Color management in Photoshop CC doesn't work

[nadiner16592012]

Hello,

first of all I am sorry for my english, i am not a native speaker, i still hope you can understand my problem.

I am having the following setup:

    - Laptop Lenovo Ideapad

    - Windows 10

    - Benq SW2700PT monitor connected via HDMI to the laptop

    - Colorimeter X-Rite i1 Display Pro

I did the following steps:

    1. hardware calibrated my Benq monitor using the Benq software Palette Master Element to 90 cd/m2, sRGB, Gamma 2.2, white point 6500K.

    2. calibration was successful and as a result an ICC profile was created on system level. This is now the default profile in Windows color management (named SW2700 1_D65_sRGB_L90_G22_2017-07-19T22).

After the above steps, all the colors fit perfect in programs like Irfan View, Windows Photo Viewer, Windows Explorer, but not in Adobe programs such as Lightroom and Photoshop CC.

I work in sRGB, all the pictures that I open in Photoshop are way more saturated than they should be.

I tried the following Photoshop settings, none of them seems to solve my problem:

    1.

        - Edit -> Color Management -> Custom Settings -> Working Spaces -> RGB -> sRGB IEC61966-2.1

        -

    2.

        - Edit -> Color Management -> Custom Settings -> Working Spaces -> RGB -> SW2700 1_D65_sRGB_L90_G22_2017-07-19T22

        -

If I save the pictures in Photoshop, no matter which way (jpeg, png or export for web) the pictures look as they are supposed to. Even the "export to web" preview shows the proper picture, but not Photoshop itself.

I read about a lot of people having the exact same problem as me, they just "solved" it by using the proof, which makes it look ok in Photoshop, but doesn't solve my problem, especially because I also use Lightroom and the proof is supposed to contain the ICC profile of my printer.

Note: Under Edit -> Color Management -> Custom Settings -> Working Spaces -> RGB -> Other I only see one "Monitor RGB - Generic PnP Monitor" color profile, which is the one created by the software calibration of my laptop display. Shouldn't there be a profile with a similar name "SW2700 1_D65_sRGB_L90_G22_2017-07-19T22" in the same list, which would show that Photoshop identified the profile as being a monitor profile? Anyway, wouldnt it be wrong to select another profile than sRGB IEC61966-2.1 here?

NOTE2:  I tried the above steps twice: once exporting a V4 icc profile during calibration and once a V2 profile. Both tries had the same result

I hope somebody can help me.

[TheDigitalDog]

Simple. LR and Photoshop which are color managed are providing correct previews, the other applications are not color managed and not providing a correct preview.

Open an image, ideally something like this: http://www.digitaldog.net/files/2014PrinterTestFileFlat.tif.zip

Go into View>Proof Setup>Monitor RGB. Bet it matches those other applications now. If it does, it proves they are not ICC aware.

And yes, when you go into Color Settings, RGB Working space, the display profile for that display should be shown at the top of the dropdown menu (the name of the profile you built).

[nadiner16592012]

Thank you very much for your answer. I did not try your solution, but I can say that PS and LR didn't display the image correctly. I have the picture printed by a professional printing service and the version displayed by the other apps looks exactly like the printed one. Also in color managed browsers they are shown proper, so with less saturation. The profile of the monitor, written as "Monitor..." was not in the dropdown list, so i couldnt select it. I did a software calibration on top of the hardware calibration (the HW calibrations ICC profile is still selected in the system). Now everything is fine in Photoshop as well and i see the less saturated, proper picture. I also have that "Monitor.." Profile in the list now. Even though I dont need it. This is a weird and complicated solution, but i just couldnt make it work otherwise. Thank you for you answer again!

[TheDigitalDog]

LR and PS did indeed display the images correctly even if you don't like the color appearance. Correct as close as they can based on the display profile.

You probably have an issue with the display profile being loaded and used by Photoshop and LR based on what you've stated. Again, you need to properly calibrate and profile the display, the profile you built should be seen as I illustrated above whereby you now know that PS is using that display profile. All non color managed applications have no idea that display profile exists, uses it or knows anything about the profiles embedded into image data; they are not color managed.

[gator soup]

I can say that PS and LR didn't display the image correctly.

rule out a defective monitor profile (color only looks bad in Photoshop)

HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT BAD MONITOR PROFILE in Adobe Photoshop

rule out settings/profile issues using the Whacked RGB PDI target jpg

DOWNLOAD PDI TEST IMAGE Photodisc

I also have that "Monitor.." Profile in the list now. Even though I dont need it.

You mean the custom monitor profile?

Then you are not proofing colors faithfully in Photoshop...

Keep in mind, even with a good monitor profile and correct Adobe settings

Windows has three types of color management:

FULL like Photoshop (makes a true Source profile to Monitor profile conversion for theoretical 'truecolor')

HALF, the software converts Source space to to sRGB and sends the RGB numbers straight to the monitor

NO COLOR MANAGEMENT, the source RGB numbers are sent straight to the monitor

Once we understand these three core statements, the Great Color-Management Mystery unravels pretty fast:

1) In Photoshop (and color-managed applications), the Source Image profile is independent of the Monitor and Print profiles.

2) The monitor can PROOF (display) a source image correctly regardless of how right or wrong the printer is set up, and

3) The printer can PROOF (print) a source image correctly regardless of how right or wrong the monitor is set up.

[miguelsn]

I have the same problem as yourself. Did you solve it?

Photoshop and Lightroom are not displaying the colors accurately, in my case they look desaturated.

I have IefanView, Image NX and Firefox display the photographs as they should, but photoshop and Lightroom do not. As a example that there is something wrong with it, when I go to Export -> Export As -> JPEG. When the preview comes up converted to sRGB, I can see the colors as intended.

When I proceed and export the JPEG as I saw in the preview  and open the same JPEG it was just exported again, the colors are desaturated.

Obviously I have a monitor calibrated, I used Spyder4 for it. My default color settings are Workspace: AdobeRGB, Conversion Options: Adobe, and the option to desaturate monitor colors by is not ticked.

[D Fosse]

Photoshop and Lightroom are correct.

You apparently have a wide gamut monitor, which means you must have correct color management at all times. You cannot use software that isn't color managed, that's the deal you accept when getting such a display. That's the pact.

Don't change anything in Photoshop's color settings. Don't proof. This stuff works perfectly out of the box as long as you leave it alone. Your working space doesn't matter. What matters is the profile embedded in the file, it will always override the working space.

Most color management problems come from people failing to understand that it needs to be there. That's all. When it stops, in applications that don't do it - that's when you get problems.