# Turn a photo into anime: 6 styles from one selfie — prompts and which AI keeps your face

> You can turn a photo into anime from a single selfie: upload it and describe the art style — the AI redraws you while keeping your face, hair and clothes. We made six styles from one photo in Nano Banana Pro, compared it with GPT Image 2.5 and Nano Banana 2.1, and found the prompt that turns a “Western comic” result into real anime.

Published 2026-10-14 · Updated 2026-10-14
URL: https://ai2face.com/blog/foto-v-stile-anime

Turning a photo into anime means redrawing your picture as a frame of Japanese animation: the same facial features, hair and clothes, but with large eyes, clean lines and flat shading. You used to need a separate filter for each style. Now one image-editing model draws any style from a description. We took one selfie and made six styles from it. All images below come from the AI2Face generator; the person in the photo was generated for this test.

## The source photo: what works best

![Source photo: a woman with dark wavy hair and freckles in a mustard sweater at a table by a café window](https://ai2face.com/_astro/source.DJb7obax_Zkd281.jpg "Source: an ordinary phone-style photo in daylight. The person was generated for this test")

The best source photo has:

- the whole face visible, no hands or sunglasses in the way;
- soft daylight without harsh shadows;
- one person in the frame — group photos make the model mix up features more often;
- at least 1000 pixels on the short side.

The background matters too: the model redraws it in the same style. A café, a street or a room makes an atmospheric frame; a plain wall makes an avatar-style portrait. For avatars, we have a separate guide — [AI avatar from photo](/blog/avatarka-nejroset).

## Prompt formula for turning a photo into anime

| Part | Example |
|---|---|
| What to do | redraw this photo as a Japanese TV anime frame |
| Rendering | cel shading, thin outline, two-tone shadows |
| Anime facial features | large eyes with highlights, nose as a single line, small mouth |
| Mood and background | sunset sky in the window, watercolor background, VHS grain |
| What to keep | face shape, eyes, freckles, hairstyle, sweater, pose |

The last row matters most: without it, the model draws a nice anime character who just isn't you. Technique names like cel shading or lens flare work well in English.

## 6 anime styles from one photo: results and prompts

### 1. Classic TV anime

```
Completely redraw this photo as a genuine Japanese TV anime frame, not a Western
comic and not a semi-realistic illustration: authentic anime facial proportions —
large glossy eyes with highlights, small nose drawn as a simple line, small mouth,
simplified jaw — clean cel shading with two-tone shadows, crisp thin line art,
anime hair drawn in clumps with shine. Keep her recognizable: face shape, eye
shape, freckles, shoulder-length dark wavy hair, mustard knitted sweater, the
pose at the café window.
```

![A woman in TV anime style: large brown eyes with highlights, dark wavy hair with shine, a mustard sweater, a café by the window](https://ai2face.com/_astro/tv.BoTFbzrb_Z2h97Rz.jpg "TV anime after refining the prompt: the eyes, nose and shading are now anime, while the freckles and hair stay. Nano Banana Pro")

This is the most versatile style — good for an avatar, a post or a thumbnail. We explain why the prompt is so long in the section on mistakes below.

### 2. Watercolor anime film

```
Turn this photo into a frame from a hand-drawn fantasy anime feature film: soft
hand-painted watercolor backgrounds, warm nostalgic colors, gentle rounded line
art, cozy atmosphere, plants on the windowsill painted in gouache. Keep her
recognizable: ...
```

![A woman in watercolor anime film style: soft lines, warm light, a watercolor street outside the window](https://ai2face.com/_astro/watercolor.B9sYSunZ_2wQTeo.jpg "Watercolor anime film: warm colors and a soft outline. The coziest style in the test")

You don't need to name a studio in the prompt: the model understands the techniques — “watercolor backgrounds, warm nostalgic colors, soft outline”. That way the result doesn't copy someone else's style and looks like your own frame.

### 3. 90s retro anime

```
Turn this photo into a 1990s retro anime frame: hand-painted cel animation look,
slightly muted colors, film grain and light VHS noise, sharp angular eyes, soft
pastel highlights in the hair, vintage aesthetic. Keep her recognizable: ...
```

![A woman in 90s retro anime style: film grain, pastel lilac and blue highlights in her hair, sharp eyes](https://ai2face.com/_astro/90s.D3rQzWbO_1qut4S.jpg "90s retro: grain, muted colors and pastel highlights in the hair")

The 90s look is one of the most popular requests. The model adds grain and “VHS noise” from a single phrase, and pastel highlights in the hair instantly read as retro.

### 4. Romantic anime film with a sunset sky

```
Turn this photo into a romantic modern anime film still: hyper-detailed glowing
sky with pink and purple sunset clouds visible through the window, lens flare,
light particles, cinematic lighting and reflections, melancholic mood. Keep her
recognizable: ...
```

![A woman by a café window against a pink and purple sunset, lens flare and light particles](https://ai2face.com/_astro/sky.dSLu9Hu9_ZKT9iC.jpg "The sky and light make the frame cinematic. The best pick for wallpapers and posts")

In this style, the sky and light matter more than the face. If your photo was taken indoors, ask for “a sunset sky in the window”: the model relights the whole scene for the sunset.

### 5. Chibi

```
Turn this photo into a cute chibi anime character: big head, tiny body, huge
sparkling eyes, rosy cheeks, simple café background with soft bokeh, clean
sticker-like outline. Keep her recognizable: ...
```

![Chibi version of the woman: big head, huge eyes, a coffee mug, a white sticker-like outline](https://ai2face.com/_astro/chibi.Bf1OjoNf_Zi1Ota.jpg "Chibi: childlike proportions, but the same hair, freckles and sweater")

A chibi with a white outline is a ready-made sticker. How to build a whole Telegram sticker pack from images like this is covered in our [AI sticker maker](/blog/stikery-nejroset) guide.

### 6. Action anime

```
Turn this photo into a dramatic action anime frame: high contrast, deep shadows,
bold thick line art, dynamic camera angle from slightly below, speed lines and
glowing particles around her, intense determined look, the café in the
background in dramatic evening light. Keep her recognizable: ...
```

![A woman in dramatic action style: a determined look, glowing orange particles, purple evening light](https://ai2face.com/_astro/action.CY4szS_u_13x1Hv.jpg "Action: the mood works, but the face looks more like a Western comic — a prompt without explicit anime features")

This frame was made with a short prompt that didn't describe anime facial features — and it shows: the anime mood is there, but the face is closer to a Western comic. The next section shows how to fix it.

## Why you get a comic instead of anime — and how to fix it

We made the first TV anime version with a short prompt: “a classic TV anime frame, cel shading, big expressive eyes”. [Nano Banana Pro](/models/nano-banana-pro) produced a neat illustration — but with realistic facial proportions, like a Western comic.

![Left: the first attempt, drawn like a Western comic with realistic proportions; right: after refining the prompt, real anime with large eyes](https://ai2face.com/_astro/prompt-fix.BWRvzewe_Z9CHF6.jpg "Left: short prompt; right: a prompt describing anime features. Same model, Nano Banana Pro")

The reason: the model tries to stay faithful to the photo and won't change facial proportions unless you ask directly. What helped:

- **Name the anime features explicitly:** large glossy eyes with highlights, a nose drawn as a line, a small mouth, a simplified jaw.
- **Say what the result shouldn't be:** “not a Western comic and not a semi-realistic illustration”.
- **Describe the technique:** two-tone shading, a thin outline, hair drawn in clumps with shine.

The likeness survived: the freckles, eye shape and hairstyle stayed in place.

## Which AI is best for photo to anime: three models compared

We made the same TV anime frame in three models. [GPT Image 2.5](/models/gpt-image) got the short prompt — it didn't need the refinement; [Nano Banana Pro](/models/nano-banana-pro) and [Nano Banana 2.1](/models/nano-banana-2-1) got the refined one.

![Three anime versions of one photo: left Nano Banana Pro, center GPT Image 2.5 with a bright blue sky, right Nano Banana 2.1 with an almost photographic background](https://ai2face.com/_astro/models-compare.COS1AkKt_Z2fhsfd.jpg "Left: Nano Banana Pro, center: GPT Image 2.5, right: Nano Banana 2.1")

| | Nano Banana Pro | [GPT Image 2.5](/models/gpt-image-2-5) | Nano Banana 2.1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anime from a short prompt | no — closer to a comic | yes | — |
| Anime from a refined prompt | yes | — | face yes, background almost photographic |
| Likeness to the source | the most accurate | good, the face is more “typically anime” | good |
| Background | redrawn in style | redrawn brighter than the source: blue sky | blurred photo |
| Best for | when you need to recognize yourself | a fast, “real” anime look | an anime portrait on a realistic background |

Our pick: GPT Image 2.5 if you want the most anime-looking frame on the first try; Nano Banana Pro with a refined prompt if likeness matters more. More on these models in our [Nano Banana Pro vs GPT Image](/blog/nano-banana-vs-gpt-image) comparison.

## Ideas: what else to turn into anime

- **Couples and family.** Upload a photo of a couple or a family and say who stands where: Nano Banana Pro keeps the likeness of up to 5 people in a frame. Shot ideas are in [AI couple photoshoot prompts](/blog/promty-dlya-parnoj-fotosessii) and [AI family photoshoot](/blog/semejnaya-fotosessiya-ii).
- **Pets.** A cat or dog in anime style is even easier than a person: the model doesn't have to preserve a human likeness.
- **Full body and poses.** Works if the source is full-length: the model redraws the pose but won't invent legs that aren't in the frame.
- **Your own character.** If you need a new hero with a consistent look rather than yourself, see our guide to [creating a character with AI](/blog/sozdat-personazha-nejroset).

## Where to turn a photo into anime

Nano Banana Pro, Nano Banana 2.1 and GPT Image 2.5 are all in one AI2Face generator: upload your photo once and try it in different models and styles. The cost of each image is shown before you start, and credits from packs don't expire. You can animate the result there too — see our guide on how to [animate a photo](/blog/ozhivit-foto).

## Bottom line

AI turns an ordinary selfie into anime in 20–40 seconds, and the face stays recognizable in every style, from TV anime to chibi. If you want a “real” anime frame on the first try, use GPT Image 2.5. If likeness matters more, use Nano Banana Pro, but describe the anime features explicitly: large eyes with highlights, a nose as a single line, two-tone shading and “not a Western comic”. Start with TV anime or chibi, then try 90s retro and the sunset sky.

## FAQ

### How do I turn a photo into anime?

Upload your photo to the generator, pick an image-editing model such as Nano Banana Pro and describe the style: “redraw this photo as a Japanese TV anime frame, large eyes with highlights, nose as a single line, cel shading”. Add “keep the face, hair and clothes”. You get the result in 20–40 seconds.

### Will the AI keep my face recognizable?

Yes, if you list what to keep: face shape, eyes, freckles, hairstyle, clothes. In our test, the person stayed recognizable in all six styles, even chibi.

### Why do I get a comic or cartoon instead of anime?

The model tries to stay faithful to the photo and keeps realistic facial proportions. Describe anime features explicitly — large glossy eyes, a nose drawn as a line, a small mouth, two-tone shading — and add “not a Western comic”.

### Can I turn a photo into anime for free?

Yes, a few times. AI2Face gives you starter credits when you sign up, and one image in Nano Banana Pro is inexpensive — the cost is shown before you generate.

### Which AI is best for turning photos into anime?

GPT Image 2.5 gives the most “anime” look on the first try; Nano Banana Pro preserves facial features better and draws real anime once you refine the prompt. Nano Banana 2.1 keeps the background almost photographic.

## Sources

- https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/nano-banana-pro/
- https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/image-generation
- https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/image-generation