AI Outpainting: An Objective Comparison of ChatGPT-4o and Dreamface

AI outpainting, or "generative fill," is a revolutionary tool that allows creators to expand an image beyond its original borders. But how well do the leading platforms handle this complex task? We put two top contenders, ChatGPT-4o and Dreamface (DreamImage), to the test in three unique outpainting challenges.

To ensure a fair review, we used the same input images and detailed prompts for both AIs. The tasks ranged from faithfully extending a scene to completely transforming it.

Test 1: Faithfully Extending a Scene

For the first test, we expanded a portrait into a full European city square.

Prompt:Extend the frame to reveal a panoramic view of a sun-drenched, bustling European city square. Add classic stone architecture, outdoor café seating, and strolling pedestrians in the background. Maintain the original photo's warm, bright, cinematic lighting and soft bokeh effect.

Dreamface was more ambitious, creating a well-composed and complete city square. It succeeded in building a wider, more interesting scene, but in doing so, it lost some of the original photo's unique lighting and soft-focus atmosphere.

ChatGPT-4o excelled at being faithful to the original. It perfectly matched the warm, cinematic lighting and soft bokeh effect, creating a seamless and believable extension. Its weakness was being slightly too conservative, extending the street rather than creating a full panoramic square.

Test 2: Creatively Transforming the Environment

Here, we tasked the AIs with moving a subject from a generic backdrop to a golden-hour garden.

Prompt:Expand the image into a full summer garden scene. Extend the blooming rose bushes and a winding gravel path around the subject. Fill the entire frame with the warm, golden hour sunlight, and enhance the hazy, dreamlike glow in the atmosphere.

Dreamface showcased its creative power, brilliantly generating a beautiful and compelling garden path scene from scratch. Its composition was superior, though the lighting on the subject didn't perfectly match the new, dramatic backlight.

ChatGPT-4o focused on realism. While its garden background was less structured, it did a much better job of integrating the subject into the new golden-hour light, making the final image more believable.

Test 3: Full-Body and Object Extension

The final test involved extending a portrait to a full-body shot while filling in the surroundings.

Prompt:Extend the image to show more of her urban surroundings. Add the side and headlights of parked cars around her, a blurred view of the city street, and possibly other indistinct pedestrians in the background. Maintain the original lighting and blurred background effect to keep the focus on her. Additionally, slightly extend downwards to fully reveal the details of her denim jeans and the belt at her waist, as well as the shoes she is wearing .

Dreamface took a more creative approach, rendering the car as an interesting vintage model that enhanced the photo's style. Its weakness was that the overall lighting in its extension was slightly flatter and less vibrant than the original.

ChatGPT-4o was flawless at extending the person's body and clothing, looking incredibly realistic while perfectly preserving the original photo’s sharp, sunny feel. However, its extension of the car was less imaginative.

Conclusion: Creativity vs. Photorealism

There is no single winner; the best tool depends on your goal.

Choose Dreamface if your priority is bold, creative transformation. It excels at generating entirely new, well-composed scenes, even if it sacrifices perfect adherence to the original's style.

Choose ChatGPT-4o if your priority is seamless photorealism. It is unmatched at creating believable extensions that are incredibly faithful to the original image's lighting, texture, and feel.