Free · No sign up for your first image

Ghosts Filter Effect: Put a Ghost Behind Anyone
Change what you want. Keep what matters.

The TikTok ghost filter prank, from any photo in your camera roll: pick a ghost and it appears right behind you — matched to your room's light. You stay pixel-for-pixel untouched. First photo free, no account.

No sign up No added visible watermark Auto-delete in 24h Never used for training

Pick your ghost

1Upload image

2Choose change

3Generate

Step 1 · Add your image

Drop your image here

Drag & drop, paste, or choose from your device

Upload image

JPGPNGWebP≤ 10 MB

Private · auto-deleted in 24h

No photo handy? Try a sample

What do you want to change?

Pick one direction. Hold Frame will protect the important parts automatically.

We’ll detect what matters after you upload, then protect it automatically.

2 Choose one you can refine it below

Advanced settings Optional

Detected mode after upload

Keep protected recommended for this image

Change strength

Balanced — clear change, identity and layout stay stable.

Aspect ratio

✦ 1 free result as a guest · failed generations never count

Real before & after

The ghost is added; the person stays pixel-for-pixel the same

Examples use AI-generated people, not real ones. Compare the person between the original and the result: those pixels are the original upload.

The control other tools hide

You don't pick a model. You pick what survives.

Most img2img tools give you one abstract “strength” slider. We turn it into decisions a human actually makes.

Keep — hard constraints

Locked items become explicit model instructions — and a region mask when you paint one. The AI regenerates the whole image using your photo as the reference, so compare locked details with the original before you publish.

Face — it's still the same person. Identity reference plus face-region protection.
Subject — the product, pet or object keeps its shape, logo and key details.
Composition — pose and layout stay put via structure and depth control.
Text & Logo — the model is told to keep lettering and logos as they are; fine print can still change, so check it.

Change — creative freedom

One tap per intent. Each chip compiles into a structured instruction with the right negative constraints.

Style — anime, watercolor, film, 3D, oil paint and 40+ more.
Background — a new scene behind an untouched subject.
Outfit — swap clothing while the person stays the person.
Lighting — golden hour, studio, neon night, overcast.

Subtle

Light touch: tone, light, small edits. Routed to precise editing models.

Balanced

The default. Obvious change with stable identity and layout.

Creative

Big reimagining. Structure loosens — fine details may drift, on purpose.

Three steps

From photo to finished image in under a minute

Upload & auto-detect

Drop any JPG, PNG or WebP. We recognize portraits, products, sketches and interiors, and pre-lock what usually matters for that kind of image.

Lock, describe, set strength

Toggle what to keep, tap what to change, pick Subtle, Balanced or Creative. No denoising values, no seed numbers, no model menus.

Compare, download, iterate

Slide before/after, download free with no added visible watermark, then keep editing the result with plain language — no re-upload needed.

One-tap starts

Prompt templates that fill the tool for you

Tap any template — it configures keep, change and strength, then scrolls you back to the studio.

Complete guide

How to do the ghosts filter effect on a photo

Upload a photo with a doorway, a hallway or some empty room behind the person, then tap a ghost. The AI paints the ghost into the scene behind them with the same light and grain, and Keep subject pixels exactly pastes the original person back over it, so the prank looks real and you look exactly like you.

In short

Hold Frame's ghosts filter effect is the TikTok ghost filter prank for photos: upload any photo with a little room behind the person, pick one of six ghosts — the long-hair ghost from the trend, a shadow figure, a Victorian lady, a face in the window, a cute sheet ghost or orbs & mist — and the AI adds it in the background, matched to the room's light, grain and perspective. With Keep subject pixels exactly (on by default here), the person is cut out in your browser and pasted back pixel-for-pixel, so only the ghost and the scene behind them are AI. It works on old photos, needs no live filming or app, and the cute sheet ghost keeps it gentle for little kids. Your first photo is free with no sign-up and no added watermark; after that it's $2.90 per photo, 3 for $6.90 or 5 for $9.90, one-time with no subscription. People also search for it as ghost filter effect, ghost effect filter prank, ghost filter tiktok, AI ghost filter, ghost behind you filter, ghost prank filter.

Facts checked October 10, 2026.

Ghosts Filter Effect: what you get

Free to try	First ghost photo free as a guest — no sign-up, no credit card, no app download. Failed generations don't count.
After the free photo	$2.90 for one photo, $6.90 for three (most popular) or $9.90 for five — one-time, no subscription, no account needed to pay. Existing Hold Frame credits work too (5 per photo).
Watermark	No visible watermark is added. The model provider's invisible provenance mark (SynthID) is not removed.
Original pixels kept?	For background changes, yes: with "Keep subject pixels exactly" (on by default for product photos, one tick for people) the original product or person is cut out in your browser and pasted back pixel-for-pixel; only the background is AI — same price. Other edits are regenerated by the image model (Google Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) with your photo as the reference, so compare locked details.
Best for	Quick, controlled edits from one photo when you want to try several directions before committing.
Not the right tool for	Pixel-exact compositing (use layer masks in Photoshop) or editing dozens of images in one batch.

What you can make

The TikTok prank

Send a normal-looking selfie with a ghost behind you and wait for someone to notice.

Family group chat

Use the cute sheet ghost or orbs & mist for a gentle scare that works for all ages.

Halloween posts

Turn an ordinary photo from your camera roll into a haunted one for Instagram, Reels or Shorts.

How to get a controlled result

A three-step workflow for Ghosts Filter Effect

Leave room behind the person

Doorways, hallways, windows and dark corners give the ghost a place to stand.

Tap a ghost

Each card fills a detailed ghost description. Edit it — where it stands, how see-through, how scary.

Keep the person exact

Keep subject pixels exactly is ticked: the person is pasted back unchanged and only the scene behind them is AI.

Prompt examples

Copy one as a starting point, then change only the details that matter to your image.

add a pale grey ghost woman with long straight black hair and blank white eyes, peeking out from the doorway right behind the person's shoulder; place it in the background behind the person, partly hidden by them, at a believable size and distance; match the room's lighting, colour, grain and perspective so it looks like it was really in the photo; no blood or gore; do not change the person

Common problems and fixes

Use these checks before increasing change strength or adding more instructions.

The ghost is in front of me. Keep subject pixels exactly on: the original person is always pasted back on top, so the ghost stays behind.

It doesn't look real. Pick a photo taken indoors with some shadow, and add 'make it subtler' — half-hidden ghosts are scarier.

Hair edges look cut out. Fine hair against a busy background can show a halo; a plainer background behind the head helps.

The engine declined the photo. Some photos are declined by the safety checks. Declined or failed generations don't use your free try or a paid photo.

Continue the workflow

Related tools for the next edit

Add a Ghost to a Photo

Place a ghost exactly where you want it: doorway, window, mirror or stairs.

AI Halloween Costume Generator

Try on a costume yourself — or a couple costume from two photos.

AI Zombie Filter

Turn yourself into a zombie instead.

Want it moving? AI Halloween video

Make a short spooky clip from your photo (duet.room).

AI 80s photo trend

1980s yearbook, family album or mall studio portrait — from one selfie.

80s AI photo prompts

Free 1980s ChatGPT prompts, explained line by line, with fixes.

Private by default

Your images and results are never public. No gallery, no indexable links.

Auto-delete in 24h

Anonymous uploads and results are wiped within 24 hours, automatically.

Never trained on

We don't use your uploads to train models. Not opt-out — it just doesn't happen.

Delete instantly

One click removes the source and every result. Download links die with it.

Simple pricing

A free first photo. Then one-time packs, no subscription.

Your first photo is free. After that: $2.90 for one photo, $6.90 for three (most popular) or $9.90 for five — one-time, no subscription, no account needed to pay. Failed or declined generations are refunded. Existing Hold Frame credits work too (5 per photo).

Compare all credit plans and usage costs

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Subscriptions renew monthly and add credits after each successful payment. Packs are one-time purchases, available with or without a subscription. Unused credits carry over and remain after cancellation. No automatic pack purchases.

Honest limits

What AI still gets wrong — and what we do about it

No “100% accurate” promises. Here's the truth, and the workaround.

Faces can drift at Creative strength. If it stops looking like you, drop to Balanced or Subtle — Face lock works hardest there.

Hands and fingers remain the hardest thing in AI imaging. Keep them out of the change region when you can.

Tiny text and fine logos may blur or change. Turn on Text & Logo lock and compare them against the original before publishing.

Complex textures like lace, fur or micro-patterns can simplify. Subtle strength preserves them best.

Big scene swaps can nudge edges of the composition. Lock Composition and expect minor boundary shifts, not layout changes.

Failed generations happen. Timeouts and moderation blocks are labeled clearly and never consume your free quota.

FAQ

Questions, answered straight

What is the ghosts filter effect on TikTok?

It's a prank trend: a creepy ghost — usually a pale woman with long black hair — appears behind someone in a photo or video while they smile, unaware. People send it to friends or family to watch them react.

How do I do the ghost filter prank on a photo?

Upload a photo with some space behind the person, tap a ghost card and generate. The ghost is added behind them in about 20 seconds; download it and send it or post it.

Is the ghost filter free?

Your first photo is free with no sign-up and no added visible watermark. After that it's $2.90 per photo, 3 for $6.90 or 5 for $9.90 — one-time, no subscription.

Will it change my face?

No. Keep subject pixels exactly is on by default: the person is cut out in your browser and pasted back pixel-for-pixel, so only the background and the ghost are AI.

Does it need a live camera or an app?

No. It works on any photo you already have — even an old one — in the browser on your phone or computer.

Is it OK to prank kids with it?

Many parents use the cute sheet ghost or orbs & mist, which are surprising rather than scary. Little kids can get genuinely frightened by the creepy versions, so show them it's a trick afterwards.

Can I make it a video?

This page makes photos. For a moving ghost clip, try the duet.room AI Halloween video tool.

Can I use someone else's photo?

Only with their permission. Sexual or violent content is declined.

Are my photos used for training?

No. Uploads are processed to make the result and are not used to train models.

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