Choosing an AI photo style: 14 styles, what they suit and where they struggle

pixforge's style transfer offers 14 styles. All results are AI-generated and labeled “AI-generated”. Each run gives 2 images to choose from. Prices change, so see the pricing page. Portraits use only the Premium tier in six styles (Japanese Anime, Hand-Drawn Animation Film, 3D Animated Cartoon, Storybook, Ancient Chinese Costume, Ink Wash); in the other eight, portraits can use either tier. Pets and scenery use Standard in every style.

The 14 styles

Chibi

Big head, small body, round face and big eyes, keeping hair, clothes and colors. Tested on portraits (Premium) and animals. Standard once lightened medium brown skin, so use Premium for portraits.

Before: a close-up photo of a red squirrel with an orange bushy tail

After style transfer: the same kind of squirrel redrawn as a cute chibi cartoon with big eyes

Left: original. Right: AI-generated result.

3D Boxed Figure

A collectible figure in a display box. Works on portraits, pets and scenery.

Portrait of a fictional person (AI-generated): a smiling bearded man with glasses and a grey denim shirt, standing by a sunlit brick wall

After 3D figure style: the same man as a collectible bust figure in a clear-window cardboard box on a grey background, keeping his glasses, beard, curly hair and skin tone

Left: original (an AI-generated fictional person). Right: AI-generated result.

Ink Wash Painting

Soft ink and white space. Tested on light and dark skin, a headscarf, dogs and a cat, and a lake. Limits: dark skin may come out a little lighter; clothing colors sometimes change; a red seal sometimes appears in a corner, and a free retry (no credits used) is offered when one is detected; very faint seals may not be detected.

Portrait of a fictional person (AI-generated): a young woman with shoulder-length black hair and a light blue sweater, standing in a park

After ink wash style: the same woman redrawn in black ink with a soft warm skin tone, a pale blue sweater and loosely painted gray trees behind her

Left: original (an AI-generated fictional person). Right: AI-generated result.

Ancient Chinese Costume

Classical costume and setting, face kept. Limits: short hair becomes a bun, a folding fan is sometimes added; in landscapes the lower-right corner is often left blank.

After Chinese classical style: the same woman redrawn as a classical illustration in a light-blue hanfu inside a garden pavilion with lanterns

Left: original (an AI-generated fictional person). Right: AI-generated result.

Mirror Chrome

A polished chrome statue. Works on portraits, pets and scenery. Limits: clothing is not always fully metallic; short hair may be drawn longer.

A photo of a corgi standing on a paved path and smiling

After mirror chrome style: the corgi rendered as a polished chrome statue on a plain grey background

Left: original. Right: AI-generated result.

Gilded Gold

A gold-plated statue, best on pets and scenery. Limits: portraits sometimes gain a drape or a changed gesture; sky and water can stay unchanged.

Portrait of a fictional person (AI-generated): a woman in a dusty-rose headscarf and a navy sweater, in warm outdoor light

After gilded gold style: the same woman as a gold-plated bust on a gold base

Left: original (an AI-generated fictional person). Right: AI-generated result.

Aged Bronze

A dark green patina statue, good on portraits. Limits: pets are less recognisable; Premium portraits occasionally become full-body.

Portrait of a fictional person (AI-generated): an older woman with grey hair and a cream cardigan, sitting by a window

After antique bronze style: the same woman as a bronze bust on a small stone base

Left: original (an AI-generated fictional person). Right: AI-generated result.

Japanese Anime

Clean line art and flat cel color. Limits: medium brown skin comes out lighter; small details like buttons can be added.

Portrait of a fictional person (AI-generated): an older woman with grey bobbed hair and a cream cardigan, looking out of a window

After Japanese anime style: the same woman redrawn as an anime illustration with clean outlines and flat colours

Left: original (an AI-generated fictional person). Right: AI-generated result.

Hand-Drawn Animation Film

Warm painted backgrounds and soft characters. Limits: skies can turn golden; some portraits look more realistic.

After hand-drawn animated film style: the same woman redrawn with ink outlines and soft watercolor-like backgrounds

Left: original (an AI-generated fictional person). Right: AI-generated result.

3D Animated Cartoon

Rounded 3D characters with soft lighting. Limits: bigger eyes; tiny earrings can disappear; skies may turn pink.

Portrait of a fictional person (AI-generated): a woman with dark skin and short black hair in a mustard-yellow knit top, in front of green leaves

After 3D cartoon style: the same woman redrawn as a rounded 3D cartoon character with soft lighting, keeping her dark skin, short black hair and yellow top

Left: original (an AI-generated fictional person). Right: AI-generated result.

Classical Oil Painting

Thick paint with visible strokes and strong contrast. Clear light and a clear subject work best. Limit: scribbled strokes along the bottom edge in a few results.

Portrait of a fictional person (AI-generated): a bearded man with glasses and a grey denim shirt, standing by a sunlit brick wall

After classical oil painting style: the same man repainted as a classical oil portrait on a dark background

Left: original (an AI-generated fictional person). Right: AI-generated result.

Watercolor

Transparent washes and paper texture, strongest on scenery and pets. Limit: faces stay close to the photo.

A photo of a turquoise alpine lake under snow-capped mountains, with a pine forest along the shore and a cloudy sky

After watercolor style: the same lake and mountains repainted in soft watercolor washes

Left: original. Right: AI-generated result.

Storybook

Soft gouache and pencil illustration. Limits: medium brown skin can come out light or pink; background colors may change (a red brick wall can turn yellow).

A photo of a winding road between green hills and dark rock faces, under a heavy overcast sky

After storybook style: the same green hills and rock faces with a winding road, under soft clouds, repainted as a colored-pencil and gouache picture-book illustration

Left: original. Right: AI-generated result.

Neon Cyberpunk

Rainy neon city light. City and street scenes work best. Limits: neon outlines around subjects; neon signs in the background sometimes show text-like shapes.

Portrait of a fictional person (AI-generated): a young woman with a black bob and a light blue sweater, standing in a park

After cyberpunk style: the same woman in front of a neon-lit night street in pink and cyan

Left: original (an AI-generated fictional person). Right: AI-generated result.

Before you start

Please upload only your own photos, or photos of people who have agreed; photos containing anyone under 18 can't be used for style transfer.
Results are AI-generated, not real photos. Keep the original of any important photo.
Free basic tools run in your browser. For style transfer the photo goes to an AI service provider; our own servers do not store your images, and keep only a download link to the result (not the image itself) for a limited time. Results are stored in your own browser, expire after 7 days and are cleared when you log out, so download them in time. See the privacy policy.
The portrait originals shown above are AI-generated fictional people, not real photos.

Style transfer is part of Jinlab's photo tool pixforge (content checked on 2026-10-23; what the product shows is authoritative). See also: pixforge tool guide (Chinese).