdrop crossed by thin pink and blue laser lines. Pose: head and shoulders, turned slightly, chin on one hand, big friendly smile. Clothing: an 80s outfit: a bright sweater with shoulder pads; hair styled with 80s volume in the person's own hair colour. Light: soft flat studio flash, slight glow. Style: 1980s yearbook print: soft focus, warm colour cast, fine film grain; the person keeps their current adult age. Format: vertical 4:5 Avoid: making the person look younger, changing the face or identity, skin lightening, text, logos, extra fingers, watermarks.
Customise
For example: pink and blue.
For example: chin on one hand, big friendly smile.
Fields start with illustrative values; replace them with your own facts. The prompt updates as you type. Copy prompt copies your version.
How to use it
- Open an external image tool listed above. The tested model, if any, is named in Status.
- Upload a clear reference photo of the subject. If it includes identifiable people, get their consent and check each face.
- Customise the fields, copy your version, paste it with the photo and generate.
- Compare the result with the reference. If a face, pose or detail changes, ask for one correction or try again; an exact match is not guaranteed.
How to use this prompt
- This prompt changes your own photo. Choose a clear reference photo, and get permission from people who can be identified.
- Upload the photo in the external AI app you chose. Fill Customise, press Copy prompt and paste the prompt with the photo.
- Compare the new picture with the original. Face, hands, clothes and pose can change. An exact likeness is not guaranteed.
Good to know
- Big retro hair can change the hairline; ask to keep the hairline from your photo.
- Use reference photos you have the right to use; get consent from identifiable people.
