Closer #21

Welcome to Closer,

A weekly experiment in AI interpretation: I share a photo, ask AI to describe it, then generate an image from that description. This is edition #021. Prompts are in grey boxes. Descriptions are in italics.

It's like OpenAI is aware we're wrapping up with Closer for now and decided to keep things interesting for the final few weeks. First First they dropped GPT-5, then it was brought to my attention by a colleague from the day job that a new GPT-5 prompting guide was released on August 7th.

So I took the original prompt from the first few entries of this weekly experiment, because, ironically, that's where we've seen the best results so far, and used those improved versions to run our experiment this week.

If you forgot what our original prompt was, you can find it in Closer #001.

LLM models used

GPT-5 for image interpretation, and image generation.

The input

The output

Checklist of description steps

• Overall scan: Note the setting and general composition.
• Major objects: Identify prominent items (chair, wall, balcony, plants, etc.).
• Colors & textures: Describe tones, surface details, wear, and contrasts.
• Context & relationships: Explain spatial arrangement and implied use.
• Smaller details: Include secondary objects, imperfections, shadows.
• Atmosphere: Suggest mood, possible setting (residential, casual, etc.).

Detailed description

The image shows the exterior of a weathered residential building, with focus on a modest and somewhat ordinary corner.

In the foreground, against the cream-colored wall, stands a white folding chair. The chair is slightly worn, with scuffed paint and signs of rust or dirt on its joints. It is positioned just off the wall, angled slightly toward the right, and chained loosely to the building’s edge, preventing it from being taken away. The chair’s presence feels both casual and oddly purposeful—like it’s meant for sitting outside, but also guarded against loss.

Behind the chair, the building’s wall is painted in a light cream or off-white color, with a textured stucco base and a smoother upper portion. The surface shows wear: peeling patches, cracks, and faint smudges. The wall carries a lived-in, slightly neglected character.

To the right, a balcony or raised entryway juts into the frame, bordered by a simple brown metal railing. On the balcony floor, several potted plants are arranged—different sizes and colors of pots, including a muted green one, a terracotta one, and others. The plants vary from leafy shrubs to taller, spindly greenery, adding life and contrast to the otherwise muted scene.

Above, there are brown wooden shutters on both the window in the upper left and the door (or second set of shutters) on the balcony. The wood is aged, with visible wear, scratches, and peeling paint. Two electric meter boxes are fixed high on the wall near the balcony, with conduit pipes leading into the structure—functional but not decorative, part of the raw lived-in look.

The ground is a rough asphalt or concrete surface, with cracks and patches of small weeds pushing up at the building’s edge. Shadows are soft and minimal, suggesting the light is diffuse, possibly late afternoon or early morning.

Overall, the composition balances emptiness and detail: the blank wall dominates the frame, punctuated by the lonely chair, the potted balcony plants, and the utilities. It conveys a sense of quiet, ordinary street life in a warm-climate residential area, where even small utilitarian objects (like a folding chair) carry traces of human presence.

Validation of completeness

• Major objects: Chair, wall, shutters, balcony, railing, potted plants, utility meters — all described.
• Colors & textures: Cream wall, brown shutters/railings, plant pot colors, chair wear — covered.
• Contextual cues: Residential setting, lived-in, slightly worn-down atmosphere — included.
• Smaller details: Cracks, weeds, chain on chair, peeling paint — noted.

✅ All major elements and contextual cues appear to have been addressed.