To get the Ghibli style in ChatGPT or Gemini, describe the look instead of naming the studio: hand-painted watercolor skies, soft cel shading, cozy countryside, warm afternoon light and small everyday moments. Those words carry the style; a studio name mostly invites refusals or copies of famous scenes.
The name comes from the trend of March 2025, when ChatGPT’s new image model made it easy to redraw a photo in that look and feeds filled up with painted family photos and pets. LoschaZ is not affiliated with Studio Ghibli, and none of the prompts below mention the studio, its films or its characters.
The short answer
Upload your photo to ChatGPT or Gemini, paste one of the photo prompts and replace the words in brackets. For new scenes, copy a create prompt as it is and keep the painting words, because they carry the look.
What is the Ghibli AI trend?
In late March 2025, OpenAI built a new image generator into ChatGPT, and within days people were turning wedding photos, pets and memes into soft, hand-painted anime frames. The trend took its name from the Japanese studio whose films made that look famous, and “Ghibli AI” became shorthand for it.
It is a style trend, not a product. The studio has not released an AI generator, and apps that use the name are run by other companies. What people mean by the look can be described in plain words, which is what the prompts on this page do.
How to make Studio Ghibli AI art from a photo
The steps are the same in ChatGPT and in the Gemini app.
- Pick a sharp photo with clear faces and not too many people; five is plenty.
- Upload it and paste a photo prompt from this page, which starts with what to keep.
- Replace the words in square brackets with your season, place or colors.
- Ask for one change at a time, such as “same picture, but in light snow”.
- Use other people’s photos only with their permission, and say that the picture is AI-made when you share it.
Why describe the look instead of naming the studio?
A studio name is a shortcut, and shortcuts tend to pull in specific characters, compositions and settings from existing films. Those are not yours to use, and some apps refuse requests that copy a living artist’s style. Describing the painting yourself gives you more control and a picture that belongs to you.
It is also a matter of respect. The trend drew criticism from artists, and Hayao Miyazaki called an AI animation demo “an insult to life itself” in a 2016 documentary clip. Treat the look as inspiration, label AI images honestly and never present them as the studio’s work.
14 prompts to copy and adapt
Family photo moved to a summer hillside
Redraw the family in my uploaded photo as a frame from a hand-painted animated film. Keep every person, their hairstyles, clothes and expressions recognizable. Place them under a big shady tree on a summer hillside, a watercolor sky with tall clouds, long grass moving in the breeze, warm afternoon light, soft cel shading with simple, clean faces.A new setting gives an ordinary snapshot the feel of a film still. Keep the people sentence as it is and change the hillside to a [place your family loves].
Your pet napping on a painted porch
Using my uploaded photo, keep my pet’s fur color, markings, eye color and collar exactly as they are. Redraw it in a soft hand-painted anime style, curled up asleep on a sunny wooden porch between pots of red geraniums, a wind chime above, dappled light through leaves, watercolor background, warm and peaceful.Markings are what make the drawing your pet, so they come first. Swap the porch for a [windowsill or garden] that matches your home.
Cooking in a cozy painted kitchen
Keep my face, hairstyle and apron from the uploaded photo recognizable in a gentle anime way. Redraw me cooking in a cozy, cluttered kitchen in a hand-painted animation style: steam rising from a pot, sunlight through a small window, herbs on the sill, copper pans on hooks, glossy and appetizing food, soft cel shading.Appetizing food is half the charm of this look. Name the dish you actually cook, such as [dish], for a more personal result.
Couple on a path through sunflowers
Take the two people from my photo and keep both faces, hairstyles and heights recognizable. Redraw them in a hand-painted anime style walking along a narrow path through a sunflower field at golden hour, one carrying a basket of fresh tomatoes, both laughing, a small farmhouse behind them, wind in their hair, bright clean colors.A shared errand makes the pose feel natural. It works for best friends too; swap the basket for a [snack or bag].
Your home as a painted storybook house
Redraw the house in my uploaded photo in a hand-painted anime style. Keep its shape, roof, windows and door color exactly. Add climbing roses and ivy on the walls, wildflowers along the path, a cat on the front step, a thin line of smoke from the chimney and warm evening light glowing in the windows, watercolor sky.A painted version of a family home makes a thoughtful moving-away gift. Keep the shape sentence so the house stays recognizable.
Your garden or balcony, hand-painted
Redraw the garden or balcony in my uploaded photo in a hand-painted anime style. Keep the layout, the plants, the fence and the furniture where they are. Make the flowers fuller, add bees and butterflies, a straw hat on a chair, soft dappled light through leaves and a big watercolor summer sky, warm and peaceful.Gardeners like seeing their own plants in this style, so it makes a good gift. Keep the layout sentence so the place stays recognizable.
Summer rain on a farmhouse veranda
Hand-painted anime illustration of a grandmother and her grandson shelling peas on the wooden veranda of an old farmhouse while warm summer rain falls on the rice fields, hydrangeas by the steps, a sleeping cat, rain dripping from the eaves, soft green and gray tones, gentle cel shading, quiet and cozy.Small chores like shelling peas give the scene its everyday warmth. Replace the peas with a task your own family shares.
Laundry day at a lakeside cottage
Watercolor anime landscape of a small stone cottage on a calm mountain lake on a breezy morning, white sheets billowing on a laundry line, a woman pinning up a blue dress, dragonflies over the water, snowy peaks reflected in the lake, soft clouds, fresh greens and sky blue, hand-painted background.Wind in the laundry adds movement to a still picture. Change the lake to a [coast or river] for a different setting.
Tiny café in an old greenhouse
Cozy anime illustration of a tiny café inside an old glass greenhouse on a rainy afternoon, ferns and lemon trees between mismatched tables, the owner pouring tea for a guest reading a book, raindrops running down the glass, warm lamp light against a gray sky, hand-painted details, soft cel shading.Warm light inside and gray rain outside is a reliable cozy contrast. Put your own favorite drink in the cups.
Stargazing from a hayfield
Hand-painted anime night scene of two friends lying on round hay bales in a summer field, pointing at shooting stars, fireflies blinking in the tall grass, a farmhouse window glowing far away, a deep blue sky full of soft painted stars, gentle cel shading, peaceful and full of wonder.Fireflies and one distant window add warm points of light to a dark scene. Swap the friends for siblings or a couple.
Snowy mountain village at blue hour
Hand-painted anime illustration of a small mountain village at blue hour after fresh snow, warm yellow windows, chimney smoke rising straight up, a father and daughter pulling a sled loaded with firewood along a narrow lane, footprints behind them, soft blue shadows, a watercolor sky turning pink at the edge.Blue shadows and yellow windows give winter scenes their warmth. It makes a calm Christmas or New Year card.
Island post office on a bright day
Hand-painted anime illustration of a tiny post office on a green island hill, a red mailbox by the door, a postmaster sorting letters at an open window, a bicycle with a basket leaning on the fence, a cat watching from the roof, the sea glittering below, puffy summer clouds, bright fresh colors.Places where small daily errands happen suit this style well. Change the post office to a [shop or workshop] you know.
Summer clouds over rice fields wallpaper
Vertical hand-painted anime landscape, an empty scene: bright green rice fields under a huge summer sky, towering white clouds, a narrow dirt road and a row of wooden utility poles leading toward distant blue mountains, a small roadside shrine under a tree, watercolor textures, clear afternoon light.Avoid: people, text
The utility poles lead your eye into the picture and feel very everyday. Swap summer for autumn gold or snowy white.
Painted pond scene that moves
Hand-painted anime style shot of a small wooden rowboat drifting on a lily pond on a warm afternoon, a dragonfly landing on the edge of the boat, ripples spreading, reeds swaying in a light breeze. Slow sideways pan, watercolor sky with soft clouds, gentle cel shading. Sound: water lapping, buzzing insects, a distant bird callSmall motions like ripples and reeds suit this calm style better than fast action. The anime video collection has more clips.
Ghibli AI prompt for ChatGPT or Gemini: which works better?
Both can follow every photo prompt on this page. ChatGPT is where the trend started and handles the painted look with confidence. Gemini’s Nano Banana 2 is known for keeping edits close to the original photo, which helps when faces must stay recognizable. For new scenes without a photo, Niji 7 in Midjourney suits painted anime backgrounds.
Results shift with every update, so run the same prompt in two apps and keep the better picture. Prompt Studio rewrites each prompt for the model you choose, including the format.
Ghibli AI yellow tint and other common mistakes
Most problems have a one-line fix that you can send in the same chat.
- The whole picture looks yellow: add “neutral white balance, clear blue sky”.
- Everyone has the same face: start with the keep sentence and upload a sharper photo.
- It looks like a 3D render: add “flat cel shading, hand-painted, 2D”.
- The background is too busy: ask for “simple shapes and a large calm sky”.
- Strange letters appear on signs: remove the signs or ask for blank ones.
Painting words that create the look
| Part of the picture | Words to use | Words to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Sky | watercolor sky, big soft summer clouds | HDR, dramatic storm |
| Light | warm afternoon light, dappled shade | neon, harsh flash |
| Faces | simple clean faces, soft cel shading | skin texture, 3D render |
| Color | fresh greens, sky blue, warm cream | heavy yellow tint, oversaturated |
| Setting | cozy countryside, lived-in rooms, small errands | names of films, characters or the studio |
Questions and answers
What is a Ghibli style AI prompt?
It is a prompt that describes the hand-painted anime look made famous by the 2025 trend: watercolor skies, soft cel shading, cozy places and warm light. Good versions describe the painting in plain words rather than naming the studio or its films.
How do I make Ghibli AI art from my photo?
Upload a clear photo to ChatGPT or Gemini and paste one of the photo prompts above. Start with what to keep, such as faces and hairstyles, then describe the painted look and the setting.
Can I make Ghibli AI art for free in ChatGPT?
ChatGPT and Gemini have both let free accounts create a limited number of images, and the limits change often, so check the current plan in the app. The prompts on this page and Prompt Studio are free.
Can I make a Ghibli style AI video?
Yes. Kling, Veo and Gemini Omni can animate a painted scene; keep the motion small and slow, like the pond prompt above. The AI anime video collection has more clip prompts.
Why don’t the prompts name the studio or its films?
Names pull in existing characters and scenes that are not yours to use, and some apps refuse them. Describing the look gives you more control and an original picture.
Is LoschaZ affiliated with Studio Ghibli?
No. LoschaZ is an independent website. “Ghibli style” is used here only as the name of a popular trend, and this page has no connection to the studio or its films.
