Zara Woman Studio Collection - Spec ad
The key decision for this small project was to emulate an ethereal still-life style, utilizing fruit and other elements that (combined with the color palette) help create an atmosphere and a painterly feel.
Footage: Pexels (free license)
Not affiliated with [Zara]
Color grading by Luis Puchades.
luispuchades.studio (http://luispuchades.studio)
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RedToPink (Color Grading exercise)
In this exercise, the original idea was to transform the red color of the background into turquoise, but during the process complications appeared and, because of the time it took to solve them, I stayed with pink.
The reason was that pink is very close to red on the color wheel, while turquoise is almost at the opposite end. And when moving the hue, I had to constantly isolate the skin. Besides that, the qualifiers don't always pick up and isolate every pixel correctly. On the other hand, if I removed the red tone to level it with the green (G) and the blue (B), the image lost a large part of its luminosity. Therefore, I decided to take advantage of the fact that the original footage was red and change it to a similar color.
The lesson I learned is that, although it would have been possible for me to change the color to turquoise (even if it meant spending more time), it will be more efficient if the final look being sought is compatible with the material that has been shot. Because in color grading you can modify, shift and refine, but you can't expect to turn it into any color you want.
Footage: Pexels (free license)
Color grading by Luis Puchades
luispuchades.studio
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Field (color grading exercise)
In this exercise, the goal was to take a flat, and almost colorless shot, to grade a muted green look from it. The original footage had a blown-out white sky and very little color separation, so the first challenge was deciding where the mood would come from.
I chose to tint the sky toward a pale green and let the rest of the image follow it. The wardrobe (olive, sage, beige and linen tones) was already close to that palette, so the grade could feel natural instead of forced. The difficulty was the skin: any push toward green made it look sick, so I had to isolate it constantly to keep it natural. The grass was also a problem, because too much saturation competed with the clothing and too little lost the sense of place.
The lesson I learned is that the best grades start from what was shot. The orange hair against a green environment gave me the contrast for free, and the look worked because the ilumination (and exposure) from the footage was already excellent and consistent.
Footage: Pexels (free license)
Color grading by Luis Puchades
luispuchades.studio
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Yves Saint Laurent Spec Ad — Pour Homme 2026.
In this spec ad, I decided to choose Saint Laurent to experiment with B&W shades.
The why of this small project was to reference the 1971 campaign "Pour Homme", a photo of Yves taken by Jeanloup Sieff.
The color decisions were based on Yves' own idea: "Luxury is not an armor, it's what remains when you take everything else away."
From there, the choice to remove chromatic distractions to place more emphasis on the figure, the hands, and the nakedness and fragility that this phrase sought to transmit.
Moreover, the absence of color adds to the main focus because it creates an intimate and cinematic atmosphere, that at first distances itself from generic commercial content.
Footage: Pexels (free license), not affiliated with Saint Laurent.
Color grading by Luis Puchades
luispuchades.studio (http://luispuchades.studio)
#colorgrading #brandedcontent #YvesSaintLaurent
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