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How to Try the AI Yearbook Photo Trend

A new AI-powered trend is blowing up across social media. Almost every major social media platform has people jumping on the trend. It's viral on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and even X (formerly Twitter).

People are using AI to generate retro-style yearbook photos of themselves. This viral AI yearbook trend has users delighting in the nostalgia of seeing their faces in AI-generated 80s and 90s-style school portrait looks.

So how can you join in on the fun and create your own AI-powered, blast-from-the-past yearbook photo?

What Is the AI Yearbook Photo Trend?

The AI yearbook trend, also known as the 90s yearbook trend, is a craze sweeping social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. This trend utilizes AI apps to digitally transform your photos, showing what you would have looked like if posing for high school yearbook pictures in the 1990s. It seems a bit simplistic at first, but it is quite exciting when you get into it.

The 90s yearbook feature, originally popularized by the EPIK app, can now be found on many AI photo editing apps. Most notably, the popular Reface app includes the 90s yearbook filter, allowing users to give their photos the quintessential 1990s high school yearbook look.

If you're comfortable uploading your selfies to an AI service, then you can get started with your own AI yearbook photos in just a few minutes. Here’s how.

How to Create a 90s AI Yearbook Photo Using the Reface App

To create your first AI yearbook photo, head over to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and download the Reface app.

Download: Reface for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

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After installing the app:

  • Open the Reface app on your device and on the main style selection screen, tap on the 90-s Yearbook style pack to select it.
  • Tap the Add New Photos button at the bottom of the screen.
  • Choose six high-quality photos from your camera roll that clearly show your face with no obstructions. Tap Continue when finished selecting the photos.
  • Specify your gender on the next screen and tap Generate avatars to create the refaced 90s yearbook version of your photos.

    • Your refaced photos in fun 90s styles will then be generated! You can scroll through them and save your favorites.

    Generating the avatars could take anything between 20 minutes to one hour. In our test, we were able to minimize the app and check back later, so you should be able to do the same. Here are some things we noticed from using the Reface app:

    • Photos of kids don’t seem to work very well.
    • Make sure your face is clearly visible in each photo. Avoid photos where your face is obstructed by objects like face masks, sunglasses, or your hands.
    • Avoid uploading duplicate photos or photos with heavy makeup, black-and-white filters, or large groups of people. Each photo should showcase you.
    • Use high-quality, in-focus photos. Blurry or pixelated photos will not work well.
    • Provide a variety of facial expressions (smiling, serious, etc.) in your photos. This helps the system analyze your face from different angles.

    AI Yearbook Photos: A Break From the Norm

    In an era when social media often feels like a relentless pursuit of the new and the now, the AI-powered 90s Yearbook trend offers a refreshing break from the norm. By inviting users to revel in a past they may or may not have experienced, it adds a layer of nostalgia to our digital life.

    This trend not only showcases the expanding capabilities of artificial intelligence on social media, but also allows us to engage with technology in a way that feels deeply personal. Whether you're a 90s kid or not, the chance to see yourself through the lens of a different time period taps into a universal desire for both reflection and playful escapism. Join in and enjoy this lighthearted trip down memory lane.

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