Retro and vintage edits are timeless: warm film tones, soft grain, light leaks, and old-school charm that perform great on feeds. Below are 20 ready-to-copy prompts for Gemini AI Photo Editor plus a clear step-by-step workflow so you can turn any birthday, portrait, or street photo into a retro vibe in minutes.
20 Copy-Paste Gemini AI Prompts (just paste into Gemini)
Classic 1970s Portrait: “Vintage 1970s portrait, warm sepia tones, soft film grain, slight vignette, faded edges, cinematic crop.”
Kodachrome Street Style: “Kodachrome film look, saturated reds and yellows, high contrast, natural skin tones, subtle film scratches.”
Polaroid Weekend: “Polaroid instant photo, white border, soft focus, pastel cast, slight overexposure, handwritten date at bottom.”
Retro Denim Cool (boys): “Retro denim style, sun flare, warm orange teal split tone, light grain, casual urban background.”
Vintage Floral (girls): “Soft vintage floral portrait, muted pastels, film grain, gentle bloom, analogue color fade.”
Grainy Monochrome: “High-contrast black and white, heavy film grain, deep blacks, textured paper feel, dramatic lighting.”
Old Cinema Poster: “Retro cinema poster edit, posterized colors, warm film texture, vignette, bold title space.”
Sunset Film Roll: “Golden hour film roll look, soft highlights, light leaks, faded blacks, nostalgic mood.”
Dusty Film Archive: “Film archive style, dust & scratches overlay, faded color, curled photo corners, authentic aged paper tone.”
Vintage Sports Action (boys): “1970s sports photo, motion blur, warm grain, slightly desaturated, high contrast.”
Retro Glam (girls): “Old Hollywood glam, soft grain, warm tungsten glow, film vignette, subtle skin smoothing.”
Muted Pastel Retro: “Muted pastel palette, low saturation, soft matte finish, film grain, cozy aesthetic.”
Analog Portrait with Border: “35mm frame look, black film border, slight lens flare, warm midtones, textured grain.”
Neon 80s Throwback: “1980s neon retro, cool magenta and cyan highlights, soft glow, VHS-like noise.”
Rustic Polaroid Picnic: “Outdoor polaroid vibe, sun-washed colors, soft grain, instant film border, handwritten caption area.”
Classic Sepia Family: “Sepia toned family portrait, warm brown hues, gentle vignette, soft focus, aged paper feel.”
Vintage Skate Park (boys): “Retro skatepark action, faded colors, film grain, motion blur, sun flare.”
Boho Retro Portrait (girls): “Boho vintage edit, earthy tones, light leaks, film grain, soft contrast, dreamy feel.”
Retro Travel Postcard: “Travel postcard style, slightly faded map tones, film grain, rounded corners, text space.”
VHS Throwback Night Shot: “VHS aesthetic, chromatic aberration, scan lines, soft grain, moody neon lighting.”
Step-by-Step Process (quick, mobile-friendly)
Pick the right photo. Choose a high-resolution portrait or scene with clear subject separation. Retro looks work best with simple backgrounds and strong light (golden hour or studio light).
Paste the prompt. In Gemini’s photo editor, paste one of the prompts above into the style/description box. Keep the original photo selected.
Set aspect ratio & crop. For social posts use 4:5 (portrait) or 1:1. For headers use 16:9. Apply a composition crop before heavy styling.
Adjust strength/amount. Start with 50–70% style strength so the edit enhances without destroying details. Increase if you want a heavier “analogue” feel.
Fine-tune color & grain. Increase grain slightly (10–25%) for authenticity. Use warmth +10–20 for sepia; lower saturation for muted pastels. Add slight vignette and midtone contrast.
Add overlays. If available, layer dust & scratches, light leaks, borders or polaroid frames. Position overlays subtly — real aged photos are imperfect but not noisy.
Retouch carefully. Reduce aggressive skin-smoothing — vintage photos keep texture. For glamour looks, soften shadows and reduce blemishes minimally.
Sharpen & export. Apply light sharpening (10–15) to preserve film grain. Export at high quality JPEG or WebP for the web. Use 1200×675 for featured images or 1080×1350 for Instagram portrait.
Caption & tags. Use captions like “Retro vibes ✨ #GeminiAI #VintageEdit #FilmLook” and include alt text describing the photo and style (e.g., “Sepia portrait, warm film grain, vintage border”).
Final tips
- For boys: favor warm amber, teal shadows, and gritty grain for a rugged retro feel.
- For girls: try pastel fades, light leaks, and gentle bloom for dreamy elegance.
- Save a “before/after” slider — it gets clicks.
- Keep prompt variations short and tweak one element at a time (e.g., swap “sepia” for “Kodachrome” to compare).