ChatGPT Colour Grading Prompt Generator

Apply a Hollywood cinematic teal-and-orange colour grade to this photo. Push the shadows toward deep teal-blue, shift the mid-tones to warm orange-amber, and keep the highlights clean and slightly warm. Add a subtle vignette at the corners. Punchy contrast — details visible in both shadows and highlights. The overall mood should feel like a Michael Bay or Christopher Nolan blockbuster still.

Apply a dark, moody film photography colour grade to this photo. Underexpose by 1 stop. Crush the blacks slightly. Desaturate the entire image by 20%. Push shadows toward deep blue-green, mid-tones toward desaturated warm brown. Add fine 35mm film grain. Slight horizontal scan lines optional. The result should feel like a late-night noir scene.

Apply a golden hour colour grade to this photo. Boost the warmth significantly — shift all tones toward amber-gold. Lift the shadows slightly so they're warm brown rather than black. Add a subtle warm lens flare-style glow on the brightest highlights. Slightly overexpose by 0.5 stops. The mood should feel like magic-hour sunshine on a perfect summer evening.

Apply a bright, airy, minimal colour grade to this photo for Instagram. Lift the blacks so shadows are never fully dark — aim for a lifted, hazy base. Boost whites and add a very faint warm haze across the image. Slightly desaturate greens and yellows. Skin tones should look clean and luminous. The overall feel: a high-end lifestyle brand shoot — clean, soft, aspirational.

Emulate the Kodak Portra 400 film stock look in this photo. Apply warm, slightly faded colours. Skin tones should be creamy and warm. Add halation — a soft warm glow bleeding outward from the brightest highlights. Introduce fine, tight film grain. Shadows should lean toward warm reddish-brown. Blues should be slightly muted. The result should feel like a printed photograph from the early 2000s.

Emulate the Fuji Velvia 50 slide film look in this photo. Boost saturation dramatically — all colours should pop. Deepen the greens to rich forest green. Blues should be vivid and electric. Increase contrast significantly. Shadows should be dense and clean. Highlights should stay bright without blowing out. The result should feel like a National Geographic landscape photograph.

Apply a high-fashion editorial colour grade to this photo in the style of Vogue or Harper's Bazaar. Desaturate the image significantly — colours should be muted and sophisticated, not vivid. Lift the shadows to a cool grey tone. Skin tones should look clean and slightly cool. High contrast between highlights and shadows. The mood: cold, beautiful, expensive.

Apply a green-tinted cyberpunk colour grade to this photo in the style of The Matrix. Shift all tones toward green — push shadows to deep olive-green, mid-tones to cool green, highlights to pale lime. Crush the blacks. Slight digital noise or scan-line texture optional. The result should feel like a screen viewed through a CRT monitor in a rain-soaked dystopian city.

Apply a cool, blue-hour night colour grade to this photo. Shift all tones toward deep blue-grey. Crush the blacks hard. Keep any artificial warm light sources (streetlights, windows, neon) as warm pockets — this colour split between cool ambient and warm practical lights is the key to the look. Add fine digital noise. The mood: late-night urban solitude.

Apply a 1970s vintage colour grade to this photo. Fade the blacks — lift them toward warm dark-brown rather than pure black. Add a warm orange-yellow cast across the entire image. Slightly blow out the highlights with a warm haze. Desaturate the blues to muted grey-blue. Introduce coarse film grain. The result should look like a Super 8 film home movie from 1975.

Apply a faded pastel colour grade to this photo — the kind used in dreamy Instagram photography. Heavily lift the blacks to near-white (fade/matte the base). Shift all saturated colours toward their pale pastel versions — pink instead of red, lavender instead of purple, sky blue instead of navy. Reduce overall contrast significantly. The result should feel like a sun-bleached polaroid from a dreamy summer.

Apply a cross-processed colour grade to this photo — the effect of developing slide film in print-film chemistry (E6 in C41). Shadows should shift to strong cyan-blue. Highlights should be pushed to warm yellow-orange. Greens should become vivid lime. Reds should deepen to burgundy. Increase contrast hard. The result should feel psychedelic and unpredictable — like a 1990s fashion shoot.

Apply a cold, clinical sci-fi colour grade to this photo. Shift everything toward cool blue-white. Desaturate warm colours — neutralise reds, oranges, and yellows. Push shadows to near-black with a subtle blue cast. Highlights should be clean, cold white. Slightly boost contrast. The mood: a sterile space station, a futuristic laboratory, or an alien environment. Think Arrival or Ex Machina.

Apply an autumn colour grade to this photo. Boost all warm tones — oranges, ambers, and rusts should be vivid and saturated. Desaturate greens to olive and brown. Push shadows toward dark warm-brown. Slight vignette at the corners. Add a faint warm golden haze over the image. The mood: peak foliage on a crisp autumn afternoon, like a lifestyle shoot in Vermont.

Apply a rose gold colour grade to this photo. Shift the entire tone toward a warm pink-gold. Skin tones should be warm and peachy-rose. Highlights should have a slight gold shimmer. Shadows should lean toward deep mauve rather than pure black. Lift the blacks slightly to create a soft, hazy base. The result should feel warm, feminine, and aspirational — like a beauty campaign.

Apply a gritty, high-contrast documentary street photography colour grade to this photo. Boost the contrast hard. Desaturate the entire image significantly — borderline black and white, but keep a faint colour presence. Push mid-tones toward cool grey. Shadows should be deep and dense. Add heavy coarse film grain. Vignette the edges. The mood: candid street photography, East Village 1980s, Magnum Photos.

Apply a clean, punchy outdoor adventure colour grade to this photo. Boost contrast and saturation moderately. Make blues vivid and deep — sky and water should pop. Greens should be rich and vibrant. Skin tones should be warm and healthy. Slight vignette. The overall look should feel dynamic and cinematic — like a Red Bull or Patagonia campaign photograph.

Apply a bleach bypass colour grade to this photo — the effect of skipping the bleach step in colour film processing. Dramatically desaturate the image while keeping its contrast. Retain only the subtlest colour — muted blues, pale skin tones, faded greens. Push contrast high. Shadows should be very dark and slightly milky at the same time. The mood: war film, historical drama, Saving Private Ryan or 1917.

Apply a viral CapCut aesthetic colour grade to this photo — the look used in trending short-form videos. Boost the vibrance significantly. Make the skin tones warm and glowing. Push blues and purples in any background elements. Add a very slight warm lens flare glow. Light film grain. The overall look should feel high-energy, vibrant, and ready for a TikTok or Reels thumbnail. Think trending beauty or fashion creator content.

Apply a clean, professional portrait colour grade to this photo in the style of a premium Lightroom preset. Slightly lift the shadows to prevent harsh blacks. Balance the exposure — no blown highlights, no crushed blacks. Warm the skin tones subtly. Add slight clarity and texture for skin detail. Cool the background tones slightly to contrast with warm skin. The result should be polished, magazine-ready, and natural — not over-edited.