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Color Calibration Problem: Photoshop, Windows 11 and Dell UP3216PQ

Forum|Forum|8 months ago
November 23, 2025
10 replies
1392 views

I am having a problem with color calibrating my monitor and Photoshop under Windows 11 that I didn't have under Windows 10.

Settings:

Monitor: Dell UP3216PQ (this is a wide gamut 10bit monitor)

OS: Windows 11 Pro

Calibrating software and device: Xrite i1 Display Pro and its accompanying calibrating software

Software for color management under Windows: Dell Display Manager

With Xrite/Dell software, I have the option for two calibrations based on different settings. Normally I do one based on sRGB and one based on Adobe RGB. Xrite/Dell Display Manger calls them CAL 1 and CAL 2. So CAL 1 and CAL 2 are essentially sRGB and aRGB profiles created by the software. However, this monitor has hardware color calibration so it writes the tables into the monitor's memory (as far as I understand it).

I understand when I switch between from CAL 1 to CAL 2, the desktop and windows apps which generally which are not aware of the monitor's color settings, turn out quite saturated in their color appearance. However, I assume this should not be the case for Photoshop. Well, at least this was not the case under Windows 10 pro.

Under Windows 10 pro, when I was switching between CAL 1 and CAL 2, I could barely if any see any difference in an image (PSD file) opened in Photoshop.

Under Windows 11, Photoshop is acting like any other Windows app: colors become very saturated. Yellows tend towards orange and red, for example. This clearly shouldn't be the case.

I am wondering if I am doing something wrong here?

On another note: Windows in its Setting has a 'Color Management' Section, where I can see the color profile created by the Xrite/Dell software corresponding to CAL 1 and CAL 2: I have named them UP3216sRGB.icm and UP3216aRGB.icm. When I use Dell Display Manager software to switch between CAL 1 and CAL 2, Windows is not aware of that. In its settings, I see it does not switch from UP3216sRGB.icm to UP3216aRGB.icm and vice versa. For testing, I manually make the switch there. It does not make any difference. Colors still seems saturated in Photoshop under CAL 2 and UP3216aRGB.icm set as profile under Windows color settings.

Like I said, I didn't have this problem under Windows 10.

Windows

E

eimmaarose

Participating Frequently

It sounds like the issue is not with the calibration itself, but with how Windows 11 and Photoshop are handling the monitor profile switching.

A few things to check:

1. The monitor LUT vs. Windows ICC profile must match
Dell/X-Rite calibration writes the LUT into the monitor (CAL1/CAL2), but Windows and Photoshop still need the matching ICC profile loaded.
If the monitor is switched to CAL2 but Windows is still using the CAL1 ICC, Photoshop will show oversaturated colors. Make sure:

Switch monitor to CAL2

Then manually set the matching profile (UP3216aRGB.icm) as default in
Color Management → Devices → (your monitor)

Check “Use my settings for this device”

If they don’t match, Photoshop can’t display correctly.

2. Disable automatic profile overriding in Windows 11
Windows 11 sometimes applies system-level “enhancements” that affect color.
Try disabling:

Windows HD Color settings

Night Light / Auto HDR

Any Dell utilities that force “dynamic color” modes

These can override ICC behavior.

3. Photoshop must be using the OS color profile
In Photoshop:

Check Edit → Color Settings

Working space should be something standard (sRGB / Adobe RGB / ProPhoto), not your monitor profile

The monitor profile should only be set in Windows, not inside Photoshop

If the monitor profile is accidentally selected in Photoshop as the working space, oversaturation will occur.

4. Test using a color-managed reference app
Windows Photos, most browsers, etc., are not fully color-managed. Try viewing the same image in:

Lightroom

Faststone Viewer (color management ON)

If Photoshop and a color-managed viewer match, the system is behaving correctly.

5. Known issue in Windows 11
Windows 11 has been reported to occasionally ignore profile changes until logout/restart. After switching CAL1↔CAL2 and the ICC in Windows:

Log out

Log in again

Then test Photoshop

Some users need a full restart depending on GPU drivers.

6. GPU driver settings
Ensure your GPU control panel (NVIDIA/AMD/Intel):

Has no custom color enhancements

Is not forcing 10-bit/8-bit conversion modes that reset ICC behavior

If CAL1/CAL2 + ICC are correctly matched and Windows 11 actually applies the profile, Photoshop should look the same regardless of calibration—just like it did in Windows 10. The oversaturation means somewhere in the chain the OS, monitor LUT, or ICC profile is out of sync.

raminoltaAuthor

Participating Frequently

Thanks for the info. Please note Photoshop is a color managed app better than Faststone or any other app I know of. Faststone cannot correctly read psd files and it doesn't allow to choose a specific display color profile. The only option Faststone provides is to activate color mamangement. In XnView, it is possible to choose a specific color profile.

The Windows color management was already disabled. HDR was disabled by default as my monitor is not hdr capable. Changing the color profiles in Windows settings makes absolutely no difference. Like I explained before, after I switch from CAL1 to CAL2 or vice versa, I kept switching to the corresponding color profile in the Windows settings at the same time. It made no difference at all. Note, every change I make, I also try different options: closing and reopenning the applications, logging out and in, restarting the computer. None of these makes a difference.

In Nvidia, I changed some settings in order to make sure the GPU driver does not intervene and alter the colors. The attached pictures show my current settings in the GPU driver as of now. Nevertheless, changing these settings did not make any visible difference in the color appearance of pictures in any application.

raminoltaAuthor

Participating Frequently

N.A.

D Fosse

Community Expert

I can't quite make out what you're actually doing here, but I do get the feeling you're overcomplicating this and maybe changing settings that aren't relevant and you don't need to worry about. When people have problems with monitor calibration and profiling, it's usually because they do too much.

Take a breath. This is really simple.

The software measures the monitor in its current state and writes a profile describing that behavior. Done, there's nothing more you need to do. That profile is automatically set up in Windows as the default profile for that monitor.

When Photoshop starts up, it gets that default monitor profile from Windows. Photoshop then uses this profile in a standard profile conversion, from the document profile, and into the monitor profile. This happens on the fly, as you work. These corrected numbers are sent to screen, thus representing the file correctly.

Now, if the monitor's behavior changes, regardless of how that change happens, you need a new profile as the old one is no longer valid. So you can either change profile in the OS yourself, or the calibration software can do it for you. Either way, Photoshop needs to restart so it can pick up the new profile.

Note that the monitor profile does not need to match any standard color space! Set the software to "native", not an Adobe RGB emulation. That just restricts the monitor's capabilities.

Just make sure these three components are present and correct, and the file has to display correctly.

a document profile embedded in the file (sRGB, Adobe RGB, ProPhoto).
a monitor profile that is a correct description of the monitor's actual and current behavior.
color managed software that correctly converts from one into the other, and outputs those corrected numbers to screen.

raminoltaAuthor

Participating Frequently

Thank for the reply. Just to clarify: I did try calibrating for the Monitor's native color. The same problem persists: colors look very sturated under in Photoshop just like aRGB).

I think my question is legitimate: Switching color profiles in the Dell Display Manager under Windows 10 between CAL1 and CAL2 (sRGB and aRGB) was not resulting in image files in PS appearing different color-wise. Under Windows 11, it does so. Restarting Photoshop does not resolve the problem.

This is particularly important to me as I print my photos. Under Windows 10, I had very good accuracy: my print was very close to what I was seeing on the monitor. Under Windows 11, this is going to be a different story as the print can resemble the image on the monitor under when seen under one of these color space setting. (Well, I can make a test print and check this out for myself.).

davescm

Community Expert

Do you restart Photoshop after switching? Photoshop picks up the monitor file used by the operating system, when it starts. It therefore requires a restart if the monitor environment and associated profile is changed. Until that restart, the profile in use no longer represents the monitor in its current state.
Dave

raminoltaAuthor

Participating Frequently

Yes, I did restart Photshop and it didn't make a difference. I even restarted my computer and no difference.

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