About

The Polaroid Trend, also known as the Gemini AI TikTok Polaroid Trend or Couple Polaroid Pictures Trend, refers to a TikTok trend in which users take photos of themselves and, using Google Gemini and other AI tools, give them a film photo aesthetic to make them resemble a Polaroid with a white border. The trend, which typically sees people add the Polaroid visual effect to images of themselves with fictional characters from pop culture or celebrities, their significant other, families, friends or dead loved ones, emerged on TikTok in early September 2025, spreading over the following weeks. As it grew online, some also made them move as well.

Origin

The original post that started the trend on TikTok is unknown, but early examples showcasing it or explaining how to participate began emerging sometime in early-to-mid September 2025, initially among Spanish-speaking users.

On September 11th, 2025, the earliest known example of the trend was posted by TikToker^[1] @angusporras, who gave a tutorial in Spanish on how to use Google's Gemini to create AI-generated imagery using specific prompts and existing images of the two subjects in the final photo. In 11 days, the post, which included the creator and pop singer Shakira, received nearly 1,700 likes and 250 comments.

Spread

The trend continued to spread on TikTok in mid-September 2025 as more people used Gemini AI to create the Polaroid-like photos and shared them online.

For example, on September 12th, 2025, TikToker^[2] @benebrarozturk posted an AI-generated photo as part of the trend, featuring herself and English professional footballer Jude Bellingham. The post received over 136,000 likes and 3,000 comments in 10 days.

Also on September 12th, TikTok^[3] user @brooklynnxo_ posted a tutorial for others to recreate the trend, garnering nearly 16,000 likes, 1,630 shares and 600 comments in a similar timeframe.

On September 16th, TikToker^[4] @mahiraalisheikh_ shared an example of the trend, including the prompt she used to creat the image (seen below). The TikTok received over 9,200 likes and 220 comments in six days.

Prompt: Take a photo taken with a Polaroid camera. The photo should look like an ordinary photograph, without an explicit subject or property. The photo should have a slight blur and a consistent light source, like a flash from a dark room, scattered throughout the photo. Don't change the faces. Change the background behind those two people with white curtains. Make the girl sit on the guy's lap while he holds her with both hands in a cute couple pose, like a candid Polaroid.

On September 17th, 2025, TikTok^[5] user @keelsreynolds posted a version including several images created with AI that showed her taking Polaroid-looking photos with iconic horror movie characters, such as Ghostface from Scream, receiving over 610 likes and 80 comments in five days.

Later on September 17th, the website Perfect Corp^[6] posted an article on the trend, which notably included a tutorial on how to do it and prompts used for Gemini to generate the photos.

By September 22nd, 2025, the hashtag "#polaroidtrend" commonly used by participants of the trend had accumulated roughly 3,400 posts on TikTok.^[7]

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References