It starts with a selfie. Then the same person walks away with full attitude, checks their phone, puts on sunglasses like a movie star, throws the sunglasses away and runs for his life — and ends with both arms open, celebrating like he just won something. Six little cartoon panels, one character, one tiny story. That is the format all over Instagram right now: one reel breaking down this strip pulled in around 310K likes and more than 5,000 comments, and the comment sections are full of people posting their own versions.
The charm is that nobody is pretending it is serious. It is a gentle, self-aware joke — everyone who posts one knows exactly how dramatic the sunglasses panel looks, and that is the whole point. Below are three original prompts that recreate the format from scratch: the classic attitude story, a college day version, and an office day version. Each one comes with a result image first, so you can see exactly what the prompt produces before you use it.
A quick note so this doesn’t get confused with older posts: my AI Multiverse Persona post turned one selfie into a grid of different identities — a punk, an astronaut, a pop star — in a realistic photo style. This one is the opposite: one single identity, drawn as a cartoon, acting out a six-panel story. And my Retro Decades post restyled photos into different eras. No eras and no personas here — just you, illustrated, living one very eventful day in six frames.
What Is This Format?
The ai cartoon pose format takes one photo of a person and turns it into a single illustrated strip of six panels. The character stays the same in every panel — same face, same hair, same outfit — but each panel is a new moment, and together the six moments tell a tiny story with a beginning, a build-up, and a happy ending.
Two things make it work. First, it is illustrated, not photographic. The cartoon style is what makes the exaggeration funny — a real photo of someone throwing their sunglasses away and sprinting would just look odd, but as a drawing it reads instantly as a joke you are in on. Second, the story is always about showing off a little and then celebrating anyway. The character struts, poses, panics, and recovers — and the last panel is pure joy. People recognize their own dramatic little days in it, which is exactly why they share it.
The classic sequence is fixed — selfie, walk-away, phone check, sunglasses, the great escape, celebration — but the format is flexible. Swap the setting and you get a college day, an office day, a gym day, a travel day. The three prompts below cover the original and the two most relatable remakes.
How to Make Your Own
Start with a clear photo of yourself. Front-facing, face fully visible, decent light, no sunglasses. The AI redraws you as a cartoon character, and it can only keep you recognizable if it can see your face properly. This photo becomes the character sheet for the whole strip.
Open any AI image tool. Gemini, ChatGPT, or any image generator that accepts a reference photo — the prompts below work with all of them. Upload your photo first, then paste the prompt, so the tool has a face to hold onto.
Generate all six panels as ONE image. This is the rule that makes or breaks the format. Six separate generations will give you six slightly different people. One generation, one image, one character — the strip only reads as a story when the same person walks through every panel.
Pick the version where the character stays consistent. Faces and outfits drift a little in panel strips. Generate two or three versions and choose the one where the character looks the same from the first panel to the last. That consistency is what makes people read to the end.
Prompt 1: The Classic Attitude Story
The original viral sequence. The hero selfie, the attitude walk, the phone check, the sunglasses moment, the sudden sprint, and the big celebration at the end. This is the version that started it all, and it is still the one people recognize on sight.
Using AI image generation, create a single illustrated cartoon strip with exactly 6 panels (2 rows of 3 panels) based on the uploaded reference photo. The character: redraw the person from the reference photo as a friendly cartoon character. Keep the same face, facial features, hairstyle, and skin tone in every panel, and keep the exact same outfit in all six panels. Only the poses and expressions change. The six panels, in order: 1. The hero selfie — the character smiles confidently at the camera, one hand raised in a cheerful wave. 2. The attitude walk — the character walks away with swagger, glancing back over one shoulder. 3. The phone check — the character looks down at a phone with a small, pleased smile. 4. The sunglasses moment — the character puts on sunglasses and strikes a cool, confident pose. 5. The great escape — the sunglasses are tossed aside and the character runs fast, arms pumping, motion lines behind him. 6. The celebration — the character stands with both arms open wide, laughing with joy, as if he just heard the best news of his day. Style: modern flat cartoon illustration, bright cheerful colors, clean panel borders, playful and warm. No text, no words, no logos, no watermarks.
Panel 5 is the engine of the joke. Everything before it is posing; the sudden sprint is the surprise that makes people laugh. If a result makes the run look calm, ask for more speed — motion lines, leaning forward, real urgency. The contrast between the cool sunglasses pose and the panicked run is the whole story.
Prompt 2: The College Day Story
The student version. One college day squeezed into six panels — the morning nobody wants, the bus nobody catches gracefully, and the result-day panic that somehow ends in celebration anyway. If you are a student, this one will feel uncomfortably accurate.
Using AI image generation, create a single illustrated cartoon strip with exactly 6 panels (2 rows of 3 panels) based on the uploaded reference photo. The character: redraw the person from the reference photo as a friendly cartoon character — a college student with a backpack. Keep the same face, facial features, hairstyle, and skin tone in every panel, and keep the exact same outfit in all six panels. Only the poses, expressions, and settings change. The six panels, in order: 1. The wake-up — the character sits up in bed, sleepy and yawning, rubbing one eye, an alarm clock on the bedside table. 2. The bus chase — the character runs fast toward a bus stop, backpack bouncing, determined expression. 3. The daydream — the character sits at a classroom desk, chin resting on one hand, gazing into the distance with a small empty thought bubble above his head. 4. The canteen moment — the character proudly carries a lunch tray through a canteen, smiling, friends seated at a table nearby. 5. The result panic — the character stares at a paper on the desk with both hands on his head, eyes wide. 6. The celebration — the character and his friends cheer together with their arms up, confetti in the air, everyone laughing. Style: modern flat cartoon illustration, bright cheerful colors, clean panel borders, playful and warm. No text, no words, no logos, no watermarks.
Notice the ending is shared. The classic strip celebrates alone; this one celebrates with friends, and that small change makes it the version students actually tag each other in. If your campus crew has a group chat, this is the strip that ends up in it.
Prompt 3: The Office Day Story
The working person’s cut. Monday face at the door, coffee performing its daily rescue, one confident meeting pose, a deadline sprint, the boss’s nod — and the Friday-evening walk out of the building that feels like a parade of one. Every office worker alive will read this strip and feel seen.
Using AI image generation, create a single illustrated cartoon strip with exactly 6 panels (2 rows of 3 panels) based on the uploaded reference photo. The character: redraw the person from the reference photo as a friendly cartoon character — an office worker in a neat shirt and trousers. Keep the same face, facial features, hairstyle, and skin tone in every panel, and keep the exact same outfit in all six panels. Only the poses, expressions, and settings change. The six panels, in order: 1. The Monday arrival — the character walks into an office building with slumped shoulders and a tired expression, bag in hand. 2. The coffee rescue — the character holds a cup of coffee and suddenly looks awake, bright, and cheerful. 3. The meeting pose — the character presents confidently in a meeting room, one hand on hip, pointing at a blank board. 4. The deadline sprint — the character types fast at a desk with a laptop, papers flying around him, fully focused. 5. The approval — an older boss character gives the main character an approving nod and a thumbs up; the main character smiles with relief. 6. The Friday walk — the character leaves the office at sunset, jacket over one shoulder, relaxed and happy, mid-stride. Style: modern flat cartoon illustration, bright cheerful colors, clean panel borders, playful and warm. No text, no words, no logos, no watermarks.
The coffee panel carries this strip. Panels 1 and 2 are a before-and-after that every office worker understands in one glance. If your first result makes the two expressions too similar, regenerate and ask for a bigger contrast — truly drained in panel 1, genuinely glowing in panel 2.
3 Mistakes That Ruin the Strip
Generating the panels one by one. Six separate images means six slightly different faces, six different outfits, and no story — just a pile of unrelated cartoons. The format only works as a single image with a single character. Every prompt above says “one strip, six panels” for a reason. Keep that structure in.
Cramming too much into each panel. Busy backgrounds, extra characters, props everywhere — the strip turns into visual noise and nobody can follow the story. Each panel needs one character, one action, one clear expression. Simple panels read instantly, and instant reading is what gets a strip shared.
Skipping the character lock. The lines about keeping the same face and the same outfit in every panel are not decoration. Drop them, and the AI will happily redesign your character six times. If your results drift, the fix is almost never a new story — it is pasting the full prompt back in, character lock included.
A Few Tips That Actually Help
Number the panels in your prompt. AI image tools follow a numbered list far more reliably than a paragraph of description. All three prompts above number their panels 1 to 6 — keep that numbering even if you rewrite the story beats.
Write your own day. The three stories here are starting points. A gym day, a travel day, a wedding-week day, a shopkeeper’s day — any routine with a low point and a happy ending fits the format. Keep six panels, keep one character, and end on the celebration. That shape is the trend; the setting is yours.
Add captions after generating, not inside the image. AI-drawn text inside panels usually comes out garbled. Generate the strip clean, then add your own one-line captions under each panel in any free editor if you want them. Clean art plus your own words always beats wobbly baked-in letters.
Keep backgrounds lighter than the character. A strip reads at thumbnail size in a fast-scrolling feed. Soft, simple backgrounds with a clearly outlined character stay readable on a phone screen. If a result feels muddy, ask for simpler, brighter panels before you change the story.
Use your own photo only. Turning someone else’s photo into a cartoon character without asking is still using their face without permission. Your photo, your strip — and if you make one for a friend, send it to them before you post it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this format, exactly?
It is an AI image format where one photo of a person becomes a single illustrated strip of six panels. The same cartoon character appears in every panel, and the panels together tell a tiny story — usually a confident start, a funny middle, and a happy ending. The prompts in this post give you the exact panel-by-panel instructions.
Which AI tool makes these strips?
Any AI image tool that accepts a reference photo works — Gemini, ChatGPT, and similar tools. The prompts above are tool-agnostic. Start on a free tier, make a test strip, and only think about a paid plan if you like the results.
Why does my character look different in every panel?
Usually the panels were generated separately, or the character-lock lines were edited out of the prompt. Generate all six panels as one single image, keep the “same face, same outfit” instructions in, and use a sharp, front-facing reference photo. Small drifts are normal — generate two or three versions and pick the most consistent one.
Can I write my own story instead of these three?
Yes — that is half the fun. Keep the skeleton: six numbered panels, one character, the same outfit throughout, a low point near the end, and a celebration in the last panel. Swap the setting and the beats for your own day and the format still works.
Is this the same as the AI Multiverse Persona post?
No. That post created a grid of different identities — ten different personas of you in a realistic photo style. This format keeps one identity and draws it as a cartoon, acting out a six-panel story. Different idea, different result.
Is it okay to use someone else’s photo?
Only with their clear permission. It is a friendly format, but it is still someone’s face. Use your own photo, or a friend’s photo that they happily gave you for exactly this.
Should I post the strip as one image or split it into a carousel?
Both work. The single strip image is the classic format and reads in one glance. Splitting the six panels into a carousel can work too — one panel per slide — and swiping through the story is satisfying. If you split it, keep the full strip as the first or last slide so people can see the whole story at once.
Final Words
The formula is simple: one photo, one character, six panels, and a day that ends well. If you want to try the ai cartoon pose format yourself, pick a prompt above, upload your photo, and make your strip today.
And if you like seeing yourself redrawn and reimagined, check out my AI Multiverse Persona and Retro Decades posts too — the trending collection gets a new format every week. If you want to read more about AI image tools, this Google Flow guide is useful.
About Pinky Chouhan
Hey, my name is Pinky Chouhan, and I live in India. I am passionate about discovering new AI trends, AI video tools, and social media content ideas. I also have experience in video and photo editing using tools like CapCut, Adobe, InShot, and VN. Over time, I have worked on many editing projects and enjoy experimenting with new creative techniques and AI-powered tools. I regularly share the latest AI trends, video prompts, and creative ideas on The Prompt Master. My goal is to provide simple and practical prompts that anyone can use to create engaging AI videos. Most of the prompts published on this website are designed to be easy to use. You can simply copy a prompt, paste it into Google Flow or a compatible AI video tool, and start creating your video. I will continue sharing new AI trends, useful prompts, editing tips, and creative ideas to help creators make better content and stay updated with the fast-changing world of AI.