Can AI make a portrait of you? We tried 10 zodiac and fairy tale looks on 4 people

Arthur Down — Editor, N33 blog

Published November 4, 2026

Yes: one selfie in, a zodiac hero, an elf or a knight out, with your own face. We tested ten looks on four people and share the prompts.

Yes, AI can make a portrait of you from one ordinary photo, and keep your face while it changes everything else. Our AI portrait generator turns a selfie into a zodiac hero, an elf, a knight or a stained glass window, four takes per try. We tested ten of its looks on four people.

A note before the comparison: we make one of these tools, and it is the only one we tested ourselves. For the others, every claim below comes from their own pages, linked where it appears and checked the day this guide went live.

What we measured ourselves

2026-11-04 → 2026-11-04

60 of 60test runs that returned a portrait of the same person, four zodiac signs and six fairy tale looks on four selfies

Four selfies of adults: a woman with long straight hair, a woman with coily hair, a man with wavy hair and stubble, and a man with short straight hair. Each got four zodiac signs (Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius, Pisces) and the six fairy tale looks: 40 runs of 51 to 181 seconds, 157 pictures; then 20 runs and 78 pictures again after a fix. Every picture kept the person recognisable. Faults in the first run: the zodiac portraits were full-length shots with a small face in 61 of 61, the star ring drew the sign's glyph or letters in about half of them (30 of 61, counted by eye), and one storybook picture came with a paper margin. After the prompt change: every zodiac portrait from the knees up, the glyph in 10 of 62, no margin on the storybook pictures.

Source: N33 AI portrait generator on Nano Banana, staff run; every picture compared with its source by eye

Can AI make a portrait of me from a photo?

Yes. Add one clear selfie, pick a look, and the AI draws a new picture of you in it: the same face, skin tone and eyes, in a new costume, place and light. A good tool gives several takes, so you keep the one that looks most like you.

What does an AI zodiac portrait look like?

You stand beside your sign's creature under a ring of its stars: a fire lion for Leo, a scorpion for Scorpio, a water spirit for Aquarius, two glowing fish for Pisces, each in the sign's own palette, with a costume that fits a woman or a man.

A woman with long hair in a red-gold gown beside a fire lion — Four signs on four people after our fix: the face large enough to know, the star ring without letters.

A man with stubble in dark purple leather beside a glowing scorpion — Four signs on four people after our fix: the face large enough to know, the star ring without letters.

Can AI turn me into a fairy tale character?

Yes. The Fairy tale tab makes you an elf in a forest, an ice queen or king, a mermaid, a knight in plate armour, a stained glass saint or a picture-book hero by a cottage. Your face stays; the costume and the world around you are the story's.

A woman with long hair as an elf with pointed ears and a silver circlet in a forest — Six fairy tale looks on four people: coily hair stays coily, stubble stays, every face is its owner's.

A woman with coily hair as an ice queen with a crown of ice crystals — Six fairy tale looks on four people: coily hair stays coily, stubble stays, every face is its owner's.

How do you make an AI self portrait from a photo?

Use one sharp, front-facing photo of yourself alone in daylight, no filter, face clear. Pick a look, wait a couple of minutes, and compare the takes. If you wear glasses, keep them on in the photo: the portrait keeps what the photo shows.

Which AI portrait prompts work?

Describe the costume, the setting and the light, say how close the camera is, and tell the model to keep your face exactly. Each picture below has a Copy prompt button with the exact prompt our tool sends, run on Nano Banana.

A man with long dark hair in a red-gold armoured coat beside a fire lion — Leo: a fire lion and a ring of stars.

A woman with a long braid in dark purple leather beside a glowing scorpion — Scorpio: from the knees up after our fix.

A man with black hair in a silver robe beside a winged water spirit — Aquarius: a water spirit in the clouds.

A woman with coily hair in a scale-like gown between two glowing fish — Pisces: two spectral fish in blue water.

A woman with long hair as an elf with a silver circlet in a misty forest — Elf: pointed ears and a silver circlet.

The woman with long hair as an ice queen in a snowstorm — Ice queen: a crown of ice and falling snow.

A man with short black hair as a merman on a coral reef — Mermaid: a tail and a coral reef.

A woman with coily hair in plate armour with a griffin banner behind — Knight: plate armour and banners.

The woman with coily hair as a stained glass window in a church — Stained glass: lead lines and jewel light.

The woman with long hair in a painted forest with a cottage — Storybook: gouache, edge to edge after our fix.

Before the fix: the man full length and small beside the fire lion — What went wrong: zodiac portraits shot too far out, and the sign's glyph drawn in the ring; both fixed, the glyph now rare.

After the fix: the same man from the knees up beside the lion — What went wrong: zodiac portraits shot too far out, and the sign's glyph drawn in the ring; both fixed, the glyph now rare.

Can AI make a family portrait?

Not with ours: it draws one adult per photo, and a photo with a child or a group is refused. What it can do is put you with your pet, in the You and pet tab, or make a portrait of the pet alone.

Is the AI portrait free?

Usually free to start. Fotor gives eight free credits for eight pictures, Bylo calls its fantasy portrait maker free with no sign-up, Picsart runs on credits with paid plans, and ours is free to start with a little energy per try.

AI portrait generators compared, from each service's own page, checked 4 November 2026

Service	From your photo	Free	Looks	Your photo
N33	Yes, one adult face	Free to start, a little energy per try	Twelve zodiac signs, six fairy tales, pets	Deleted when the run ends
Fotor	Yes, at least three photos advised	Eight free credits	Studio, fantasy, royal, cyberpunk and more	Deleted within 24 hours
Bylo	Yes, one photo	Free, no sign-up	Elves, wizards, knights, fairies	Not stated on the page
Picsart	Yes, or a text prompt	Credits, with paid plans	Professional, fantasy, neon, painting	Not stated on the page

Our row is from our own test; the others are as each service describes itself, linked here.

How do you get an AI portrait that looks like you?

Start from a recent selfie of yourself alone, sharp and lit from the front. Try two looks on the same photo, then keep the take where your eyes, nose and smile read as yours at a glance; fantasy costumes change a lot, the face should not.

To try it, open our AI portrait generator and start from one of its example photos. For a drawn version of yourself, see our test of the best AI anime generator, and for realistic photo shoots, the best free AI selfie generator.

Questions and answers

Can AI make a portrait of me?

Yes, from one clear selfie. In our test every portrait kept the person recognisable, in zodiac and fairy tale looks alike.

Is there a free AI portrait generator?

Yes. Ours is free to start with no subscription, Fotor gives a few free credits, and Bylo calls its fantasy maker free.

Which zodiac signs can I pick?

All twelve, from Aries to Pisces, each with its own creature, setting and palette; we tested Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius and Pisces.

Can I make a family portrait with AI?

Not on ours: one adult per photo, and a photo with a child or a group is refused. You can add your pet in the You and pet tab.

What happens to the photo I upload?

On ours, it is used only for the run and deleted when the run ends; the pictures stay in your Generations until you delete them.

Arthur Down

Arthur Down is a journalist with more than 12 years of experience writing about technology, personal finance, health and everyday consumer topics. He studied Journalism and Media Studies at the University of Sheffield, started as a reporter at a regional newspaper and has worked freelance since 2014. At N33 he writes and edits the blog's practical guides to AI tools.

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