How the AI chimp filter works

Chimp.me takes one portrait photo and gives you back the same character as a chimpanzee. This page explains what happens in between, what the result keeps, and how sharing and privacy work.

1. Drop a photo

Use the file picker, drag a file onto the page, or paste an image from the clipboard. JPEG, PNG and WebP all work. Before anything is uploaded, your browser shrinks the picture to at most 1280 pixels on its long side, so uploads are quick even from a phone camera.

Photos that work best:

• One person, facing roughly toward the camera, face clearly visible.
• Even light without heavy shadows across the face.
• Distinctive details in frame: glasses, hats, beards, hairstyles, jewellery and clothing all carry over.
• Any background. The scene is kept, so a beach, an office or a café stays in the picture.

2. The model looks

A vision model writes down what it sees: hair colour and style, facial hair, eyewear, headwear, clothing and colours, accessories, expression, pose, framing and the background. Those notes are only used to guide the render and to describe the finished artwork; they are never shown to other visitors.

3. The chimp arrives

An image model edits your actual photo, changing the face into chimpanzee anatomy while keeping everything else: the same framing, lighting, hairstyle, outfit, accessories and expression. The output is a PNG at the same aspect ratio as your photo, typically around 1024 pixels on a side. A render usually takes thirty seconds to a minute.

Before and after

The result panel shows your photo and the chimp in one frame with a draggable divider. Slide it left and right to compare, or tap either side on a phone.

Download and share

Every finished chimp has a Download button that saves the PNG, and a share link of the form chimp.me/c/…. On phones the Share button opens the system share sheet with the image attached. Anyone with the link can see the chimp; the link is not listed anywhere unless you add the chimp to the troop.

Public or private

After a render you are asked whether to add the chimp to the troop, the public gallery on the home page. Say no and it stays link-only. You can change your mind later from the same page in the same browser. Only chimps whose makers opted in appear in the gallery, in search-engine sitemaps, or in social previews beyond the plain share link.

Questions