ChatGPT Colour Grading Prompts: 30 Free Copy-Paste Prompts for Lightroom & CapCut (2026)
What Are ChatGPT Colour Grading Prompts?
ChatGPT colour grading prompts are copy-paste instructions you give to an AI model — ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude — to describe an exact colour look, then receive step-by-step editing instructions for Lightroom, CapCut, Premiere Pro, or any other editor. Instead of spending hours dragging sliders, you describe the mood and get the numbers back in seconds.
This works for both beginners (who want exact settings) and professionals (who want a starting point to refine). The technique gained traction in late 2026 as AI models became accurate enough to translate visual moods into specific editing parameters across multiple applications.
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30 Free ChatGPT Colour Grading Prompts (Copy & Paste)
Cinematic Looks
1. Blade Runner neon-noir "Give me Lightroom settings to achieve a neon-noir look: deep blacks, crushed shadows, teal-green highlights, and magenta-pink neons. Think Blade Runner 2049 or cyberpunk city at night. Include HSL hue shifts, tone curve values, and split toning settings."
2. Wes Anderson pastel symmetry "I want the Wes Anderson colour palette: dusty pastel pinks, sage greens, warm cream whites, and muted mustard yellows. Give me the Lightroom colour profile, white balance offset, and HSL panel values to achieve this in a portrait shot."
3. 1970s vintage film "Create a 1970s vintage film look in Lightroom: lifted blacks (no pure black), faded highlights, warm yellow-orange cast, low contrast, grain. Include grain settings, curve values, and colour calibration adjustments."
4. Cold Scandinavian editorial "Give me Lightroom settings for a cold Scandinavian editorial look: clean whites, desaturated blues and greens, barely-there shadows, high key with skin tones slightly cool. Include all curve and HSL values."
5. Blockbuster teal and orange "Teal and orange Hollywood colour grade in Lightroom: shift skin tones warm orange, push backgrounds cool teal-blue, strong split tone. Give me HSL panel values, split tone settings, and tone curve."
Golden Hour & Warm Tones
6. Golden hour portrait "I shot portraits during golden hour. Give me Lightroom adjustments to enhance the warm orange glow without blowing highlights or turning skin orange. Include white balance, HSL, and curve values."
7. Boho warm documentary "Boho warm documentary look: faded lifted blacks, peachy skin tones, warm shadows (amber), bright but not blown highlights. Give me all Lightroom panel settings."
8. Desert sand haze "I want a desert haze look: warm sandy yellows, hazy lifted whites, orange in the mids, very little blue anywhere. Lightroom settings including colour calibration and HSL."
9. Sunset afterglow "Give me a CapCut colour grade recipe for a sunset afterglow look: deep orange and pink sky tones, golden skin, warm shadow detail. Name each filter or colour wheel adjustment."
10. Candlelight amber "Indoor candlelight colour grade: deep amber warmth, crushed dark shadows that stay warm (not cold), glowing highlights. Lightroom settings including tone curve and colour calibration."
Dark & Moody
11. Dark academia moodboard "Dark academia colour grade: deep warm browns, forest green undertones, muted burgundy, very low key, reminds me of old libraries. Give me Lightroom curve values and HSL panel."
12. Gothic horror desaturation "Gothic horror look: near-monochrome, desaturated except for one colour (suggest which one works best for horror — probably red or deep blue), crushed blacks. Lightroom settings."
13. Moody overcast forest "Overcast forest moody look: cool greens desaturated slightly, deep shadowed areas, no warm tones, muted highlights. Give me Lightroom HSL and tone curve."
14. Neon rain street "Night street photography in rain: push reflections toward magenta and teal, deepen the blacks, add some grain. CapCut or Lightroom settings — whichever is easier to achieve this in."
15. Faded spy thriller "Faded spy thriller colour grade — like a 1960s espionage film: cool shadows, desaturated greens and reds, lifted blacks, slightly greenish midtones. All Lightroom values."
Matte & Film
16. Kodak Portra 400 film emulation "Give me Lightroom settings to emulate Kodak Portra 400 film: warm slightly desaturated skin tones, lifted shadows, subtle grain, slightly faded blacks. Include colour calibration, HSL, and grain panel."
17. Fujifilm Velvia landscape "Fujifilm Velvia look for landscapes: saturated deep greens and blues, rich reds, high contrast, vivid sky. Lightroom settings including colour calibration and tone curve."
18. Matte faded summer "Matte faded summer look: washed-out pastels, lifted blacks, barely any contrast, warm peachy tone overall. Give me all Lightroom panel values."
19. Cross-processed look "Cross-processed film effect: wild colour shifts — greens in shadows, reds in highlights, cyan in midtones. Weird but beautiful. Lightroom tone curve channel-by-channel values."
20. Double-exposed dreamy "Give me colour grading adjustments that would suit a double-exposure portrait: dreamy blue and purple tones, soft glow in highlights, lifted shadows, painterly feel."
CapCut & Phone-Friendly
21. CapCut viral cinematic look "Give me a CapCut colour grading recipe for the viral cinematic look: reduce saturation slightly, push shadows cooler, add a warm orange tint to mids and highlights, use vignette. Name each slider and value."
22. CapCut aesthetic retro "CapCut aesthetic retro colour grade: faded reds, lifted blacks, warm yellow overall, slight green in shadows. Give me the colour wheel values and filter recommendation."
23. TikTok dark filter "The dark moody filter everyone uses on TikTok. In CapCut: steps to achieve high contrast, desaturated except for skin tones, very dark shadows. Exact slider positions."
24. BeReal natural skin "BeReal-style natural skin tone correction in CapCut: no filter feel, but skin looks healthy and glowing, whites are white, no colour cast. Give me colour wheel adjustments."
25. Soft pink aesthetic "Soft pink aesthetic colour grade in CapCut: blush pinks, creamy whites, no harsh shadows, dreamy and airy. Name each step."
Professional & Commercial
26. Clean product photography "I'm grading product photos on white backgrounds. Give me Lightroom settings for a clean, neutral, commercial look: pure whites, no colour cast, accurate product colours, soft shadows."
27. LinkedIn headshot correction "My LinkedIn headshot was taken indoors with mixed lighting. Give me Lightroom adjustments to make it look professional: even skin tones, clean background, no colour cast."
28. Real estate interior "Lightroom settings to make real estate interior photos look inviting: slightly warm, well-lit, no blown windows, natural colours. Include highlight recovery and HSL values."
29. Food photography warm "Food photography colour grade: warm, appetising, vibrant but not oversaturated. Oranges look juicy, greens look fresh. Lightroom settings including all HSL values."
30. Fashion editorial cool-neutral "Fashion editorial look: cool-neutral skin tones (not warm, not too cold), deep clean blacks, crisp whites, slight desaturation in midtones. Lightroom settings."
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How to Use These Prompts
Step 1 — Paste the prompt into ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude. The AI gives you specific settings (exposure values, HSL slider positions, RGB curve points, or filter names).
Step 2 — Open your editor. Lightroom, CapCut, Premiere Pro, Adobe Camera Raw, and Snapseed all work. The AI will adapt its output to whichever editor you mention in the prompt.
Step 3 — Apply the settings. Use the AI's numbers as a starting point. Real images vary, so treat the values as a recipe to adjust rather than an absolute.
Step 4 — Iterate. If the first result doesn't look right, describe what's wrong: "The shadows are too green — how do I fix that?" The AI will correct it.
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Tips for Better Results
Name the editor. "Give me Lightroom settings" returns specific sliders. "Give me colour grading instructions" returns vague advice.
Describe the source image. "I shot outdoors in harsh midday sun" gives the AI context to suggest shadow recovery, not just warmth.
Ask for specific numbers. Add "include all slider values" or "give me exact HSL values" to avoid getting only qualitative descriptions.
Ask for CapCut alternatives. If the Lightroom version is complex, add "and give me the CapCut equivalent" — most looks have a simpler phone-editor version.
Chain corrections. After the first grade, paste your result description back in: "I applied the settings but the skin looks orange and the background is too green — adjust?"
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