From Pinterest to Profile

I collect images on Pinterest that grab me. Sometimes it’s the subject, but most of the time it’s the feel of the photo. When I scroll back through what I’ve saved, there’s definitely a pattern. Apparently, I have a type.

Yesterday, I decided to experiment with AI. I copied an image from Pinterest—one that really spoke to me—and paired it with one of my own photos. I asked her (yes, my ChatGPT is a lady) to apply the same look and feel to my image.

This is the image I found on pinterest. I would love to give the creator credit but could not find an artist or copyright of any kind.

WOW. The results were amazing.

That got me thinking… what if I could actually use that look going forward? So I asked her to create a LUT based on what was done to make my photo match the reference image. She did, and I loaded it into Photoshop. It worked, but honestly not great. Close-ish, but not there.

So I pivoted.

Next, I asked for a Lightroom Classic preset. I didn’t get an actual preset file, but I did get the full recipe to build it myself—which I did. And that result? Very, very close to what I had in my head.

This is my out of camera, unedited version

After a bit more back-and-forth (okay, a lot), I realized something important: this really wanted to be a profile, not a preset. Creating it as a profile lets me apply the look as a foundation and then layer presets on top if I want.

And just like that, I went from “I like this vibe” to something I can actually use—again and again.

What I learned is simple: I’ve been chasing the same feeling all along. Now I know what it looks like—and how to get there.

This is the final result

I’ve always trusted my gut; now I understand what it’s been telling me.