How-to
The 80s photo trend: what it is and how to do it
Why your feed is full of perms and double denim, the two ways to join in, and how to make yours look like it came out of an Aussie family album.
What is the 80s photo trend?
The 80s photo trend is people posting a current photo of themselves next to an AI version that looks like it was taken in the 1980s: same face, but with big hair, period clothes, a hard flash and faded film colour.
To do it, you need one clear photo and either an app with an 80s style, like FaceCast, or an AI chat tool such as ChatGPT or Gemini plus a prompt. The app takes a tap; the prompt takes a bit of trial and error but lets you ask for details.
How to do the 80s trend
Choose your photo
Sharp, front-on, decent light, no filter. Everyone you want in it must already be in the photo.
Make the 80s version
Tap the 80s style in FaceCast, or give the photo and a written prompt to ChatGPT or Gemini.
Post them side by side
Original on one side, 80s on the other. Mention it is AI-made.
Why everyone is doing it
Part of it is the gap between now and then. Most people have seen their parents' 80s photos, the perms, the fluoro and the flash, and it is oddly satisfying to see your own face dropped into that world. The other part is that the tools finally got good at keeping a face recognisable while changing everything around it, which is what makes the before and after work.
It also suits a wide range of photos. Selfies, couples, a group of mates, a family lunch: once one person in a group chat posts theirs, the rest usually follow.
Doing it with an app
Download FaceCast from the App Store (iPhone or iPad on iOS 16 or later) or Google Play. Choose the 80s style, pick one photo and give it a moment to process. What comes back is a single still image, ready to save.
You do not choose the hairstyle or the outfit; the style makes those calls. That is handy if you do not know your feathered cut from your perm. If the first outfit is not your thing, use a different starting photo rather than the same one again, as that shifts the result the most.
Downloading FaceCast costs nothing. Some features are paid, by in-app purchase or subscription, and the cost appears in the app before you say yes.
Doing it with ChatGPT or Gemini
Start a new chat, attach your photo and paste a prompt in the same message. A prompt that holds the face well looks something like this: “Keep my face exactly as it is in this photo, same features, skin tone and expression, and do not make me look like anyone else. Change only my hair, clothes and background so it looks like a 1986 photo taken in an Australian backyard: permed or mullet hair, period clothes, a direct camera flash, faded warm colour and film grain. Photorealistic.”
Swap the setting for whatever you like: a school photo with a mottled blue backdrop, a Year 12 formal in the front garden, a beach with zinc cream. Then look hard at the face. If it has shifted, tell it so plainly, that the face has to be the same as in your photo, and have another go. Needing two or three goes is normal.
You can use ChatGPT and Gemini without paying, up to a limit on images that moves around. Results also differ between the two, so if one keeps changing your face, try the other.
Aussie 80s ideas that make it believable
The backyard
A Hills Hoist, a brick veranda, a Commodore in the drive, everyone squinting into the flash on a summer evening.
The beach
Zinc on the nose, a terry-towelling hat, boardies or a high-cut one-piece, sun-faded colour.
Photo day
Head and shoulders on mottled blue, hair brushed flat by a parent that morning and already springing back.
The formal
Puffed taffeta sleeves, a hired tux, a corsage and a lot of hairspray.
A night out
Double denim, a big perm and a dark pub or club lit by a hard flash.
Mistakes that spoil it
Tiny faces are the big one. A wide group shot from across the room gives the AI too little to work with, and people come back looking like strangers. Get closer, or crop in.
Filtered photos are next. Smoothed skin and big eyes from a beauty filter clash with the grainy film look and make the result seem fake. Use the plain original.
With prompts, cramming in every 80s item you can think of tends to produce fancy dress rather than a photo from 1986. Pick one place and one occasion and let that set the rest.
What you are actually seeing
The result is today's face in 80s styling, not a reconstruction of what you looked like as a kid. Nobody gets older or younger in it, and it never moves; it is one still picture. For the real thing, dig out the family albums; many people post those alongside the AI version, and the comparison is half the fun.
Questions about the trend
How are people doing the 80s trend?+
Some tap an 80s style inside an app such as FaceCast; others hand a photo and a written prompt to ChatGPT or Gemini. Either way, it all starts from a single recent picture.
What would I look like in the 80s?+
An 80s style or prompt will show your current face with period hair, clothes and film colour. It is a fun styled version, not a prediction of how you actually looked back then.
How do you do the 80s photo trend on iPhone?+
Install FaceCast (iOS 16 or later), choose the 80s style and pick a photo. Or open ChatGPT or Gemini on the phone, add the photo and paste in your prompt.
Why does my 80s photo not look like me?+
Almost always it comes down to the photo you started with. Swap a dim or side-on shot for a sharp front-on one, and with a prompt, lead with the line about keeping your face.
Is the 80s trend app free?+
Getting the app costs nothing. Some features are paid through an in-app purchase or subscription, and the app tells you the cost before you commit.
Do the 80s trend in FaceCast
Pick a photo, tap the 80s style, and that is it. No charge to download; some features are paid in the app.