The best part of Halloween, besides the candy, is the costumes. I've enjoyed the rare moments when I've been able to create particularly complex images, and I've always enjoyed seeing how others experience this spooky time of year. I didn't have time to do anything of that magnitude this year, but for fun I decided to see how well ChatGPT could digitally transform me for Halloween, perhaps inspiring some skins for next year based on classic Universal Horror monsters.
ChatGPT's image processing tools, combined with a good selfie, can go surprisingly far in creating a visual alter ego. I wouldn't call the results my undead doppelgangers, but at least in some cases I could believe I had walked out of a D-movie aping a Universal classic. Below you can see some of the best results and the tips behind them.
Vampire Weekend
I started with the vampire, naturally. I wanted to look like a 1930s vampire lord, with sharp cheekbones, a widow's peak and an elegant black cape. I quickly discovered that ChatGPT could do a lot before I stopped being like myself. However, as I discovered here, some key phrases worked very well for all my portraits. This also helped give the image the expression and mood I wanted.
The hint ended like this: “A hyperphotorealistic portrait of a man from a reference photograph as a classic vampire, retaining his true facial features, but with pale skin, red lips and clearly visible fangs, bared in a predatory expression. He wears a black trench coat with a high collar and a formal shirt. The lighting is moody candlelight with a golden glow on one side, reminiscent of an aristocratic gothic castle interior.”
Dog hair
Next up was the Wolf Man. Again, it took some experimenting to get a look that wasn't just me with dog ears and a nose, but also wasn't just a wolf head that had nothing to do with my actual appearance. The result looks like a character from a movie, although I can't help but feel upset that my hair is out of control.
Last used hint: “A hyperphotorealistic portrait of a man from a reference photograph transformed into a wild Wolfman. His face remains clearly recognizable, but is covered in realistic fur, with sharp teeth, yellow eyes and a growl in the middle. The backdrop is a moonlit forest interior or an old cabin with atmospheric shadows and cool tones.”
Mummy man
I had similar reservations about the mummy costume, even though I love all (except one) of the many movies they've been in. I didn't want this one to be too covered up to see me, or not have enough bandages to show it was a mummy. After a couple of tries, thanks to the reference to how you could almost see my skin, the image came out great.
The hint is: “A hyperphotorealistic portrait of a photograph of a man completely wrapped in old, cracked bandages, barely showing his eyes and mouth. His skin shows faintly under the bandages, retaining the resemblance to his face. The setting is an ancient tomb, lit by torchlight, with dusty air and cracked stone walls. The tone is eerie and warm, like sepia.”
I didn't intend to look at myself with such sad eyes with Frankenstein's Monster, but the vagaries of AI image creation meant that if I didn't mention a serious or dark look, the end result would go awry. Additionally, the coloring had to be specific so that it didn't look either bright green like in the cartoon or just my normal skin tone, which is perhaps an even more alarming option.
The hint is: “Hyperphotorealistic portrait of a man in a photograph who has turned into Frankenstein's monster. His skin is green-gray with a realistic texture and metal bolts protruding from his neck. His expression is grim and he wears a dark coat over a sweater. The backdrop is a dull industrial stone wall lit with moody cinematic lighting reminiscent of a 1930s laboratory setting.
Indeed, the hardest shot to take is the one at the top when they are all together. It took about 20 tries to get the digital characters together so that they were still me and the monster, in the right place, and looked like a portrait, and I still see more flaws there than in the individual portraits. However, if you want the starring role to be you, you and you, try this long and complex clue made from a mixture similar to Frankenstein's monster himself:
“Create a hyperphotorealistic group portrait featuring four classic movie monsters, each morphed from that person's face in the included reference photo using professional prosthetic-style makeup and cinematic lighting. The monsters are a wild Wolfman with sharp teeth and glowing eyes, a Vampire in a black cloak with pale skin, red lips and clearly visible exposed fangs; Frankenstein's Monster with green and gray skin, bolts on his neck and detailed scars on his face, and the Mummy, wrapped in aged, tattered bandages with parts of the man's face still visible underneath. They are located together in a well-lit Gothic library. The lighting is warm and reminiscent of vintage Hollywood studio portraits.
Follow TechRadar on Google News. And add us as your preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the “Subscribe” button!
And of course you can also Follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxing videos and get regular updates from us on whatsapp too much.
The best business laptops for any budget.
