Is the '80s AI photo trend actually good, or just nostalgia bait with extra steps?

[ethanmiller]

The 1980s AI photo trend has taken over UK feeds, with people using ChatGPT prompts to recreate everything from high-street studio portraits to neon nightclub shots. I've been playing around with a few of the scenarios myself (school photo day made me laugh way too hard) and it's got me wondering how the rest of you feel about it.

Which era-specific scene has given you the most convincing result — studio portrait, seaside holiday snap, or something more niche like the record shop or home computing looks?
A lot of these prompts lean hard on "preserve my facial features" instructions to stop the AI from over-smoothing or reshaping faces. Have you run into that problem, and did adding that line actually fix it?

Drop your before/afters below if you've tried this — curious to see which decade-specific detail (hair, lighting, wallpaper, whatever) made the biggest difference to how convincing it looked. If you want the full list of prompts to try yourself, here's the source:

[amelia]

I think the trend works best when the small details are right. Hair, clothing, lighting and backgrounds can make a huge difference to the overall effect. The facial features are still the hardest part, though, as AI often makes people look overly polished or slightly different.

[KayleighCurtis]

This trend is so nostalgic! The home computing looks are definitely the most convincing for me those chunky monitors and beige keyboards are spot on. I've definitely noticed the over-smoothing issue, and adding that "preserve facial features" line really helps keep the results looking authentic and natural.