The downsides of being a ChatGPT free user hit hard this past week. While paying subscribers flooded social media with Studio Ghibli-style memes and self-portraits, the rest of us were left to watch sullenly from the sidelines, wishing we had a ticket to the AI art party.
Well, our time has come. OpenAI has made its latest image generator available to free users in the UK, so you can finally see what all the fuss is about.
In short, the tool can create images in a variety of styles using both text descriptions and uploaded files, including photos, with the help of OpenAI’s most powerful AI model, GPT-4O.
What can ChatGPT image generation do?
The internet may have gotten swept up in the iconography of Studio Ghibli, but there’s a lot more to the AI perk. You can use it to create everything from photorealistic humans and animals in real and fanciful scenarios to business logos, educational materials, comic strips and video game characters.
As with any ChatGPT interaction, you can refine your creations with follow-up instructions – and even upload more images.
chatgpt image gen now rolled out to all free users!
— Sam Altman (@sama) April 1, 2025
How to use ChatGPT image generation
When you open ChatGPT now, you should see a message notifying you that the image generator is available. To use it, just select the “create image” button in the prompt bar at the bottom of the page and start typing your directions. If you want to alter an existing image, you can also upload it here.
Once you’re happy with the text, press enter and wait for the results. Be warned: You’ll have to be patient as the process can take over a minute.
prompt: sam altman as a cricket player in anime style pic.twitter.com/kgflS6dT6o
— Sam Altman (@sama) April 2, 2025
And, seeing as this is the free version, it comes with some serious limitations: you can only upload a couple of files before you’re asked to cough up for a subscription. There are also restrictions on how many images you can make per day.
In case you’re wondering, you’ll get way more goes if you sign up for a ChatGPT Plus membership for $20 (£15.36) per month. And, if you really love it and have the cash to spare, you can get unrestricted access with the Pro tier for a whopping $200 (£153.64) per month.
Best ChatGPT image-generation prompts
Seeing as you don’t get many chances to experiment, it’s important that you get your image right straightaway. And, the best way to do that is to use descriptive prompts that you can easily refine.
ChatGPT image generation enables so much creativity! https://t.co/u0pvelLJKu
— Greg Brockman (@gdb) March 26, 2025
If you need some inspiration, these are the types of things you can do with ChatGPT’s AI image generator:
Put yourself in a meme:
Prompt: “Generate this meme with my face in the image.”
Upload: Two images, one of your favourite memes and one of yourself.
An encyclopedia entry for a dalmatian in a feather boa:
- Prompt: "An encyclopedia entry about a dalmatian wearing a feather boa, sitting elegantly in a vintage-style library."
- Upload: An image of a Dalmatian or any dog for that matter (optional).
A job-recruitment ad for a software engineer in the style of the WWI ‘Uncle Sam, I Want You' poster:
- Prompt: "A job-recruitment ad for a software engineer in the style of the iconic WWI ‘Uncle Sam, I Want You' poster, but with a modern tech twist."
- Upload: A logo or company branding to integrate into the ad and the iconic image of Uncle Sam.
Comic strip about a little girl and her pet dragon hunting for Easter eggs:
- Prompt: "A four-panel comic strip about a little girl and her pet dragon searching for Easter eggs in a magical forest."
- Upload: A picture of your child or relative and a sketch of the dragon to add a personal touch.
A self-portrait of a person as an astronaut on the moon, in the style of classic space art:
- Prompt: "A self-portrait as an astronaut standing on the moon with Earth visible in the background, inspired by 1960s space art."
- Upload: A photo of yourself for a more accurate self-portrait.
A Studio Ghibli style image:
- Prompt: “Turn this image into a hand-drawn anime illustration with soft lighting and whimsical details, inspired by classic Studio Ghibli films.”
- Upload: An image of yourself or a group shot.
