Exports from Lightroom are faded compared to Photoshop, please help!

[the_watchkeeper]

Test files - https://1drv.ms/u/s!ArS2StB5-PZ8gZJ6CVoO-anYQ4MZBg?e=5SY4aS

Please see the two test files below. One was exported directly from photoshop. For the second, I brought the photoshop file into Lightroom and then exported from there. If you drop both of these images into Photoshop and cycle between them you can see the blacks are raised in the lightroom export and the overall image looks faded.

Both exports are sRGB. It would appear the only change is in the blacks.

Please can someone help me to fix this!

[johnrellis]

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Here's a Photoshop histogram of the layer difference between the two photos:

If you upload the original PSD to the Onedrive folder, that would allow for more efficient investigation rather than play 20 questions.

[the_watchkeeper]

Thank you for your help! Here are new test files: https://1drv.ms/u/s!ArS2StB5-PZ8gZMBI95cRrWZISHVPw?e=X9kZrl

The histogram you attached shows the difference I'm seeing I think. The lightroom export looks faded in the blacks whereas the photoshop export is how it should be.

[johnrellis]

I narrowed down the difference to the JPEG compression algorithms used by PS and LR.  

The PSD is in Adobe RGB, so to eliminate colorspace conversion as the culprit, I exported from PS and LR in Adobe RGB, not sRGB.

When I export the PSD from PS using File > Save  A Copy As > TIFF and from LR as a TIFF, the exported TIFFs are identical.

When I export the PSD from PS using File > Export > Export As with JPEG quality 7 (maximum) and from LR with JPEG quality 100, the exported JPEGs exhibit the difference in the blacks.   Also when exporting from PS using File > Save A Copy with quality 12 (maximum).

I don't know whether PS or LR is giving the better result. I can't see the differences visually on my Eizo calibrated display in a darkened room -- I can only see the difference when examining the histogram of the differences of the images as layers.

When I compute the differences between the LR JPEG and the original PSD, and betweeen the PS JPEG and the original PSD, the differences look very similar.  At least with the histograms, neither the PS nor the LR JPEG are closer to the original PSD.

I get nearly the same results when using LR JPEG quality 75.

[johnrellis]

"I can't see the differences visually on my Eizo calibrated display in a darkened room -- I can only see the difference when examining the histogram of the differences of the images as layers."

I forgot to add: When I repeat the tests exporting as sRGB rather than Adobe RGB, the difference between the PS and LR JPEGs is visually noticeable on my display, and the PS JPEG looks visually closer to the original PSD than the LR JPEG.

So the colorspace conversion is increasing the differences between the JPEG compression algorithms.

[the_watchkeeper]

Thank you! So should I be working in sRGB from the start within Photoshop to avoid these discrepancies? And if so, how do I make sure I'm in the right colour space from the start? My process involves dragging my RAW photos into Photoshop which opens in camera raw filter. I then make some tweaks in camera roll filter before opening the image. 

"I can't see the differences visually on my Eizo calibrated display in a darkened room -- I can only see the difference when examining the histogram of the differences of the images as layers."

I forgot to add: When I repeat the tests exporting as sRGB rather than Adobe RGB, the difference between the PS and LR JPEGs is visually noticeable on my display, and the PS JPEG looks visually closer to the original PSD than the LR JPEG.

So the colorspace conversion is increasing the differences between the JPEG compression algorithms.

By @johnrellis

"I can't see the differences visually on my Eizo calibrated display in a darkened room -- I can only see the difference when examining the histogram of the differences of the images as layers."

I forgot to add: When I repeat the tests exporting as sRGB rather than Adobe RGB, the difference between the PS and LR JPEGs is visually noticeable on my display, and the PS JPEG looks visually closer to the original PSD than the LR JPEG.

So the colorspace conversion is increasing the differences between the JPEG compression algorithms.

By @johnrellis

[johnrellis]

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"How do I make sure I'm in the right colour space from the start? My process involves dragging my RAW photos into Photoshop which opens in camera raw filter."

In the Camera Raw filter, you can change the working color space here: