Using AI to create realistic backgrounds for your models

[tomprobert]

Afternoon all,

 

I've been having a play with ChatGPT and using this AI programme to create realistic backgrounds for my models. I've often wanted to make my builds look more realistic when photographing them but do not have the knowledge or the skill set to effectively do this. However, I put a few of my completed model pictures into ChatGPT and was pleasantly surprised at how it created backgrounds which are really quite passable as the real thing. 

 

For this shot of a 1/48 Halifax, I simply asked it to make my model look as if it was parked on grass and it came up with this:

 

 

There's some distortion of the propeller blades and the nose looks a little bloated, but overall I thought it pretty good!

 

I next asked it to do the same with an Airfix 1/24 Spitfire:

 

 

Again not bad, but the grass looks a little out of scale.

 

This one I particularly liked - here I asked it to make the model look as if it was flying at high altitude above an undercast and it came up with this from AMT's 1/72 XB-35:

 

 

For this Welsh Models' 1/72nd Boeing 737, I simply asked it to make my model look as if it was taxiing at a modern day airport:

 

 

If I'm being picky, the taxi way line runs straight onto the grass, but otherwise not bad. Likewise for this 1/144th Eastern Express MD-11:

 

 

Here's the Revell 1/32nd Hunter after being asked to park it on a 1970s British Airfield - here the angles are not quite perfect and the Hunter's fuselage has been slightly distorted and the angle of the pitot out:

 

 

It did a much better job with this Trumpeter 1/32 Lightning though!

 

 

AI works particularly well when a model is photographed from slightly above and you ask it to park your model on a concrete hardstanding. Check out this 1/48 Aeroclub Vulcan:

 

 

Airfix 1/72nd Shackleton:

 

 

Tamiya 1/32nd Phantom:

 

 

Mach2 1/72nd Boeing 727:

 

 

I had a go with a couple of flying shots - here's the 1/48th scale Monogram B-17G and another I converted to a B-17C:

 

 

 

Gaining in confidence in how it all works, I asked it to park my 1/32 Sunderland on a slipway at a WWII flying boat base and it came up with this!

 

 

I've discovered the key is have your pictures taken on a plain background, and keep the instructions you give concise and to the point. If not, things can go awry - as seen here with one of the my first efforts with the Halifax picture above and asking ChatGPT to make it look as if it was landing at a WWII RAF base!

 

 

I'm sharing this as I thought others might find it useful and to be honest, its great fun! I've got a bit excited and have many more images of my completed models over the years converted as such, some more successfully than others. 

 

Anyway, perhaps have some fun with your own, and feel free to share them here!

 

Tom

[dennismcc]

They look great, I will have to investigate further.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[BiggTim]

Very cool idea!!

[LSP_Kevin]

Fascinating stuff, Tom! I've been following your posts about this on Facebook. Have you seen the stuff James Mellor is posting? Incredibly realistic!

 

Kev

[geedubelyer]

Hi Tom.

I've just spotted this topic and quite by chance began a related thread earlier this evening. 

I asked if anyone had used an AI platform called Grok or similar to animate their models. 

Your topic is roughly along the same lines. 

 

Interesting that you mention to keep instructions short and sweet. 

I misguidedly believed you had to be very descriptive to get good results. 

Happy that you've proven otherwise. 

Well done. 

 

Cheers,

Guy

[Gazzas]

I've been considering doing just this.  But alas...   some of the facebook sites where I post are banning AI generated materials.

[wunwinglow]

On 1/2/2026 at 5:20 PM, tomprobert said:

Afternoon all,

 

I've been having a play with ChatGPT and using this AI programme to create realistic backgrounds for my models. I've often wanted to make my builds look more realistic when photographing them but do not have the knowledge or the skill set to effectively do this. However, I put a few of my completed model pictures into ChatGPT and was pleasantly surprised at how it created backgrounds which are really quite passable as the real thing. 

 

For this shot of a 1/48 Halifax, I simply asked it to make my model look as if it was parked on grass and it came up with this:

 

 

There's some distortion of the propeller blades and the nose looks a little bloated, but overall I thought it pretty good!

 

I next asked it to do the same with an Airfix 1/24 Spitfire:

 

 

Again not bad, but the grass looks a little out of scale.

 

This one I particularly liked - here I asked it to make the model look as if it was flying at high altitude above an undercast and it came up with this from AMT's 1/72 XB-35:

 

 

For this Welsh Models' 1/72nd Boeing 737, I simply asked it to make my model look as if it was taxiing at a modern day airport:

 

 

If I'm being picky, the taxi way line runs straight onto the grass, but otherwise not bad. Likewise for this 1/144th Eastern Express MD-11:

 

 

Here's the Revell 1/32nd Hunter after being asked to park it on a 1970s British Airfield - here the angles are not quite perfect and the Hunter's fuselage has been slightly distorted and the angle of the pitot out:

 

 

It did a much better job with this Trumpeter 1/32 Lightning though!

 

 

AI works particularly well when a model is photographed from slightly above and you ask it to park your model on a concrete hardstanding. Check out this 1/48 Aeroclub Vulcan:

 

 

Airfix 1/72nd Shackleton:

 

 

Tamiya 1/32nd Phantom:

 

 

Mach2 1/72nd Boeing 727:

 

 

I had a go with a couple of flying shots - here's the 1/48th scale Monogram B-17G and another I converted to a B-17C:

 

 

 

Gaining in confidence in how it all works, I asked it to park my 1/32 Sunderland on a slipway at a WWII flying boat base and it came up with this!

 

 

I've discovered the key is have your pictures taken on a plain background, and keep the instructions you give concise and to the point. If not, things can go awry - as seen here with one of the my first efforts with the Halifax picture above and asking ChatGPT to make it look as if it was landing at a WWII RAF base!

 

 

I'm sharing this as I thought others might find it useful and to be honest, its great fun! I've got a bit excited and have many more images of my completed models over the years converted as such, some more successfully than others. 

 

Anyway, perhaps have some fun with your own, and feel free to share them here!

 

Tom

OK........

 

[wunwinglow]

I have been using Meshy to generate 3d model figures from photographs, sometimes it works well, sometimes, well, maybe not so clever!  If I can work out how to post images......

[LSP_K2]

For whatever reason, this remids me that years back, someone submitted a photo of a real B-58 Hustler to the FSM reader gallery. FSM published it, but it was not a model at all. 

[Jim Barry]

I’ve resisted this ai background thing for a few reasons, like I love a diorama and respect the effort, but I have photoshopped models into backgrounds or used photos as backgrounds so it’s not exactly new. I have only considered it to be novelty fun. Still is . Anyway, I did this model on my shelf into ai merge request and enjoyed the cheap thrill. It’s not Military Art. I participate in Aviation Art on Facebook and the admin gives ai submissions room to be a part, but there is much grumbling about its presence. 
 

I have yet to do this with my planes. Don’t know if I will. It’s just freaky. 
 

 

[jeroen_R90S]

I find AI still hit and miss, especially as a 100% guy who has difficulty with 75-80%.  Agree with Tom that plain backgrounds work the best. 

 

I found the prompts need emphasis and at least some detail, but not too much. Been fiddling with Grok lately and prompts like these really help. Grok identifies capitals as important and using numbers helps with consistency (e.g. empahasizing reflections after telling it if something is gloss, satin or matt). It will also trigger the think model rather than the quick slap together one. (you can choose manually as well) 

1. Use this exact image. Forms, shapes, colors, markings and proportions MUST remain 100% identical. 

2. Gve it some hints, like green-grey metal is satin, fabric areas matte, etc)
3. Add realistic texture, light weathering, and reflections

4. Describe exactly what you have in mind: "replace the white background for a WWI aerodrome with 1910s wooden hangars, tents, wood walkways, grassy soil, on a dark sombre day", or "Flying inverted at 5000-6000 meters (exaggeration helps sometimes) between cirrus clouds over the front line, with shell-holes and trenches, preparing to dive on an unseen opponent below".

 

Especially without the "stick 100%" strange things happen somtimes. Also a bit Grok specific, but negative prompting does not work well, it responds better to positive reinforcement. 

At least Grok was kind enough to hide some flaws in my 1/72 Roden D.VII.

 

 

As ever with AI, all have some strangeness (like nobody would park that D.VII like that on the wood walkway!) 

Nonetheless, a lot better than my own meagre photography & photshop skills, but tweaking details still requires time, both these went to 10+ itterations before I was 80% happy. I think there's a lot of flight sim images in the training set, as both have a bit of a flight-sim look to them. 

 

In this case I went for realistic style, but of course filters, aging, cartoons and whatnot can be done too. 

 

 

Edited April 12 by jeroen_R90S

[Noy Pines]

The combination of real models with virtual ground crew and equipment is fascinating. Just starting to get into it in a Facebook group called Hybrid Scale Aviation.

Edited June 14 by Noy Pines

[LSP_K2]

I've yet to explore this, but intend to, probably using Grok imaging. 

[Sturmbock]

In my opinion, that distracts too much from the model. The background feels overpowering. To be honest, I’m not a fan of that myself—it just looks too artificial! A simple, neutral background is perfectly adequate. But that’s just my humble opinion.

Cheers!

Lutz

[Legendary Replicas]

On 8/25/2026 at 11:03 PM, Sturmbock said:

In my opinion, that distracts too much from the model. The background feels overpowering. To be honest, I’m not a fan of that myself—it just looks too artificial! A simple, neutral background is perfectly adequate. But that’s just my humble opinion.

Cheers!

Lutz

hi Lutz, der Sascha hier.. ich sehe dass ähnlich. ich hab beruflich sehr viel mit AI zu tun und mein erster eindruck war, dass sieht dann alles nach AI aus, aber in etwas schlechter.. und wie du schriebst, das modell gerät in den "hintergrund".. cheers und grüße aus Odenthal.

Sascha

 

translation:

Hi Lutz, Sascha here.

I see it pretty much the same way. I work a lot with AI professionally, and my first impression was that everything ends up looking a bit too “AI-generated” — just somewhat worse.. just a little  (but i feel everyone who likes that).

 

Cheers and greetings from Odenthal,
Sascha