Espolòn Mixology - Photos Mixed With A Dash Of AI
ROLES
Retouching
| Photography
| Creative
| AI
Tequila Shots: 3 w-AI-ys
We wanted to see how far we could push an image with AI methods; what worked, what didn't, where it showed real promise, and also were it could just be safely be an alternate option. No actual roosters were wrangled in the making of these images. Just one bottle of Espolòn, a bunch of studio lights, a stack of Midjourney generations, and a lot of retouching hours. The goal? Create hero shots that felt on brand, bold, and unexpected—but go out of our way in integrate AI.
In the end we created 3 images, starting with AI simply replacing stock photography—or really any photography we would have otherwise created, with the exception of the bottle. We also chose the Espolòn Blanco bottle for the challenge: compositing a clear bottle with clear liquid in scene is certainly one of the most difficult retouching tasks. It didn't hurt that the brand and art work had great stories to tell. “Espolón” is Spanish for “spur,” in this case referencing a Rooster spur and paying homage to the fierce and proud bird. The label art work commemorates the 1810 revolt that ultimately led to Mexico’s independence from Spain and provided plenty of inspiration.
All the elements in the image could have been photographed—at least, if you happen to have easy access to a rooster. Some elements, like the rooster knife, would’ve been much harder to source (if not totally impossible). That makes a case for AI as a gap-filler—not to replace a method, but in this case to solve for something that didn’t really have a solution before. Below are all the original source images as generated in Midjourney.
The series of "stock" AI generated images in Midjourney used to create the table composite
Below is the studio shot of the Espolòn bottle straight out of camera, then with basic adjustments out of Capture One, and finally retouched. Also, below that is the two base backgrounds straight out of Midjourney.
The bottle was shot in-studio with directional lighting on a black background to match the perspective and lighting of the AI-generated background. Those background plates could be flipped and retouched as needed to sync with the lighting direction, rather than reshoot the bottle. The bottle was then cleaned up, and all unwanted reflections were removed so they could be rebuilt using the new composite background.
Straight Out Of Camera
Raw Edit
Retouched
Close-up Before/After of Espolòn bottle retouching clean-up
Below is the before/after of the final composite and two close-up before/after images showing details of the composite.
Before/After of the table composite
Close-up Before/After of the table composite
Another close-up Before/After of the table composite
Unlike the previous Espolòn bottle composite—which used AI generated Midjourney images in a standard stock photography workflow—these next images pushed further into conceptual territory. The backgrounds were designed to echo the label art concepts and brand themes, pulling in elements like rooster feathers, spurs, the agave plant, and brand colors. We wanted to see how we could use AI to coax out the feeling of the brand and the bottle art by creating in a high energy abstract environment to place it in.
Before/After of AI composite 1
Close-up Before/After of AI composite 1
Previously, I might have used CGI to build backgrounds like this. But AI gives a faster way to build conceptual environments—randomness included. Making CGI random is more time consuming, with AI it's built-in, like it or not. AI isn't a perfect solution for super-specific ideas, and it's a longer and harder retouching process since nothing come out just right, but with the right retouching skills it can be a time saver and still achieve compelling visuals.
Before/After of AI composite 2
Close-up Before/After of AI composite 2
For brands exploring how to use AI without it controlling the creative, but still being creative, this kind of hybrid process opens up new possibilities. Yes, it takes more finesse on the retouching side—but the trade-off can be speed in certain scenarios, access to visuals that would be expensive or impossible to source traditionally, and offer quick ideation. With the right process, AI becomes less of a shortcut and more of creative tool—one that still needs wrangling and revisions, but one that can help push creative and even open new creative paths when you understand its strengths and limitations.
