ChatGPT

How To Replicate Popular ChatGPT Image Styles

ChatGPT users generated over 700 million images in the first week after the image‑generation feature launched.

ChatGPT has become a go-to tool for creating viral image styles, with creators using it to generate everything from stylized portraits to playful, hyper-specific worlds. Across TikTok, Instagram, and Reddit, these visuals are showing up everywhere — from action-figure versions of real people to illustrations inspired by Studio Ghibli and Pixar.

However, replicating these image styles consistently isn’t just about naming the trend. It requires knowing the right prompts, style modifiers, and strategies that lead to high-quality results.

In this article, you’ll learn how to recreate the most popular viral ChatGPT image styles with ready-to-use prompt templates, style breakdowns, and advanced tips to help you get consistent, shareable results every time. Whether you're a digital creator, social media manager, or just experimenting for fun, this guide will help you master the visual language behind today’s biggest AI art trends.

Table of Contents:

How To Generate Images With ChatGPT
How to Replicate Popular ChatGPT Image Styles
Pros and Cons of the ChatGPT Image Style
Frequently Asked Questions

How To Generate Images With ChatGPT

To create images with ChatGPT, you’ll need access to a version of ChatGPT that supports image generation, specifically GPT-4 with vision. However, ChatGPT's free tier only allows 2-3 images per day with a 24-hour rolling reset, which is restrictive for creators working on projects that may need multiple iterations.

The good news is: you don’t need direct access to ChatGPT Plus to replicate its image styles. Platforms like Kapwing offer built-in ChatGPT image generation, letting you use similar prompt structures and styles. In this section, we’ll walk you through both methods for generating AI images in trending styles.

How to Generate Images in ChatGPT

To generate images in ChatGPT, open a new chat and type your image prompt directly into the message box.

A strong ChatGPT prompt should be clear and descriptive. The best image prompts not only describe what you want to see, but also guide how it should look, including the art style, lighting, camera angle, composition, and aspect ratio.

Wait a few seconds, and ChatGPT will respond with a generated image. Click to view or download the image as needed.

If the result isn’t quite right, revise the prompt with more specific style modifiers. Free users can try this, but image generation is limited to 2–3 images every 24 hours.

How to Generate ChatGPT Images in Kapwing

The easiest way to replicate the ChatGPT images outside of the platform is to use Kapwing’s built-in GPT-4 AI Image Generator, which gives you direct access to the same model and visual tendencies, without needing any manual styling or processing.

To begin, open Kapwing AI and start a new chat. At the bottom right of the chat box, you’ll see a settings icon. Click it to open the model selection options.

Screenshot showing how to select “GPT Image 1” in Kapwing AI to generate images using the ChatGPT-style GPT-4o model. — Open a new chat and click the settings icon in the bottom-right corner.

From there, select "GPT Image 1" as your image generator.

Once you’ve done so, the AI assistant will generate images using the same model that powers ChatGPT’s visuals.

Kapwing model selection menu highlighting “GPT Image 1” as the image generator for replicating ChatGPT image style. — After opening settings, choose “GPT Image 1” under the image generation section.

You'll also want to use a reference image, which gives the model clearer guidance on layout, character framing, and stylistic details.

To add one, click the "Attach Media" button and select the file from your device.

Click the generate button to create your image. The result will appear in chat, where you can tweak details, adjust the style, or regenerate variations.

You can also add it to the editing studio, where you can add stickers, texts, or create a video project with your image.

How to Replicate Popular ChatGPT Image Styles

Below, we’ve collected the most popular ChatGPT image styles and paired each one with a ready-to-copy prompt. You can paste these prompts directly into ChatGPT, Sora, or any compatible AI image generator and swap out the subject details to fit your project.

For best results, use a reference image alongside the prompt to help guide composition and style. When using a reference image, replace [subject] with "the subject in the reference image".

Studio Ghibli Style

Using the provided reference image, generate an illustration of [subject] in a Studio Ghibli–inspired style. Preserve the original composition and framing, and apply soft painterly backgrounds, diffused natural lighting, vibrant yet grounded colors, a whimsical and nostalgic mood, a hand-drawn anime aesthetic, and gentle organic texture.

Pixar Style

Using the provided reference image, generate a Pixar-style 3D portrait of [subject]. Keep the original pose and framing, and apply expressive eyes, rounded facial features, smooth skin textures, cinematic soft lighting, shallow depth of field, and polished character design.

Disney-Style Animation

Disney-style animated illustration with expressive facial features, soft shading, and a polished cartoon look. — An example of a Disney-style animated image.

Using the provided reference image, recreate [subject] in a Disney-style animated look. Maintain the original framing and pose, and apply expressive facial features, clean linework, soft painterly shading, warm lighting, and a polished storybook animation aesthetic.

Retro Anime Style

Using the provided reference image, recreate [subject] in a retro anime style inspired by 80s–90s cel animation. Preserve the original composition while applying bold outlines, flat color shading, subtle grain, slightly muted tones, and a nostalgic hand-painted animation feel.

Charlie and Lola Style

Using the provided reference image, recreate [subject] in a Charlie and Lola–inspired illustration style. Keep the original composition while applying collage-like textures, hand-drawn scribbles, uneven outlines, pastel colors, and a playful childlike aesthetic.

Claymation Style

Using the provided reference image, recreate [subject] in a claymation style. Keep the original composition while applying hand-molded clay textures, visible imperfections, soft studio lighting, shallow depth of field, and a whimsical stop-motion aesthetic.

Felt Toy Style

Using the provided reference image, recreate [subject] as a felt toy. Preserve the pose and proportions, and apply soft fabric textures, visible stitching, simplified shapes, muted colors, and a cozy handmade craft aesthetic.

Lego Style

Using the provided reference image, recreate [subject] as a LEGO-style figure. Maintain the original framing and pose, and render the subject using interlocking plastic bricks, smooth glossy surfaces, simplified facial features, bright primary colors, and clean studio lighting.

Muppet Style

Using the provided reference image, recreate [subject] as a Muppet-style character. Preserve the framing and proportions, and apply fuzzy felt textures, visible stitching, googly expressive eyes, soft studio lighting, and playful puppet-like proportions.

Cyberpunk Style

Using the provided reference image, recreate [subject] in a cyberpunk style. Preserve the original composition and framing, and apply neon lighting, high-contrast shadows, futuristic urban details, holographic accents, saturated blues and magentas, and a gritty sci-fi atmosphere.

Watercolor Style

Using the provided reference image, recreate [subject] in a watercolor illustration style. Keep the original composition while applying soft washes, visible brush strokes, gentle color bleeding, light paper texture, and an airy, painterly feel.

Pop Art Style

Using the provided reference image, recreate [subject] in a pop art style. Preserve the composition while applying bold graphic shapes, high-contrast colors, halftone patterns, thick outlines, and a vibrant, poster-like aesthetic inspired by print art.

Bauhaus Style

Using the provided reference image, recreate [subject] in a Bauhaus-inspired design style. Maintain the original composition while applying geometric forms, minimal ornamentation, flat color fields, strong contrast, and a functional, modernist aesthetic.

Art Nouveau Style

Using the provided reference image, recreate [subject] in an Art Nouveau–inspired illustration style. Preserve the composition while applying flowing organic lines, decorative patterns, elegant curves, muted jewel tones, and an ornamental, poster-like look.

Traditional Chinese Ink Painting

Using the provided reference image, recreate [subject] in a traditional Chinese ink painting style. Maintain the original composition while applying expressive brushwork, monochrome or limited ink washes, visible paper texture, soft gradients, and a calm, poetic atmosphere.

Wes Anderson Style

Using the provided reference image, recreate [subject] in a Wes Anderson–inspired visual style. Preserve the composition while emphasizing symmetrical framing, centered subjects, pastel color palettes, soft even lighting, and a whimsical, storybook aesthetic.

Pros and Cons of the ChatGPT Image Style

ChatGPT’s image generator has a recognizable aesthetic that appeals to many creators, but it also comes with certain stylistic biases and limitations:

Pros of the ChatGPT Image Style

Warm, Neutral Color Palette
ChatGPT tends to color grade with warm tones, with beige being particularly prominent. Skin tones lean warm, lighting often has golden qualities, and even cooler scenes tend to have warm color casts in their highlights or mid-tones.

When colors aren’t explicitly defined, the model naturally gravitates toward beige, cream, and tan, creating cohesive and aesthetically pleasing backgrounds

Four examples of ChatGPT image generation: posed group portraits and stylized animated characters with warm tones, clean backgrounds, and centered framing. — Examples of ChatGPT image style across group photos and animated scenes.

Stylistic Film Grain:
ChatGPT-generated images often include a subtle, fine-grain texture reminiscent of film. This grain adds depth and softness to the image without overwhelming details, helping visuals feel more organic and less digitally sharp.

Polished, Camera-Ready Aesthetic
Another major strength is how photogenic and production-ready ChatGPT images appear. Subjects, clothing, props, and environments are clean, balanced, and visually appealing, reducing the need for post-processing.

Cons of the ChatGPT Image Style

Posed, Artificial Staging
ChatGPT often generates subjects looking directly at the viewer, regardless of the prompt’s intention. Movement and spontaneity are harder to achieve.

For example, in the ChatGPT-generated image (left) for the prompt "a candid photo of 2 girls holding a black cat and laughing," both girls are facing the viewer, and the cats appear nearly identical. In contrast, the Seedance image is more candid: the frame is tilted, and one girl seems unaware of the "camera".

Side by side comparison of 2 images, one generated with ChatGPT and one with Seedream — A ChatGPT generated image (left) versus a Seedance generated image (right) for the prompt "*a candid photo of 2 girls holding a black cat and laughing".*

Generic Props and Details
ChatGPT's image details are invariably photogenic and tend toward solid, clean colors. Props, clothing, and environmental elements look like they came from a curated stock photo library.

For example, in the ChatGPT-generated image (left) for the prompt "a plate of red sauce pasta at a fancy restaurant", the scene is perfectly styled and every element appears camera-ready. In contrast, the Seedream image (right) feels more candid: the composition is slightly off-center, cheese is caught mid-sprinkle, and the overall scene captures more visual texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes ChatGPT-generated images look different from other AI models like Midjourney or Seedream?

ChatGPT images tend to be more posed, centered, and minimal in texture, with warm tones and simplified backgrounds, while models like Midjourney often lean into stylization or mood.

Can I change the default aesthetic of ChatGPT's images?

Yes. You can override the neutral, photogenic style by being specific in your prompt about mood, color, composition, and texture.

How do I make ChatGPT-generated images look more dynamic or candid?

Use prompt terms like “off-center,” “tilted angle,” “mid-motion,” “caught off guard,” or “natural lighting” to reduce the staged look.

Do ChatGPT image outputs include built-in stylistic grain or blur?

Yes — images often have a subtle grain or blur effect that mimics a soft-focus or filmic quality, especially in backgrounds.

Is the “Sora style” different from ChatGPT’s image style?

Yes. Sora is focused on video generation, while GPT-4o powers still image generation in ChatGPT. They may share visual principles, but they serve different use cases.

Can I upload a reference image to match styles in ChatGPT?

Yes. You can upload an image and prompt ChatGPT to generate similar outputs, which is helpful for achieving consistency or replicating a specific look.

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