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danielg5981
Inspiring
February 4, 2025
Answered

Strange color when opening Camera Raw files only in Photoshop or Lightroom

  • February 4, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 2634 views

I have a strange thing happening that maybe someone can shed some thoughts on. I use my Nikon D7000 to  photograph my artwork (paintings)..  Recenly after shooting photos of two large commissoned paintings (one of the paintings has figures in the upper left corner that are presented in saturated red/orange, yellow, with saturated blue shadows) using an 18% gray card to set white balance and exposture (I bracket the shots as well) as is standard procedure (and I have done for decades), I imported the photos into my Mac.  The photos import into Apple Photos, and I can then export them (both as nef and jpg files). I then open the nef files in Camera Raw, and usually do any necessary adjustmens (cropping, sometimes curves adjustments a bit) in Photoshop. However, the area of the painnting with the saturated red/orange, yellow, and blue figures is appearing strange in Camera Raw, Photoshop, and even Lightroom. The nef files look fine in Apple Photos, or even if I open them in Preview, but in the Adobe apps the red/orange appears to be a brillant scarlet, over saturated and too cool. The jpg file, looks fine if I open it in any apps, including the Adobe ones. It is an odd occurence I've never encountered before. Any thoughts?  Thank you in advance. 

Correct answer NB, colourmanagement

@D Fosse @danielg5981 "First of all, I'd keep Apple Photos out of the equation. Copy the raw files directly to disk, and open in ACR from there."

I totally agree, why bring another application into the process. 

 

I hope this helps

neil barstow - adobe forum volunteer,

colourmanagement consultant & co-author of 'getting colour right'

See my free articles on colour management online

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1 reply

D Fosse
Community Expert
D FosseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 4, 2025

First of all, I'd keep Apple Photos out of the equation. Copy the raw files directly to disk, and open in ACR from there.

 

Other than that, you need to show screenshots. Include the full ACR interface. It sounds like maybe ACR isn't using the correct monitor profile, but that is guesswork without more information.

    D
    danielg5981Author
    Inspiring
    February 4, 2025

    Yes, thank you. I wil try directly uploading from the memory card to my computer. but your thought about the profile seems spot on. ACR was using the Adobe Color profile (don't remember ever changing this, and I've used it for years). I tried Adobe Neutral instead, and it is much more accurate. Then tried switching the Camera Matching to Camera Neutral, which is better, and then Camera Standard, which is a bit better, more accurate still, bit more depth. It does seem to have resolved the issue. I am attaching three screenshots (this is a detail of one of two large paintings commissioned by our state Department of Health). The first is a screenshot of the image as it appears in Apple Photos with no correction. The second is as it appears in ACR with the Adobe Color profile. You can see how the red/oranges become over saturated scarlet. The third is in ACR with the Camera Standard profile. The color is true to the actual painting.  So thank you!   I was worried that maybe there was a problem with the camera. I am going to also try directly uploading from the memory card (bypassing Apple Photos) to see if that makes a difference., though I've done it this way for years.    Thanks again!!!

      D Fosse
      Community Expert
      D FosseCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      February 4, 2025

      Actually I was talking about the monitor profile, which has nothing to do with camera profiles.

       

      However:

       

      I had assumed that you had been doing all the necessary adjustments in ACR, and that the oversaturation happened in Photoshop when the file opened there. But rereading your first post, it seems you think it's oversaturated throughout, and that all these apps actually agree.

       

      What you see in Apple Photos is not the raw data. It's the jpeg embedded in the file by the camera.

       

      So this is basically down to using the controls in ACR and making the appropriate adjustments to get the desired result. The camera profiles are included in that.

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