The year 2025 has brought a true revolution in the field of visual transformations powered by artificial intelligence. Increasingly advanced AI models enable the conversion of ordinary photos into stunning works of art in various styles, and new trends are emerging and developing at a breathtaking pace. In this article, we’ll look at the most interesting and influential trends in AI transformations that have dominated social media and users’ imaginations in recent months.
1. The “Ghiblification” Phenomenon – Origins of a Global Trend
Genesis and Rapid Development of the Trend
The trend of transforming photos into the anime style of Studio Ghibli, which started in late 2024, reached its peak popularity in early 2025. Within just a few days, social media was flooded with a wave of photos transformed in the characteristic style of films like “Spirited Away” or “My Neighbor Totoro.
Interestingly, this trend developed not so much due to new technological capabilities (AI models could mimic the Ghibli style earlier) but thanks to a combination of several factors:
- Publication of several viral transformations by influential creators
- Nostalgic return to beloved childhood films
- Accessibility of tools that gave good results even without knowledge of complicated prompts
Evolution of the Ghibli Style in AI Transformations
As the trend developed, an evolution in the approach to the Ghibli style became visible:
- Initial phase: Simple transformations with typical Ghibli elements – large eyes, soft colors, stylized hair
- Specialization phase: Transformations inspired by specific films – “Princess Mononoke” stylistics for forest scenes, “Howl’s Moving Castle” for urban landscapes
- Hybrid phase: Combining the Ghibli style with other aesthetics – Ghibli meets cyberpunk, Ghibli in noir style, Ghibli with elements of traditional Japanese painting
2. The New Wave of “Chronophotography” – Time Travel Through AI
Revival of Aesthetics from Different Eras
One of the most fascinating trends of 2025 is so-called “chronophotography” – transforming contemporary photos to look as if they were taken in different historical periods. This trend goes far beyond simple “vintage” filters known from photography applications.
The most popular subcategories of chronophotography:
- Belle Époque: Transformations into the style of photography from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, with colorization and stylization characteristic of that period
- 1950s and 60s: Recreating the aesthetics of post-war America, with saturated Kodachrome and a style straight from Life magazine
- 1970s Polaroid: Warm, slightly blurred transformations with characteristic white frames and “polaroid” text at the bottom
- Cyberpast: A fascinating trend combining retrofuturism of the 80s and on 90s with elements that never existed in those times
Technological Aspects of Chronophotography
What distinguishes advanced AI chronophotography from ordinary filters:
- Intelligent adaptation of clothing and hairstyles to the chosen era
- Modification of backgrounds and props to match the given historical period
- Adding photographic artifacts typical for a given era (film grain, chromatic aberrations, characteristic vignettes)
- Consideration of technological limitations of old cameras (color range, sharpness, contrast)
3. Hyperrealism 2.0 – Crossing the Boundaries of Reality
Evolution of Hyperrealism in AI Transformations
A trend that is gaining increasing popularity is “Hyperrealism 2.0” – a style that doesn’t so much mimic reality as enhance and intensify it. Unlike traditional painterly hyperrealism, which aims for photographic accuracy, Hyperrealism 2.0 deliberately emphasizes and strengthens certain aspects of reality.
Main features of transformations in Hyperrealism 2.0 style:
- Extremely clear details, often more detailed than in the original photo
- Intensification of textures (skin, fabrics, natural surfaces)
- Dramatic lighting effects with distinct modeling of light and shadow
- Depth of field providing perfect sharpness of the entire frame
Applications of Hyperrealism 2.0
This trend is gaining particular popularity in several areas:
- Food photography – dishes look more appetizing and detailed than in the most polished photos
- Product photography – allows highlighting details and product quality
- Nature photography – emphasizes textures and details imperceptible to the naked eye
- Artistic portraits – creates almost surrealistic, but still “possible” versions of people
4. “Parallel Worlds” – Transformations of Alternative Realities
The Concept of Alternative Reality Transformations
A fascinating trend is transforming photos into visions of “parallel worlds” – alternative versions of reality where history unfolded differently or technology developed in a different direction.
Popular categories of “parallel worlds”:
- Steampunk: Alternative Victorian reality with advanced steam technology
- Solarpunk: Utopian visions of the future with a harmonious combination of advanced technologies and nature
- Atomic 50s: Retrofuturistic vision of a world where 1950s aesthetics combines with advanced atomic technology
- Biotech: A world where biological technology dominates instead of electronic
Technical Aspects of “Parallel Worlds” Transformations
These transformations are distinguished by a comprehensive approach to changing the entire image aesthetics:
- Modification of architecture and vehicles according to the aesthetics of the given world
- Adaptation of clothing and gadgets to the alternative timeline
- Changing light sources and colors to reflect the atmosphere of the given world
- Adding characteristic technological elements (e.g., steampunk mechanisms, biopunk implants)
5. “Inbetweening Animation” – Bringing Static Images to Life
Evolution from Static Transformations to Animation
One of the most breakthrough trends of 2025 is “inbetweening animation” – a technique that not only transforms a photo into a chosen style but also adds subtle movement, bringing the static image to life.
Types of popular “inbetweening animations”:
- Breathing portraits: Subtle movement of the chest, eye blinks, facial microexpressions
- Animated landscapes: Waving grasses, flowing water, moving clouds
- Magical scenes: Subtle magical effects, floating particles, luminous auras
- Still films: Transformations inspired by “still frames” from films with delicate, looped movements
Technological Foundations of “Inbetweening Animation”
This trend is possible thanks to the combination of several advanced technologies:
- Generation of multiple frames with different variations of the image
- Motion interpolation techniques borrowed from video processing
- Diffusion models capable of maintaining character and object consistency during movement
- Automatic mapping of elements that should remain static and those that can move
6. “Style Fusion” – Mixing Contrasting Aesthetics
The Concept of Style Fusion
In 2025, transformations combining seemingly contradictory or distant artistic styles are gaining increasing popularity. These “style fusions” create fascinating visual hybrids that break conventions and offer a fresh perspective on generative art.
Most popular combinations:
- Ukiyo-e Cyberpunk: Combination of traditional Japanese woodblock prints with neon, futuristic elements
- Baroque Minimalism: Collision of baroque richness of details with minimalist composition and color palette
- Impressionist Hyperrealism: Impressionist brush strokes creating hyperrealistic images
- Pixar Noir: Cheerful aesthetics of Pixar films with dark, contrasting chiaroscuro of film noir
Evolution of Style Fusion Creation Methods
The development of “style fusions” was possible thanks to advancement in prompting techniques:
- Precise definition of which elements should come from which style
- Control of weights of individual styles in the final image
- Using the “local style” technique – different parts of the image transformed in different styles
- Combining the visual style of one artist with themes typical for another
7. “Prompt Engineering” as a New Art Form
Development of Prompts as a Creative Medium
In 2025, prompt design (prompt engineering) has evolved from a technical skill into a full-fledged art form. Experts in constructing prompts are now seen as artists, and their prompts as valuable know-how and works in themselves.
Key phenomena in this field:
- Formation of communities of “prompt artists” specializing in specific styles
- Market for exchange and sale of advanced prompts
- Competitions for the most innovative and effective prompts
- “Prompt galleries” – galleries presenting both images and the prompts that created them
Technical Aspects of Advanced Prompt Engineering
Contemporary prompt engineering goes far beyond simple style descriptions:
- Structural prompts with sections for different aspects of the image (composition, lighting, style, mood)
- Prompt chaining” – sequences of prompts applied consecutively to obtain complex effects
- “Negative prompting” – defining features that should be excluded from the transformation
- “Parameter tuning” – precise adjustment of technical parameters of the transformation
Analysis of Social and Cultural Implications of New Trends
Impact on Perception of Reality and Art
The mass popularity of AI transformations raises questions about their impact on society:
- Blurring the boundary between reality and artistic creation
- Democratization of art – everyone can create visually attractive content
- New forms of personal expression and building online identity
- Challenges related to authenticity and originality in the AI era
Reactions from the Traditional Art World
The artistic community responds in various ways to the boom in AI transformations:
- Some artists incorporate AI tools into their workshop
- Others emphasize the unique value of manually created works
- Galleries begin to organize exhibitions of generative art
- New criteria for evaluating artistic value emerge that take into account the role of AI
Forecasts for the Future
Upcoming Trends
Based on current development directions, we can predict several upcoming trends:
- Multimodal transformations – simultaneous transformation of image, sound, and text into a coherent whole
- Spatial transformations – transforming photos into three-dimensional scenes
- Personalized styles – AI models trained on personal user preferences
- Contextual transformations – taking into account broader cultural and symbolic context
Challenges and Opportunities
The future of visual transformations brings both challenges and opportunities:
- Need for education in the skills of distinguishing content generated by AI
- Development of new forms of artistic collaboration between humans and AI
- Legal issues related to copyright for styles
- Potential applications in education, therapy, and other fields beyond visual art
Summary
Trends in AI visual transformations in 2025 show how quickly this field is evolving. From the nostalgic Ghibli style, through time travel with chronophotography, to futuristic visions of hyperrealism and inbetweening animation – we are witnessing an unprecedented explosion of creativity.
These trends are not just a temporary fashion – they represent a fundamental change in the way we create and consume visual content. In a world where the boundary between reality and art is becoming increasingly fluid, AI transformations open new possibilities for expression and reinterpretation of the world around us.
Whether you’re an ordinary social media user, an artist looking for new tools, or a professional from the creative industry, visual transformation trends in 2025 offer fascinating possibilities for discovering and creating visual worlds that previously existed only in the imagination.