1980s AI photo trend: 7 ChatGPT prompts to turn your photos into Kerala-style portraits

In the 1980s, a new trend emerged on Instagram, transforming regular photos into AI-generated portraits inspired by the fashion, hairstyles, and photography of that era. The trend has evolved beyond generic retro looks, allowing people to create Kerala-inspired portraits that capture the essence of South Indian cinema from the 80s. By using specific prompts, users can generate these nostalgic images using AI tools like ChatGPT.

The prompts provide detailed instructions on how to recreate the visual language of the 1980s, including traditional clothing, hairstyles, and setting. For example, users can create an 1980s Kerala family portrait by dressing the subjects in traditional kasavu sarees and mundus, adding soft studio lighting, and using warm, slightly faded colors to give the image a film-like appearance.

Other prompts allow users to create Kerala wedding portraits, college portraits, Malayalam cinema-inspired studio portraits, and even portraits of individual women. These AI-generated images preserve the person's identity while changing their styling, resulting in a nostalgic yet authentic representation of the 1980s Kerala style.