Diwali portraits usually mean warm string lights, glowing diyas, and rich festive color, hard to get right without the actual lights and props already set up at home. This page has seven Gemini prompts that add that warm, celebratory look to an existing photo, covering close diya-lit portraits, rangoli backdrops, string-light courtyards, and both traditional and modern festive outfits. Each prompt spells out the light source, the backdrop, and the color grading needed for a photo that reads as a real Diwali celebration instead of a plain gold filter, and most also name an outfit; prompt 5 doesn't, and in our one run of it Gemini kept the clothes from the photo. Copy a prompt, open a Gemini chat, attach a clear photo, and paste the prompt as your message; a sample image next to each prompt shows what to expect. Small changes are easy to make: mention your actual outfit color if you want it kept as-is, or add 'more diyas' for a fuller, busier frame. Two issues to watch for. If the source photo is dark, blurry, or taken at a strong angle, the face can look less like the real person, so start with a clear, front-facing, well-lit photo. If the backdrop feels too cluttered with props, reply in the same chat and ask Gemini for a 'simpler backdrop' or 'fewer string lights.' You can also try them on a photo of two or more adults, since the lighting and backdrop apply to everyone in the shot, though we haven't tested group photos. No physical diyas, rangoli chalk, or lights are needed, the entire scene is generated inside your Gemini chat.
Last tested in Gemini on . How to use these prompts
Prefer not to write prompts? Our sister site AI Diwali Photo turns one selfie into a Diwali portrait with diyas, rangoli or fireworks. The first preview is free, full-size photos are paid, and it is for adults only.
Sample images were made by running each exact prompt in an AI image generator on an AI-generated stand-in photo. Your result will not match the sample exactly: it depends on your photo, the model and version you use, and the randomness of each run.
Only upload a photo of yourself, or of an adult who has agreed to it. Please don't use these prompts on photos of anyone under 18.
AI-generated sample
Restyle the person in the photo as a Diwali portrait lit by diya flames: warm golden flame-light on the face, a traditional embroidered kurta or saree, soft bokeh from string lights behind, warm color grading, and a close-up crop capturing the glow on the face.
Copies the prompt; just paste it in Gemini
Tip: Mention your actual outfit color if you want it kept as-is.
AI-generated sample
Turn the person in the photo into a festive Diwali portrait: a rich jewel-toned traditional outfit, a colorful rangoli pattern visible on the floor behind, warm tungsten studio lighting, marigold garlands draped nearby, and a half-body standing pose.
Copies the prompt; just paste it in Gemini
Tip: Add 'more marigolds' for a fuller garland look.
AI-generated sample
Reimagine the person in the photo in a Diwali courtyard at dusk: fairy lights strung overhead between pillars, a flowing traditional outfit, warm ambient dusk lighting, a softly blurred courtyard background, and a full-body relaxed standing pose.
Copies the prompt; just paste it in Gemini
AI-generated sample
Convert the person in the photo into a Diwali night portrait with fireworks: distant colorful fireworks lighting the sky behind, a festive modern outfit, warm rim light separating the subject from the dark background, rich saturated color, and a half-body pose looking slightly upward.
Copies the prompt; just paste it in Gemini
AI-generated sample
Style the person in the photo beside rows of lit diyas: a single warm flame catching the eyes, soft shadow falloff on the face, a dark background so the diya glow reads clearly, gentle warm color grading, and a tight close-up crop.
Copies the prompt; just paste it in Gemini
Tip: Ask for 'more diyas' for a busier, fuller frame.
AI-generated sample
Make the person in the photo into a Diwali greeting-card portrait: a gold-threaded traditional outfit, soft golden-hour-style studio light, blurred string lights in the background, a warm inviting color palette, and a centered close-up headshot with a gentle smile.
Copies the prompt; just paste it in Gemini
AI-generated sample
Place the person in the photo at a Diwali home celebration: a decorated table with diyas and traditional sweets nearby, warm indoor string-light glow, a softly blurred festive living-room background with no idols, statues, deity figures or framed pictures, no signs or lettering in view, rich warm tones, and a full-body seated pose at the table.
Copies the prompt; just paste it in Gemini
Tip: Swap 'sweets' for a specific dish name if you'd like it shown.
Measured on the forehead and cheeks, the skin came out darker than the photo in every close-up and half-length run except the fireworks look, where a side light brightened one cheek and darkened the other; the studio-lit rangoli look (prompt 2) changed least, and prompt 5, which asks for shadow falloff on the face, left most of the face in shadow. The diya-lit close-up (prompt 1) was also strongly orange in both plain runs. Swapping its flame light and warm grading for 'soft even light on the face' and 'true-to-life color grading' (the first version below) took out most of the orange in both of our runs, but the skin stayed darker than the photo.
The photo shows a closed-mouth smile. Prompt 2 doesn't mention expression, yet both plain runs came back with a toothy smile; prompt 6 asks for 'a gentle smile' and got a toothy one, and one of two runs each of prompts 3 and 7 did too: five of our eleven plain runs in all. With 'Keep the exact facial expression and mouth from the photo; do not add a smile.' added to prompt 2 (the second version below), both of our runs kept the mouth closed. The courtyard fix (the third version below) doesn't include that line, and both of its runs smiled with teeth.
Only prompt 7 says what to leave out of the background. The courtyard look (prompt 3) put a blurred, human-shaped figure in a garlanded doorway that we couldn't identify as a person or a statue, and a plain second run filled the courtyard with other people; re-runs of prompt 2 put a framed gold picture, half cut off by the edge, and a dark framed object behind you that we couldn't make out. Adding 'with no other people, idols, statues or deity figures anywhere' to prompt 3 (the third version below) left the courtyard empty in both of our runs. Even prompt 7 put blurred objects we couldn't identify on the furniture in one of its two runs.
Restyle the person in the photo as a Diwali portrait by diya light: soft even light on the face with a gentle warm glow from the diyas, a traditional embroidered kurta or saree, soft bokeh from string lights behind, true-to-life color grading, and a close-up crop.
Both of our runs lost most of the orange cast, but the skin stayed darker than the photo; one added a nose ring.
Turn the person in the photo into a festive Diwali portrait: a rich jewel-toned traditional outfit, a colorful rangoli pattern visible on the floor behind, warm tungsten studio lighting, marigold garlands draped nearby, and a half-body standing pose. Keep the exact facial expression and mouth from the photo; do not add a smile.
Both of our runs kept the mouth closed; both plain runs of prompt 2 smiled with teeth.
Reimagine the person in the photo in a Diwali courtyard at dusk: fairy lights strung overhead between pillars, a flowing traditional outfit, warm ambient dusk lighting, a softly blurred courtyard background with no other people, idols, statues or deity figures anywhere, and a full-body relaxed standing pose.
Both of our runs showed an empty courtyard with no people or figures. Like the plain re-run, both let the tied-back hair down and smiled with teeth.
: We ran all seven prompts on gemini.google.com on 13 October 2026, each in a new temporary chat with the model picker showing Gemini Auto and the AI-generated stand-in photo we use for the samples, then re-ran prompts 1, 2 and 3 as they are and the fixes above; prompt 7 had also run on 10 October. We compared each face with the photo at the same size and measured the skin on the forehead and cheeks. Faces stayed recognizable and the hands we could see looked right. None of the seventeen runs showed a deity we could identify, though some had pictures or figures in the background we couldn't make out.
Start with a clear, front-facing, well-lit photo. Dark, blurry, or strongly angled source photos make it harder for Gemini to keep your real facial features while adding the festive lighting.
Yes, if they are an adult and have agreed to it, such as a parent or an adult sibling. Attach their photo and the prompt applies the Diwali styling to them. Please don't use these prompts on photos of anyone under 18.
We haven't checked flame detail closely in Gemini. Every generation draws the flames fresh, so their shape and glow change each time; zoom in on the diyas before you share the photo.
Yes, say in the prompt that you want to keep your current outfit and only change the lighting and background. Check the result closely: in our tests on other pages, Gemini didn't always keep everything we asked it to keep.
More for the festival season: Indian Festival AI Photo Editing Prompts
