The Allah-Las — Zuma 85 Album Cover Recolor (2023)
Photo Editor, Colorist
Brief:
The Allah-Las wanted to use a photo they’d discovered online for their album cover. While the original image—shot by photographer John Divola—was available in high resolution, its cooler color treatment differed from the warm, nostalgic edit the band had fallen in love with. My task was to translate that filtered aesthetic onto the original file so it could be properly scaled and printed.
Concept:
Recreate the emotional pull of the found image without sacrificing image quality. The goal was to preserve the sun-faded, vintage warmth the band responded to, while restoring clarity, depth, and print fidelity.
Execution:
Using the original Divola photograph, I rebuilt the warmth and tonal character of the filtered reference through precise color grading—adjusting hue, contrast, saturation, and texture. The final image retained the nostalgic mood the band loved, now optimized and production-ready for album artwork.
Found photo with filter
Original photo by John Divola
Final photo edit
Listen to the album here: