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mommafine
Participating Frequently
October 31, 2021
Question

Exports look different than edited version

  • October 31, 2021
  • 3 replies
  • 5344 views

I just upgraded as suggested, but now I'm haveing an issue.  I edited an entire session just the way I wanted, and exported the JPEG files to my external hard drive.  The problem - the exported files look VERY different from the way I edited them in Lightroom.  The exported files are very "cool" and muted compared to the warm vibrant files in Lightroom.  HELP! I have attached a phone photo of my cmputer screen, comparing my lightroom edit (left) to the exported file (right).

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3 replies

dj_paige
dj_paige
Legend
October 31, 2021

Are you exporting with sRGB selected as the color space? Anything else can cause the exported photos to not match the colors in Lightroom.

    M
    mommafineAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    November 1, 2021

    I'm not sure....  I just switched to the Creative Cloud Lightroom Classic.  I had a really old version, so I'm still trying to figure out everything.  Where would I check for that? I really appreciate your help.

    M
    mommafineAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    November 1, 2021

    I found it!  I am exporting in sRGB.  

    Per Berntsen
    Community Expert
    Per BerntsenCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    October 31, 2021

    Lightroom is color managed, and uses the monitor profile to displays correct colors.

    The Photos app is not color managed, does not use the monitor profile, and will never display correct colors, so stop using it.

    But if Lightroom colors are very vibrant all of a sudden, it's most likely caused by a defective monitor profile.

    (it has nothing to do with the upgrade to Lightroom Classic 11)

     

    Did you follow the procedure given at The Lightroom Queen website, and set the monitor profile to sRGB?

    If your photos now look different, you have to re-edit them.

    Instead of Photos, use Adobe Bridge, or a third party color managed image viewer, like FastStone.

    You have to enable color management under Settings > CMS, and both boxes must be checked.

    M
    mommafineAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    October 31, 2021

    This is all great information.....  I did what the Lightroom Queen suggested and set the monitor profile to sRGB. My edited photos still look the same in Lightroom, but I did re-edit a few. I noticed the difference first on my phone.  I emailed a few of the exported JPEG files from my external hard drive file to myself, and the edited photos look cool and pale on my phone, in comparison to them inside Lightroom.   I like the Lightroom ones, and those are the ones I want. I'm just worried that when my client receives their gallery, the JPEG files will look just like the ones I emailed myself, when that is NOT the product I meant to deliver.  I email pics to myself often, just to see them on a different device, and they ALWAYS look exactly like my Lightroom edits.  This just happened since I installed the upgrade. That's why I'm concerned.  This is a first.....

    Per Berntsen
    Community Expert
    Per BerntsenCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    October 31, 2021

    Just to make sure, did you set the monitor profile to sRGB with Lightroom running?

    And if you did, did you restart it after changing the monitor profile?

    Applications are served the monitor profile on launch, so a restart is required if running.

     

    Like the rest of us, you have no control over how your images display on other peoples computers or other devices.

    If they are on Windows, you can tell them to use color managed image viewers. No native Windows applications (Photos, Paint, Desktop, File Explorer) are color managed.

    Mac is a different story, since all native Mac applications are color managed.

    Android phones and tablets are not color managed, but iPhones are supposedly color managed.

     

    This just happened since I installed the upgrade

    Please clarify what upgrade you are talking about.

    Is it to Lightroom Classic 11, or to Windows 11?

     

     

      dj_paige
      dj_paige
      Legend
      October 31, 2021

      Color mismatches are almost always due to monitor calibration problems. You need to calibrate your monitor. Also, you can try this to see if it helps: https://www.lightroomqueen.com/how-do-i-change-my-monitor-profile-to-check-whether-its-corrupted/

      M
      mommafineAuthor
      Participating Frequently
      October 31, 2021

      ....but I had zero problems before the upgrade.  It's as if my Lightroom colors are very vibrant, now.  However, when it exports, the colors are changed.  Would that still be a monitor color issue?  When it was fine before?  I do thank you for your advice.  Definitely going to look into it.

      dj_paige
      dj_paige
      Legend
      October 31, 2021

      Monitor calibration is the problem. Yes, exports can show different colors than inside Lightroom Classic. Yes, upgrades can sometimes cause problems.

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