Desaturated Photos from Lightroom

[avatararies]

Ok, looked through other topics and nothing has worked. I have calibrated my screens with a spyder (yes, 2 computers, same issue) and my images look great in Lightroom, been using lightroom and the same preset for over 4 years. but come out terrible once I export them the last few months and I'm going insane trying to edit and make up for the desaturation I keep running in to. Any help would be greatly appreciated.  

[Per Berntsen]

Lightroom is color managed, and uses the monitor profile to display correct colors. The colors are converted from the document profile (for instance sRGB) to the monitor profile.

When you calibrate your monitor, a custom monitor profile is created and installed, and this profile contains an accurate description of the color response of your monitor. This ensures that color managed software will display correct colors.

The Photos app is not color managed, does not use the monitor profile, and will display uncorrected, wrong colors.

Windows does not come with any color managed software, except the Edge browser.

You can use Adobe Bridge (included in your subscription) to view exported images, or use a third party, color managed image viewer, like

1. FastStone image viewer. Free for personal use. Color management must be enabled under Settings > CMS, and both boxes must be checked,
2. ACDSee. Not free. Color managed out of the box.
3. Irfanview. Free for none commercial use. Color management must be enabled under Options > Properties/Settings.

[avatararies]

Thank you. The problem is, the photos after being exported look fine in the adobe products, like bridge and what not, but I use windows explorer to look at the photos and that is also how they look when I upload them to pixieset. They didn't used to look completely different from lightroom to windows, but now they do. 

[Per Berntsen]

Your screenshot shows that you are viewing the image in Photos, I guess you mean that you double-click the file in the File Explorer.

that is also how they look when I upload them to pixieset. They didn't used to look completely different from lightroom to windows, but now they do. 

By @avatararies

Are you viewing the uploaded images in a web browser? Which one?

Did you calibrate your monitor recently, or a long time ago?

[josephlavine]

What application are you using to view your images outside of Lightroom? As Per Bernsten discussed, some applications are not color managed and unable to display colors accurately.

warmly/j

[avatararies]

I use windows explorer to view the images outside of adobe products, which they look fine in the like bridge, photo shop and lightroom, but not windows explorer, and that is how they would upload as well, what I see in windows explorer.

[Todd Shaner]

Windows File Explorer also is NOT color managed as explained concerning Windows Photo app as well. Why would you even use Explorer for judging image quality? LrC and Bridge have far more capability for that purpose.

Concering uploading images to the Web make sure you are exporting them with the LrC Export module File Settings> Color Space is set to sRGB. Then you need to use a fully color mangaged Web Browser that has been properly setup to use the display profile.

https://cameratico.com/guides/web-browser-color-management-guide/