Doodle Diary Photo Prompt – Make It, Then Post It the Right Way

A plain photo on top, the same person on a doodle sketchbook page below. That’s the whole idea. Here is the first one.

IMAGE 1: Young man with curly hair and short beard leaning on an old ledge in a white shirt, ivy photo on top, same man on cream paper with black line-art ivy, window, paper plane, cat and a handwritten caption with a red heart below

IMAGE 2: Smiling young woman with sunglasses and a flower crown on a beach rock, real photo on top, same woman on cream paper with line-art waves, lighthouse, sun, cat and a small girl with a camera below

The first one is a city-ledge look with ivy and a window. The second is a beach look with waves and a lighthouse. Both use the same stacked layout, so you can use either as a base for your own photo.

Why Before-and-After Posts Get Attention

People stop on these because the top and bottom tell a small story. The real photo shows the place. The doodle panel shows how it felt. Many people like to compare the two, and that gives them a reason to look a bit longer.

For this kind of image, I’d pick a single feed post first. A carousel works too, if you want to add a close-up as a second slide. A reel is a good extra, and I’ll cover it below.

Young man in a white shirt leaning on an old ledge with ivy, and below it a line-art doodle page with ivy, cat and paper plane
⫷ RonyTica Prompt Box
Create a high-resolution vertical 3:4 before-and-after composition with two equal-height stacked panels. TOP PANEL (BEFORE): Use the original uploaded photograph completely unedited, preserving the exact face, pose, clothing, background, colors, and lighting. Full bleed with no borders or alterations. BOTTOM PANEL (AFTER): Keep the same person as a realistic, full-color photographic cutout, preserving their exact identity, facial features, expression, pose, clothing, and proportions. Use clean, natural hair edges with absolutely no retouching or skin smoothing. BACKGROUND: Replace the original background with warm cream, off-white paper featuring delicate black hand-drawn doodles inspired by the original photo’s environment. DOODLE ELEMENTS: Add one or two small environmental landmarks, two or three tiny cartoon characters, soft clouds, sparkles, little flowers, and a paper airplane. Keep everything minimal, balanced, and carefully spaced without overlapping the subject. CAPTION: Place three short lines of lowercase handwritten text in the upper-left corner of the bottom panel, accompanied by one tiny red heart. GROUND & LIGHTING: Add a thin, sketchy ground line beneath the subject and a subtle, natural shadow to create depth. COLOR PALETTE: Warm cream and off-white, delicate black line art, with tiny red, pink, and yellow accents. ART DIRECTION: Minimal, charming sketchbook aesthetic, elegant hand-drawn details, soft editorial composition, generous negative space, and a premium, clean finish. COMPOSITION: The top 50% must remain the untouched original photograph, while the bottom 50% features the realistic photographic cutout against the doodle background. Ensure a seamless, precisely aligned horizontal division between both panels. NEGATIVE PROMPT: Side-by-side layout, altered facial features, different identity, illustrated or cartoon subject, skin smoothing, beauty retouching, changed pose, modified clothing, cluttered composition, oversized doodles, overlapping elements, heavy shading, excessive colors, distorted anatomy, blurry subject, borders, watermark, and unnecessary text. OUTPUT: High-resolution, vertical 3:4 image with a perfectly balanced 50/50 before-and-after layout.
Smiling woman with sunglasses and flower crown sitting on a beach rock, with a line-art doodle version below with waves and lighthouse
⫷ RonyTica Prompt Box
{ “aspect_ratio”: “3:4”, “layout”: “Two equal-height stacked panels”, “top”: “Original uploaded photo completely unedited, full bleed.”, “bottom”: { “subject”: “Same person, exact identity, face, expression, pose, clothing and proportions. Realistic full-color photographic cutout with clean hair edges. No retouching.”, “background”: “Warm cream paper with thin black hand-drawn doodles inspired by the original environment.”, “doodles”: “One or two small landmarks, two or three tiny cartoon figures, clouds, sparkles, flowers and a paper plane. Sparse, balanced, no overlap with subject.”, “caption”: “Three short lines of lowercase handwritten text in the upper-left, with one tiny red heart.”, “ground”: “Thin sketchy ground line and subtle natural shadow.”, “colors”: “Black line art on cream, with tiny red, pink and yellow accents.”, “style”: “Minimal, charming sketchbook aesthetic with generous negative space.” }, “negative_prompt”: “Side-by-side layout, altered face, illustrated subject, skin smoothing, changed pose, clutter, oversized doodles, overlapping elements, heavy shading, excessive colors, watermark.”, “output”: “High-resolution vertical before-and-after composition, 50% original photo and 50% doodle background.” }

Pick the Photo and Run the Prompt

Use a photo where your face is clear and the light is even. A plain or simple background is better, because the tool has to cut you out and place you on paper. Skip heavy filters and very small, blurry images.

1) Open ChatGPT and start a new chat.
2) Upload your photo.
3) Paste the prompt from the box above.
4) Wait for the result and look at the face, the hair edges and the clothes.
5) If something is off, ask for one small fix at a time.

Sizes for Post, Story and Reel

A stacked image is tall, so a portrait size suits it well.

  • Feed post on Instagram or Facebook: 4:5 portrait, 1080×1350.
  • Story or reel cover: 9:16, 1080×1920.

Save the final image at the size you need before you upload. Don’t let the app crop it for you, because the caption on the paper can get cut off.

Caption Ideas Without Copying

Write your own line, and match it to the photo. Here are three in different voices.
Calm : “Some days just feel like a page in a diary.”
Funny : “Real me on top. Cartoon me with a cat below.”
Short : “Same day, two ways.”

Put a few plain words in the caption so people can find the post: doodle diary, AI photo prompt, before and after, sketchbook photo.

Hashtags you can try : #DoodleDiary #DoodleDiaryPhoto #SketchbookPortrait #BeforeAndAfterPhoto #LineArtDoodle #PaperDoodleLook #CuteDoodleArt #AIPhotoPrompt #ChatGPTPhotoPrompt #DiaryPageAesthetic

Turn the Two Panels into a Reel

This is where a still image becomes something more. A reel can show the real photo first and then the doodle page, so the viewer feels the change.

  1. Crop the top panel and the bottom panel into two separate images. Keep both at 9:16, 1080×1920, with the person centred.
  2. Put them in Google Flow or any video editor app. Show the real photo for a second or two, then switch to the doodle page. If your tool can add a soft slide or fade between them, use it.
  3. Add a light, calm sound. Keep the whole reel short, so the viewer sees the doodle page before they scroll away.

You can also ask a video tool to move the paper plane or the clouds a little. Keep the motion gentle. Too much movement makes the face look strange.

If you only want a quick version, show the full stacked image for a few seconds, then zoom slowly into the doodle half.

What to change, and what you get

Change thisWhat usually happens
Paper colour (light grey, soft pink)The page feels softer or cooler
Doodle theme (space, city, forest)The story of the page changes
Accent colour on flowers and heartsThe image gets a small pop of colour
Caption words and placeThe post feels more personal
Tiny characters (dog, kid with a kite)The page gets more playful

Mistakes That Hurt Reach

The cutout can drift. The face and hair may not match the original exactly. Curly hair edges can look rough against the paper. On the beach photo, check the sunglasses, the flower crown, the rock edge and the legs. If you see a problem, fix it or choose another result. Don’t post it as it is.

Other things to avoid : a tiny caption nobody can read, a crowded page with too many doodles, and a file saved at the wrong size.

Before you post, check these five things :
1) The face looks like you.
2) Hair and clothing edges look clean.
3) The caption on the paper is readable.
4) The size is 1080×1350 or 1080×1920.
5) Your own caption and hashtags are ready.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q.1) Can I use this doodle diary photo prompt for a group photo?

It is made for one person. A group may give uneven cutouts, so try one person first.

Q.2) Which tool should I use?

This prompt was made for ChatGPT, so start there.

Q.3) Can I change the caption on the paper?

Yes. Use a short line about the day or the place. Keep it small and in lowercase for the diary feel.

Q.4) Should I post it as a carousel or a single image?

A single image is the simplest. Use a carousel if you want to add a close-up or the original photo as another slide.

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