Color mismatch between Lightroom and Photoshop ACR

[rsamco]

All of a sudden, I am getting image color casts when I use Lightroom's "Edit in Photoshop CC 2017..." or "Open as Smart Object" to open a RAW file in Photoshop CC 2017. However, if I instead use Lightroom's "Export..." to send the RAW file to Photoshop as either a PSD or a TIFF, the image opens in Ps with color that matches Lightroom's. That is, I can perform these 3 different ways of editing a RAW image in Photoshop and compare the 3 resulting Photoshop edit windows side-by-side -- the "Edit in..." and "Smart Object" versions will be exactly the same but wrong (usually too Cyan), with only the "Export..." version's color correctly matching Lightroom's window.

I'm at a loss why this is now happening...I have checked:

• I am using current CC 2017 versions of Lightroom, Photoshop & ACR (Lr v2015.10.1/ACR v9.10.1; Ps v20179425.r.252x64/ACR v9.10.1.750);
• Running Windows 10, Creator's Edition x64 with all Microsoft updates applied;
• Turned off GPU acceleration in Lightroom & Photoshop;
• Double checked that Lightroom's "Preferences/External Editing": exports to Photoshop in "ProPhotoRGB 16bits"; Checked that my Photoshop default Color Space is the same. "Color Settings" in Photoshop has the 3 "Ask" boxes checked for missing and mismatched color profiles.
• Although it seemed a long shot, I re-calibrated my monitor since other forum threads suggested doing that. I also double checked that correct monitor profile is being used (through Window's "Color Management");

Is there anyone who can help? TIA!

[D Fosse]

I don't think there's much point in that (even if I knew how to test a monitor profile).

There seems to be no pattern whatsoever in what monitor profiles are used. Results differ, but in a completely random way.

I've had some private correspondence with Noel Carboni about this, and everything still points to the GPU. The fact that it shows up with Metal/MacOS as well as OpenGL/Windows, may be because Metal was made so that PS code was immediately portable to Mojave - in fact it would have to be. So whatever the problem is, it was inherited.

A very plausible theory is that for those who don't see it, like myself, the reason may be that Photoshop kicks out the GPU from doing color management with certain drivers/driver versions. GPU-driven features in general work, but this one is disabled. That explains why I used to see it, but no more - I'm still using the same calibrator as I did then (ColorNavigator), and I'm still making profiles to the same spec (matrix v2).

So again, to avoid it, set GPU to "Basic" mode, or use Adobe RGB.

[WLan]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/D+Fosse  wrote

So again, to avoid it, set GPU to "Basic" mode, or use Adobe RGB.

I'm still in doubt about that, don't know which route to take. Go aRGB and never worry again about this issue while having the risk of clipping certain colors or go ppRGB to keep as much info as possible.

I will probably do some thorough testing this week to see how much my edits affect my images each color space.

A very plausible theory is that for those who don't see it, like myself, the reason may be that Photoshop kicks out the GPU from doing color management with certain drivers/driver versions. GPU-driven features in general work, but this one is disabled.

Would be nice if they disabled GPU color management so I can keep using advanced and get the other enhanced features. Like I said I don't know exactly what I'm lacking in Basic mode but I highly doubt it's only the color management.

[D Fosse]

FWIW, you can live a long and happy life without ProPhoto. I rarely use it and generally don't miss it.

Yes, a large color space reduces the immediate risk of clipping. But sooner or later you will have to deal with that clipping anyway - at some point you need to remap that into an output color space. Getting a full-gamut PP file into a printer profile without clipping can be a piece of work.

I've found it makes life a lot easier if I contain the gamut to Adobe RGB as early as possible. A lot less problems down the road - and at the same time I don't have to deal with the downsides of ProPhoto, mainly the compressed shadows (which I really hate).

Let's be clear on one thing: you don't need those extremely saturated colors outside Adobe RGB. Even if they could be reproduced in print or screen, which they generally can't. But it has also been shown that real-life reflected surface colors are mainly within Adobe RGB (the so-called "Pointer's gamut", after Michael R. Pointer).

And even so. As I've said many times: good color is not about max saturation. Good color is about relationships.

[WLan]

Makes sense D Fosse.

I'll still probably do some testing but I'm leaning towards working in aRGB from now on. The RAW file remains in Lightroom so I always have that file to go back to and edit in all it's glory. I guess it's just that my Ps edits/composites will be in aRGB so I might have less room for extra edits. Currently 80% of my work exports to sRGB though, the rest aRGB.

How would this affect B&W? Would the difference be noticeable in gradients? or none at all?

[TheDigitalDog]

WLan  wrote

Makes sense D Fosse.

I'll still probably do some testing but I'm leaning towards working in aRGB from now on.

You should absolutely run tests. This may aid before doing so:

The benefits of wide gamut working spaces on printed output:

This three part, 32 minute video covers why a wide gamut RGB working space like ProPhoto RGB can produce superior quality output to print.

Part 1 discusses how the supplied Gamut Test File was created and shows two prints output to an Epson 3880 using ProPhoto RGB and sRGB, how the deficiencies of sRGB gamut affects final output quality. Part 1 discusses what to look for on your own prints in terms of better color output. It also covers Photoshop’s Assign Profile command and how wide gamut spaces mishandled produce dull or over saturated colors due to user error.

Part 2 goes into detail about how to print two versions of the properly converted Gamut Test File  file in Photoshop using Photoshop’s Print command to correctly setup the test files for output. It covers the Convert to Profile command for preparing test files for output to a lab.

Part 3 goes into color theory and illustrates why a wide gamut space produces not only move vibrant and saturated color but detail and color separation compared to a small gamut working space like sRGB.

High Resolution Video: http://digitaldog.net/files/WideGamutPrintVideo.mov

Low Resolution (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLlr7wpAZKs&feature=youtu.be

[D Fosse]

This is less important for B&W. It will obviously always be in gamut.

But there are still differences. sRGB, for instance, has a rather idiosyncratic tone response curve with a flat linear "toe" near black. This tends to clip the deepest blacks if you're not careful. Adobe RGB, on the other hand, is straight gamma 2.2.

Gradients will always be good as long as you work in 16 bit depth. It may not always seem that way, since your display system is 8 bit depth, and will easily show some banding even in 16 bit files. It's not in the data. Indeed, this is exactly the case with what we were originally discussing here - the cyan shadow banding in ProPhoto. It's on screen only, it's not in the data.

[yvn76 · Accepted solution]

I just figured out, it is a GPU bug in the photoshop. My color don't match between Lightroom and photoshop. Even black and white photo in photoshop has a weird color cast yet in Lightroom perfectos I turned off the GPU in photoshop and lo and behold perfect match!

[resourceful_Moonlight5C80]

A year later, this is still true (at least on Intel Integrated Graphics). Any updates from Adobe on this issue?

[Dirtsa66]

May 2021! Same issue - solutions (turning off GPU still worked for me. It happens totally randomly for random photos. Weird!

[JMDesigns83]

Try something because turning off graphics excelleration does not work for my situation.  If Photoshop is in full screen mode, go up to either top corner and slightly minimize the screen.  As soon as I do that my colours are correct.  It is a pain in my butt to have to do that everytime I edit in photoshop but it allows me to use my 4k 28 in monitor for edits instead of my 21in imac 4k 

[burtonr59576513]

Those with Mac Studio Ultra: this worked for me - open lightroom file as a smart object in photoshop.  Then convert it to a layer, or flatten image, to preserve color match.