ChatGPT 80s Kerala-style retro trend goes viral: Try this prompt to transform your photo

Instagram’s viral 1980s photo trend is now taking a regional turn, with users using ChatGPT to recreate their modern pictures in the style of old Kerala photographs. The trend transforms clothing, hairstyles, jewellery, backgrounds, lighting and photo texture while keeping the person recognisable.

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Instead of simply adding a vintage filter, users can give ChatGPT detailed instructions to recreate the visual style of the era. A Kerala-inspired version can bring in traditional kasavu sarees, mundus, gold jewellery, classic hairstyles and old Kerala homes.

How to create a Kerala-style 1980s photo using ChatGPT

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Upload a clear photograph to ChatGPT and use this prompt:

Prompt: Using my uploaded photo, recreate me as if this photograph was taken in Kerala around 1985. Preserve my identity, facial features, skin tone, age and natural expression. Give me an authentic mid-1980s Malayali look with period-appropriate traditional clothing, a Kerala kasavu saree or mundu, simple gold jewellery and a natural 1980s hairstyle. Place me inside a traditional Kerala home with wooden furniture and subtle period details. Use warm natural lighting, slightly faded colours, soft focus, analogue 35mm film grain and the gentle imperfections of an old printed photograph. Keep the image realistic and nostalgic, with no modern objects, styling or text.

The prompt follows the broader 1980s trend while adding details that make the result distinctly Kerala-inspired. The original trend uses analogue grain, faded colours, direct or warm lighting and period styling to recreate the appearance of photographs from the decade.

Check the AI image before sharing

The generated picture is an AI recreation, not an authentic historical photograph. ChatGPT may sometimes introduce errors in facial details, jewellery, hands, clothing patterns or backgrounds. Check the final image before posting it on social media.