Neon Night Film Portrait

Works with: Gemini · ChatGPT (any AI image editor)

Moody neon-lit night portrait with film halation — the look night-film photographers chase.

Transform this photo into a night-time film portrait in a city. Keep my exact facial features, do not change my face. Cinematic film look with visible grain and red-orange halation around neon signs and street lights, teal-and-amber color palette, shallow depth of field, moody atmosphere like a still from an art-house film shot on high-speed tungsten film.

What to watch for

The neon is where it falls apart — ours rendered a large sign whose characters are pure invention, readable as writing but meaning nothing. Crop it out, or ask for signs to stay out of focus. Halation arrives as a warm bloom around the street lamps rather than the heavy red glow the real film gives; push it with 'strong red halation'. Your face will be the brightest thing in a night scene, so start from a source where it is already large.

How to use it

Only edit photos you have permission to use, including permission from the people pictured.

1. Use the original file rather than a compressed screenshot, so the film texture has detail to work over.
2. Attach the source in an AI image editor compatible with this prompt (Gemini · ChatGPT (any AI image editor)), then paste the prompt. Adjust the grain, light leak, or color grade one at a time. If you keep a date stamp, specify the actual date.
3. Compare skin tone and facial detail with the source. Reduce grain or halation if it obscures features; inspect any generated sign or date digits.
4. Save the accepted image separately from the original and label it as AI-edited when sharing. Use the saved edit as the source if you choose to animate it next.