AI Polaroid Trend Playbook

The AI Polaroid boom keeps spreading across TikTok, Instagram, and X. Creators are recreating retro instant-film prints featuring celebrities, younger selves, or romantic partners. The Tab tracked how a white-curtain Polaroid edit fooled friends, while Hindustan Times and Mandatory highlighted Gemini’s ready-to-use prompts and the broader Nano Banana wave.

How to generate your own Polaroid shots

Capture or choose two base images (you and your second subject) with clear faces and frontal lighting.
Upload the photos to Google Gemini (Nano Banana), Imagine, or any editor that lets you mask backgrounds.
Paste one of the prompts below, then mention the key details you want to preserve (faces, outfits, props).
If results feel off, tweak the lighting keyword, add “keep the faces unchanged,” or re-upload sharper reference photos.

Prompt ideas for different vibes

1. White-curtain nostalgia hug

Inspired by The Tab’s breakdown of the fan-favorite edit.

Make me a picture with a polaroid camera. The photo should look like a regular photo, with any clear subject or property. The photo should have a slight blur effect and a consistent light source, such as a flash from a dark room, scattered through the photo. Do not change the face of the people in the images. Replace background of the two photos with a white curtain. Hugging.

Why it works: the white drape keeps the focus on your reunion, while the flash and blur mimic a freshly peeled Polaroid.

2. Celebrity meet-and-greet cameo

Adapted from Hindustan Times’ Gemini samples for a polished celebrity cameo.

Create a 4K HD realistic polaroid-style photograph of the people in the provided images. They are posing together. Keep the faces unchanged, add slight blur and consistent lighting, with a white curtain backdrop, like a cozy candid film photo.

Tip: swap “posing together” for specifics like “a backstage handshake” or “arm-in-arm at a premiere” to guide the pose.

3. Candid laugh with film grain

Great for a friend or sibling moment that feels unscripted.

Create a 4K HD polaroid-style snapshot of the uploaded individuals sharing a sweet, candid laugh. Add natural dim lighting, a hint of film grain, and the feel of an instant photo.

Try this: combine dim lighting with warm color palettes to sell the late-night party vibe many viral posts use.

4. Tall embrace, younger-self reunion

Works when you want the height difference to tell the story.

Take a photo taken with a polaroid camera. Keep it looking like a typical photograph with slight blur and consistent lighting, such as a flash in a dark room. Leave the faces unchanged, and replace only the background behind the two people with white curtains featuring a soft sky-blue gradient. The boy should be hugging the girl from behind, much taller than her, with her face clearly below his. She should have a soft smile. He is holding her in an embrace. Keep the faces exactly the same without any changes.

Tweak it: swap “boy” and “girl” for your exact roles (older self, younger self, sibling) so the model respects the relationship dynamic.

5. Romantic Polaroid kiss

Perfect for a couple photo that still feels tasteful and cinematic.

Take a photo taken with a polaroid camera. Keep it looking like a typical photograph with slight blur and consistent lighting, such as a flash in a dark room. Leave the faces unchanged, and replace only the background behind the two people with white curtains featuring a soft sky-blue gradient. The man and woman are kissing face-to-face. She should have a soft smile. He is holding her in an embrace. Keep the faces exactly the same without any changes.

Finishing touch: ask Gemini for a handwritten caption or timestamp (“Summer ‘24”) to reinforce the analog feel before exporting.

Finishing polish tricks

Add instant-film artifacts. Mention “subtle film grain,” “slight vignette,” or “soft paper texture” to match the imperfections fans love.
Layer in handwriting later. If the model struggles with text, generate a clean Polaroid first, then add a note in Canva, Procreate, or even Gemini’s follow-up edit controls.
Animate for social loops. Mandatory notes that creators even animate their Polaroids with MyEdit—try gentle zooms or a floating dust overlay for reels.

Keep experimenting with new lighting cues or backgrounds—Gemini’s Nano Banana engine keeps getting better at honoring detailed requests. The more specific you are about mood, height, and framing, the closer your AI Polaroids will feel to a real instant-film keepsake.

Try It In Our AI Playground

Ready to turn these prompt recipes into your own white-curtain keepsakes? Upload references in our AI Image Playground, choose the Polaroid modes you need, and generate studio-quality prints in seconds.

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