--- title: "AI Color Correction: Fix and Grade Color in Words" url: https://www.imagequarry.com/ai-color-correction/ last_updated: 2026-10-20 --- # AI color correction and grading, asked for in plain words AI color correction fixes or reshapes the colors in an image: removing a yellow indoor cast, neutralizing a blue shadow, or grading the whole picture toward a mood. In ImageQuarry a new color direction is a change you request in words on an uploaded or generated image, as in "Move the color into ultramarine and coral". Each grade lands as a new version, with the earlier ones kept for comparison. Start by saying what looks wrong, or what mood the colors should carry. Name the cast to remove, or the palette to move toward. ## Color correction and color grading Two jobs hide under the search term. Color correction is repair: making the colors in a picture look the way the scene did, or the way it should have. The usual problems are a color cast (orange from tungsten bulbs, green from fluorescent tubes, blue from open shade), wrong white balance, faded or muddy contrast, and colors that drift between photos in a set. Color grading is style: deliberately pushing a corrected image toward a look, such as warm and nostalgic, cool and clean, high contrast teal and orange, or soft pastel. Desktop editors handle both with sliders, curves and color wheels, which give fine control but take practice to use well. AI color correction lets you describe the result instead of building it from controls: "neutral whites, warmer skin" or "a faded summer film look." ImageQuarry treats that description as an edit request and produces a new version for you to compare. _Color work keeps the light where it is. If you want the light source itself to move or change, see the AI lighting editor. For a one-request look applied like a preset, see AI photo filter._ ## Color requests, from repair to mood - **Removing an indoor cast**: Names the cast and what should look neutral afterward. - **A palette shift from the homepage**: An ImageQuarry example that moves a whole image into two named colors. - **Matching a set of product photos**: Uses one photo as the target and protects the product's own color. - **A film inspired grade**: A mood grade described through familiar visual traits. - **Rescuing a flat, gray day**: A correction that adds life without inventing sunshine. ## How to correct or grade color in ImageQuarry 1. **Open the image** Upload a photo or select an image you generated. 2. **Describe the color change** Say what is wrong or the look you want, and name any colors that must stay true, such as a product or a logo. A palette reference image helps for a specific look. 3. **Dial it in** Ask for the selected version to be a bit warmer, less saturated or softer in contrast. Each request continues from your selection. 4. **Compare grades and download** View the grades next to each other and the original, then download the one you want. ## What ImageQuarry offers for color work - **Color direction as an edit**: Ask for a new color direction on any selected version, from a subtle cast fix to a full palette change. - **Palette references**: Add an image whose colors you want, and use it to guide the grade; review how closely each version follows it. - **Several grades from one photo**: Branch from the corrected base to try a warm grade and a cool grade without losing either. - **Variations to explore moods**: Generate variations of a graded version to see nearby takes on the same look. - **A consistent set in one project**: Keep a shoot's photos and their graded versions together so you can grade the next one to match. ## Getting color right with requests **Correct first, grade second.** A grade built on a photo with a strong cast exaggerates the cast. Ask for neutral color first ("whites white, skin natural"), select that version, then ask for the mood on top of it. Two short requests usually beat one long one. **Name a neutral anchor.** The easiest way to describe a correct white balance is to point at something that should be neutral: a white shirt, a gray wall, a paper menu. "Make the paper look white" is clearer than "fix the white balance", and it gives you something to check. **Describe grades with traits, not just names.** Words like "cinematic" or "vintage" mean different things to different people. Break the look into parts: the warmth of the highlights, the color of the shadows, how deep the blacks are, how strong the saturation is. "Cool shadows, warm highlights, muted greens" is a grade anyone can picture. **Protect colors that carry meaning.** Product colors, brand colors and skin tones are the ones viewers judge most harshly. Name them in the keep list for every grading request, and compare them against the original after each change. For product listings, the color in the photo should match the color the buyer receives. **Check on more than one screen.** Screens differ in brightness and color. Before you rely on a grade, look at the downloaded image on a second device, and if the image will be printed, expect print to look a little different from the screen. ## Sliders and wheels versus color by request | Task | Manual color tools | Describing it to an AI editor | |---|---|---| | Fixing a cast | White balance picker and temperature sliders | Name the cast and the neutral reference | | Creating a mood grade | Curves, color wheels and saved presets | Describe the traits of the look | | Matching a set | Copy settings, then adjust each photo | Point at a reference and protect key colors | | Control over a single hue | Precise, hue by hue | Approximate; review the result | | Trying several looks | Duplicate files or snapshots | Branches and versions from one original | ## Limits of AI color correction - **Not a measured color workflow**: Requests in words are approximate. Work that must match a printed swatch or a calibrated standard still needs a color managed editor and proof. - **Other details may change**: A color request makes a new image, so small details can shift along with the colors. Compare against the original. - **Stills, not footage**: ImageQuarry grades still images. Correcting or grading video is a job for a video editing tool. - **Some looks take iteration**: A precise look can take several requests to reach. Step toward it and keep the versions you like on the way. ## Plans for color work Each correction or grade uses image credits from your plan, either Starter at $9 per month with 100 image credits a month or Pro at $29 per month with 300 image credits a month. - Starter: Starter at $9 per month with 100 image credits a month - Pro: Pro at $29 per month with 300 image credits a month ## Questions about AI color correction ### Is there a free AI color correction tool? Every ImageQuarry plan is paid; Starter is $9 per month. Color corrections and grades are edits, and each one uses credits from your monthly plan. ### Can I color correct a photo online? Yes. ImageQuarry runs at app.imagequarry.com in your browser. Upload the photo, describe the correction, and compare it with the original before you download. ### Can it color correct video? No. ImageQuarry works with still images. For footage, use a video editor's color tools; ImageQuarry can help you design a look on a single still that you then recreate there. ### What is the difference between color correction and color grading? Correction makes the colors accurate: neutral whites, natural skin, no cast. Grading gives the corrected image a chosen style, like warm and nostalgic or cool and crisp. In ImageQuarry both are requests; do the correction first, then grade the version you selected. ### How do I fix a yellow or orange cast? Name the cast and point at something that should be neutral: "Remove the yellow cast; the walls and the white plate should look white." Check skin and any product colors afterward, and ask for a smaller correction if it overshoots into blue. ### Can I match one photo's colors to another? Yes, add the photo whose colors you like as a reference and ask for a similar grade. It guides the result rather than copying it, so review each version to see how closely it follows. ### Is this a replacement for color tools in a desktop editor? For quick corrections and exploring looks, describing the change is often enough. When you need exact control of one hue or a calibrated, print matched result, a desktop editor with curves and color management gives you that precision. ### Do I need an account? Yes. Create an account and choose a paid plan at app.imagequarry.com before uploading. Your graded versions then stay with the original in your projects. ## Related guides - [AI lighting editor](https://www.imagequarry.com/ai-lighting-editor/): Move or reshape the light itself - [AI photo filter](https://www.imagequarry.com/ai-photo-filter/): A look applied in one request - [AI photo retouching](https://www.imagequarry.com/ai-photo-retouching/): Cleanup and finishing on a photo - [Image styles](https://www.imagequarry.com/image-styles/): Visual styles and how to describe them - [Edit ideas by subject](https://www.imagequarry.com/edit-images/): Edit requests grouped by what is in the photo - [AI image guides](https://www.imagequarry.com/guides/): Every ImageQuarry guide in one place ## Get the colors where you want them. Upload the photo, name the cast to remove or the mood to reach, and compare each grade beside the original.