Sony Camera matching Color Profiles render cloud gradients with weird artefacts and discolouration

[Andrei Stance]

Hello,

I've noticed this issue a while ago. Whenever I open a Sony RAW file in Photoshop with Camera Raw, the colours in the clouds are rendered with strange discolouration and artefacts when I use camera matching Color Profiles. I have tried multiple files, lossless compressed and uncompressed. When using the Adobe Color Profiles they are rendered better, but the colors are completely different and quite difficult to change to the desired, original camera matching ones. The same files are rendered beautifully and accurately in Capture One. I will attach relevant screenshots with the same file edited in Camera matching and Adobe Color Profiles and in Capture one. 

[D Fosse]

First of all - why have you pushed red saturation up +48 in the Calibration tab? That's asking for trouble. That's not the way to do it.

Second, I'm not really impressed with the C1 rendering. It's basically monochrome, and everything looks "better" in monochrome, especially gradients and transitions. You have a few areas where the hue changes abrubtly, which are not present in the C1 example because there is no hue change. It's all basically the same hue. That said, given this extreme saturation, I can't say I'm seeing any "artifacts". (EDIT see below) I downloaded the images and cropped out the UI, and are viewing them on on my Eizo CG.

For this to have real relevance, you need to post the exact same crop from the same file. You're not doing that here, so we don't know what we're comparing.

Another thing is your monitor profile. That can introduce artifacts on screen if it's not accurate. Are you using a calibrator?

But I can agree that ACR's camera matching profiles aren't particularly good. I really don't see the point in them. They're attempting to mimic another processing engine, and it's enough to look at the jagged histograms to see that some drastic twists and turns are employed to achieve that. The Adobe profiles treat the data as they are, and will always look better and more natural.

FWIW, I've owned and used every Sony a7r model from II through the current V, and I find that ACR/LrC treat these files beautifully.

[D Fosse]

Update - I was looking at the two Adobe profiles, not the third camera matching. Yes, that looks horrible. Agreed.

Just reinforces my point. Avoid the camera matching profiles. They are hybrid creatures without any sensible purpose.

[Andrei Stance]

I'm not going to start a debate on what I should or shouldn't be able to do with the Calibration tab, or about Capture One's quality, that is not the point.

Secondly, the idea behind the camera matching profiles is to match the camera rendering of the raw previews and makes sense. I don't want to use what Adobe thinks looks natural and I don't know how saying not to use them is helpful since the Adobe profiles render files differently than what the camera previews. That is the issue that I want to be fixed.

Thirdly, it is definitely ACR and not the monitor introducing artifacts. I will attach a new example with the same 100% crop of another photo with the same edits in both programs, +0.5 exposure and +30 saturation. Also, the camera is a Sony A7IV, not an R model.

[D Fosse]

Well, OK, if that's your point I agree. The camera matching profiles aren't very good.

Where I disagree is that it's important. There is no such thing as a "reference" original raw file. The camera version is no more valid than any other version. It's linear monochrome data, and it has to be interpreted to produce a useful image anyway. Who's to say one interpretation is any better than another. I just want my own interpretation, and I'm always able to do that in ACR/Lr.

[Andrei Stance]

Any fixes Adobe? It's been months, and apparently people have had these issues for years.

[PECourtejoie]

Hi, I will  move the discussion in the relevant (ACR) forum.

[Andrei Stance]

Hi,

Yes, please, that would be very helpful, thank you!

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

I don't see anywhere that the file used in the screenshots has been provided. Is that possible? 

[maximilianw28931415]

Hi!

I have the same issue:
CAMERA ST in Lightroom Classic adds purple artifacts to the edges of clouds. Mostly in seascape shots during dusk/dawn.

(Sony A7RV latest firmware, LrC 13.5 with Camera Raw 16.5 with Ventura 13.6.7) 

Importing into Sony Image Editing software shows sky/clouds without any problems/artifacts.

It's not a screen calibration issue as some have suggested. It also happens when exported and viewed on different screens/devices.

Removing some tint in Lightroom doesn't fix it either. The area with the purple artifacts becomes white/green in this case and it still doesn't look acceptable.

The CAMERA ST profile is not just "not so nice" in my opinion. Because of the purple artifacts it renders most of my seascapes useless. Please fix it! This is a well known modern camera and I am a Lightroom user for so many years and have no intent of switching to other editing programmes. But I don't like to start my edits so far away from the camera-matching profiles either. 

Thank you.