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12 AI selfie generators to turn yourself into an avatar

You don’t have to be an artist to create some magic with your portraits. AI selfie generators allow anyone to take a photo of themselves and transform it into a work of art.

Ashleigh Gibbs
Ashleigh Gibbs
June 12th, 2023
While AI generative art usually consists of creating inspiring artworks from text prompts that can then be used for a wide variety of purposes, AI selfies are all about enhancing your own image, either wholly generated by AI or edited using image-to-image or text-to-image features.
Creating an AI version of yourself can just be for fun or intended to enhance your professional profile across social media channels and the web so we’ve rounded up a number of top tools that allow for both uses.
Note that if you’re interested in everything AI art has to offer, you can explore these guides to the best AI art generators and free AI art generators too, so whatever your budget, you can explore the creative trend for yourself.
See: What is AI art? How AI art generators work 

What makes a good AI selfie generator?

If you’re looking to create a stylized AI version of yourself you’re going to want it to reflect your most unique features so the ability to not just upload a photograph but be able to tweak it using text prompts allows for greater customization. A range of filters or effects can also up the creativity factor.
To be considered for this list, an AI selfie generator must offer:
  • Reasonably high quality of generated art in its final results
  • Must be able to at least generate a result from an image. A mixture of text and image is particularly desirable for allowing a user to tweak the image and get the exact result they want.
  • Simple and clean interface that enhances the user’s overall experience
  • Ideal for professional use or fun

1. Lensa AI

Lensa
Lensa
Platforms: iOS, Android
Cost: Magic Avatar feature has a standalone cost of $3.99 for 50 images
Lensa is an all-in-one image editing app that has a number of features for enhancing your selfies including correction and the ability to blur your background, but it's the tool’s Magic Avatars option that you’ve likely come across on social media.
This ever-popular AI tool went viral at the end of 2022 owing to its ability to create stylish portraits in a number of whimsical settings leading to a number of celebrities, including Chance the Rapper, joining in the trend.

What users liked:

“I thought the avatars it created were amazing. By no means perfect, several had strange things going on with the eyes, but in general the creativity was really impressive.”
- Lensa AI reviews, Adam R

What users disliked:

“It's good, but expensive for every use. Not all photos are good and look like the person”
- Lensa AI reviews, Sharjeel A

2. Astria

Astria
Astria
Platforms: Browser
Cost: $1.50 per fine tune, $0.10 for 8 images prompt, $0.40 for 100 frames of video
Astria allows you to fine-tune your pictures using a mixture of images and textual prompts. The company uses Stable Diffusion, an advanced text-to-image model, that allows you to craft the exact look and feel you want for your selfie, although the tool can also generate images for video production, product shots, and concept art.
Enter a title, specify a one-word description of your portrait, upload your photographs and then tweak after they’ve uploaded using prompts. It’s fairly simple to use, but does have an initial cost if you’re looking to give it a go.

What users liked:

“I love it. So intuitive and fun.”
- Astria reviews, Mook B

What users disliked:

“Uploaded 20 images but the software didn't generate any quality images. The only thing I can think of is that I didn't supply sufficient diversity in the backgrounds, but it seems a one-off experience”
- Astria reviews, Brett T

3. Fotor

Fotor
Fotor
Platforms: iOS, Android, Browser
Cost: Free, $8.99 per month, $19.99 per month
If you’re looking for an online selfie generator to explore right away, then Fotor is a great option. The tool can create a number of different styles from anime to oil painting and includes both ‘from text’ and ‘from image’ features. Simply upload your image and choose from a pre-set style or create your selfie by describing what you want to see in the text prompts box.
It’s easy to access and free to run a couple of results, with some free credits available at sign-up.

4. Instant Portrait

Instant Portrait
Instant Portrait
Platforms: Android, iOS, Browser
Cost: Free
Ever wondered what you’d look like as a painting? Instant Portrait is a really fun app that lets you do just that. Simply upload an image and the AI tool generates a portrait based on your likeness. It’s easy to access through the respective app stores or you could even have a go via your browser. There’s no trial or login, and it’s fast to use too.
It’s not ideal for users looking to craft the ideal result yourself, but for casual use, there’s endless possibilities here.

What users are saying:

“This is awesome! Would like to see more themes”
- Instant Portrait reviews, Trendy

5. NightCafe

NightCafe
NightCafe
Platforms: Android, iOS, Browser
Cost: Free for 5 credits, $0.08 per credit for more use
NightCafe isn’t exclusively an AI selfie generator. It’s an impressive free AI art generator that uses Stable Diffusion to generate high quality results across a wide range of image styles, usually from text.
It does, however, also allow you to upload an image and add descriptive text prompts to tweak your final result making it a good option for selfies that look like they’ve stepped out of the pages of a fantasy novel if that’s the particular result you’re looking for.
The ability to add complex prompts to the box here and the excellent image quality makes it a great option for fun or professional use.

What users are saying:

“Generation works well and looks fascinating. What really surprised me was the vibrant community and its contributors.”
- NightCafe Review, Simon

6. MyHeritage AI Time Machine

MyHeritage AI Time Machine
MyHeritage AI Time Machine
Platforms: Browser
Cost: From $10 for 320+ images.
AI Time Machine is a fun feature from MyHeritage, an online genealogy platform that lets its users obtain their family trees, browse through photos, and search through over 19.4 billion historical records. It's not linked to your own genealogy, unfortunately, but it does allow you to upload your own photographs of yourself that then gets turned into a series of historically-themed images.
To use, you have to upload 10-25 photos at different angles which can be a bit of a drawback if you’re just looking to quickly try it out, but once uploaded, the results are diverse especially if you’ve followed the company’s recommendation to provide different poses, facial expressions, and photos taken in various settings.
The output works by using a series of predefined themes which isn’t ideal for those looking to tweak their image to particular specifications, but every set is unique making it a whole lot of fun to try out.

7. AI Pet Portraits

AI Pet Portraits
AI Pet Portraits
Platforms: Browser
Cost: Free
It’s not just us humans who love a good selfie, taking portraits of our pets too is a bit of a national pastime for pet owners. Fortunately, AI can produce great quality images where our furry friends are the subject.
AI Pet Portraits specializes in producing pet selfies for free, giving you plenty of results to choose from. Once you’ve uploaded four images in total of your pet, the tool gives you sixteen styles in return. Pretty impressive for a platform that can be accessed easily via browser and produces fast results delivered by email.

What users are saying:

“Easy to use, and amazing results”
- AI Pet Portraits Reviews, Ibrahim E

8. Artbreeder

Artbreeder
Artbreeder
Platforms: Browser
Cost: 10 credits a month free, From $8.99 to $38.99 monthly
As its name suggests, Artbreeder allows you to make images by mixing media together including portraits, album covers, landscapes.
While Artbreeder Collager lets users create collages from shapes and images using text prompts, the platform also includes a feature called Splicer that helps you create beautiful portraits by ‘remixing’ them together and letting you edit their specific ‘genes’.
You can play with a number of faces just by changing dozens of properties. (age, gender, beard, emotions, smile etc.)

9. Dzook

Dzook
Dzook
Platforms: iOS, Android
Cost: Free
If you’re looking to create illustrated portraits or even turn them into animations then Dzook might just be for you. This creative app is trained on previous artwork and uses AI algorithms to transform selfies into artistic versions of yourself that can then be shared across various social networks.
The tool also partnered with Snapchat to include a Zombify lens especially for Halloween if you’ve ever wondered what you’d look like as an undead!

What users are saying:

“ The tool is so much fun to play with, can't wait for the new styles. Thank you!”
-dzook Reviews, Mane Y

10. MeBoom

MeBoom
MeBoom
Platforms: iOS, Android
Cost: From $1.99 for a 10 credits package
MeBoom lets you create AI magic avatars using a selection of 20 styles including 80s anime, sketch, fantasy and retro. You can control almost every aspect of your digital creation, from appearance and personality traits to unique expressions. Just upload an original photo, choose an avatar style, enter description, and click on “create” to get started.
Once uploaded, you can also dress up your avatar in an extensive range of fashionable outfits and accessories.

What users are saying:

“ MeBoom is a great avatar app to turn a real you into all styles of profile images. I really like the anime style avatar created by this app! It is unique and my friends can still recognize me from the image. This AI avatar maker is amazing.”
- MeBoom Reviews, Dane K

11. Photo Lab AI Artist

Photo Lab AI Artist
Photo Lab AI Artist
Platforms: iOS, Android
Cost: Free, From $1,99 for in-app purchases
If you admire the type of high-quality vector portraits that look as though they’ve been drawn by the hands of an artist, you’ll want to check out Photo Lab AI Artist.
The app can create a stylish vector portrait in seconds that’s pretty indistinguishable from the real thing, plus it features an extensive range of filters and effects to give your selfie that stylized edge.

What users are saying:

“Tried an effect with the first photo it found, looked amazing. I'm mildly impressed by the number of ads it was able to fit in a single use, though”
- PhotoLab AI Artist, Luiz M

12. Designify

Designify
Designify
Platforms: Browser
Cost: $39 / month
Designify makes creating AI-powered designs a breeze. Thanks to its advanced AI technology, all you have to do is upload a picture and you'll be amazed by the captivating visuals it generates.
With its magical capabilities, Designify effortlessly removes backgrounds, enhances colors, refines smart shadows, and performs various other adjustments to deliver professional-grade results.
Whether you need stunning product photos or eye-catching campaign images, Designify simplifies the entire process. Moreover, its intelligent editor allows you to save your designs, enabling automated editing for future projects and saving you valuable time and effort.