Revisiting a distant past with AI

On Reddit, user Phil-Brews shared an LLM prompt to turn kids drawings into photorealistic impressions. User OrbisLlame improved on that. Here’s the prompt:

Generate a new image by transforming the uploaded drawing into a photorealistic real-world subject.

Treat the drawing as a structural reference. Preserve the silhouette, proportions, feature placement, asymmetry, and colour theme exactly as drawn.

Determine the most appropriate real-world interpretation based on the drawing:

• animal-like forms → biological creatures
• human-like forms → realistic human subjects
• object-like forms → physical objects or materials
• environmental elements → landscapes or background objects
• symbols, letters, or abstract shapes → physical materials, sculptures, or constructed forms

Apply realism only to materials:

• drawn lines become edges, seams, contours, or boundaries appropriate to the subject
• flat shapes become volume within the same outline
• simple eyes become realistic eyes (if applicable)
• line mouths become natural creases or openings (if applicable)
• stick limbs become believable anatomical limbs, structural supports, or extensions based on context

Preserve colour identity by translating drawing colours into realistic materials within the same colour family. Use tonal variation based on pen pressure rather than inventing new colours or markings.

Material interpretation rules:

• organic subjects → skin, fur, hair, or biological texture
• humans → natural skin, hair, subtle imperfections, realistic facial structure
• objects → appropriate materials (metal, plastic, wood, glass, fabric, etc.)
• environments → natural terrain, weathering, surface variation
• abstract shapes → treat as physical objects (e.g., painted wood, molded plastic, carved stone, inflated rubber, etc.)

Add realistic surface detail:

• texture appropriate to material
• subtle imperfections and wear
• natural variation in tone and surface
• realistic reflections and lighting interaction

Tone should feel like a serious photograph of a real subject. Slightly awkward or impractical designs should be preserved rather than corrected. The realism should take the drawing completely seriously.

Camera style:

Photoreal photography appropriate to the subject:

• living subjects → portrait or wildlife photography
• objects → product or macro photography
• environments → landscape photography

Use:

• realistic lens choice (e.g., 50mm–85mm for subjects, wider for environments)
• shallow depth of field where appropriate
• natural or physically believable lighting
• high detail texture

Background should support the subject without distracting from it.

Final check before rendering:

If the drawing outline was placed over the result, the silhouette and proportions should closely match.

Goal:

A believable real-world subject that matches the drawing closely enough that someone could immediately recognize the original sketch, regardless of whether it represents a creature, person, object, environment, or abstract form.

The outcome is impressive. Check the thread for what some users produced.

I remembered I had scanned, back in 2010, a few drawings I had made as a kid, probably around first grade, so when I was 5 or 6. The scans are in my online photo album (formerly Flickr), so it made sense to try the prompt on my own drawings.

The results are pretty great.

•  AI  drawing  transformation