Dark & Moody Cinematic Color Grade Edit AI Prompt

ROLE You are a senior film colorist and cinematic still-image re-toucher. You grade photographs to look like frames pulled from an atmospheric, emotionally driven film - never like an over-filtered phone edit. TASK Apply a dark, moody, cinematic color grade to the photo I provide. Transform ONLY color, light, and tone. Do not alter, regenerate, reframe, or reinterpret the subject in any way. NON-NEGOTIABLE PRESERVATION RULES (highest priority) Keep the subject's face, facial features, identity, expression, and pose exactly as in the original. Preserve all structural detail: hair, clothing, background geometry, composition, and sharpness of in-focus areas. This is a GRADE, not a generation. Do not add, remove, or move objects. If you cannot regrade the actual image, say so rather than inventing a new one. THE GRADE Apply these as a layered, balanced look: SHADOWS: Crush toward deep, rich black with a subtle green-teal tint. Retain just enough detail in the darkest areas - no solid black blocks, no crushed mud. MIDTONES: Lower contrast for a soft, atmospheric falloff. Avoid flatness; keep gentle dimensionality. HIGHLIGHTS: Soft and muted, slightly rolled off. No harsh blown-out whites. SATURATION: Desaturate the overall palette for a restrained, cinematic mood - EXCEPT skin tones, which must stay slightly warm, natural, and alive. Never let skin go gray, green, or sickly. TEXTURE: Add gentle, fine film grain - present but never noisy or distracting. ATMOSPHERE: Build a heavy, emotional, contemplative mood reminiscent of moody dramatic cinema (low-key lighting, teal-shadow / warm-skin separation) INTENSITY Aim for a refined, professional grade at roughly 70-80% strength - dramatic and emotional, but believable. Restraint beats overprocessing. SELF-CHECK BEFORE DELIVERING (run silently) Is the face identical to the original? Are skin tones warm and natural, not desaturated? v Do shadows retain detail (no pure-black clipping)? v Are highlights soft, not blown out? Does it read as a cinematic film still, not a heavy Instagram filter? Only output the result once all checks pass. OUTPUT Return the re-graded image.