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A
adrianh98458211
Participating Frequently
December 12, 2019
Answered

Lightroom Color Space Workflow Management

  • December 12, 2019
  • 4 replies
  • 1923 views

I'm wondering how to best solve this one. 

 

I'm working with Photoshop and Lightroom. Color is consistent across the two however when I export from LR to a JPG format, the color is quite different.

I get that LR/Photoshop color space is different and windows/browsers render in sRGB. I am using a calibrated display too.

Question is, what's the best way to be able to adjust images in LR whilst seeing what the final output would be?

I'd love to be able to work in sRGB if necessary but I don't think LR has this option. Any ideas?

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer D Fosse

This is perfectly normal.

 

Windows Photos is not color managed. It cannot be trusted. That's all there is to it.

4 replies

D Fosse
Community Expert
D FosseCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
December 12, 2019

This is perfectly normal.

 

Windows Photos is not color managed. It cannot be trusted. That's all there is to it.

    A
    adrianh98458211Author
    Participating Frequently
    December 12, 2019

    OK thanks! So how do you adjust colour in LR/PS so the resulting files which will be displayed on non color managed apps.

    Is the only option to save the file then open in Windows again?

    S
    Simon G E Garrett
    Inspiring
    December 12, 2019

    You can't really edit images to look right in non-managed applications.  With non colour managed apps, the colour will depend on the characteristics of the monitor, which will be different for each user, every monitor and every changed monitor setting.  Even for your own use, it's not a good idea to try to match the un-managed colour of the monitor, which can change with monitor settings.  It would be like introducing an error in the colour of an image to compensate for the error in the monitor colour. Change any setting on the monitor, or change the monitor, and everything would be wrong again.

     

     

    D Fosse
    Community Expert
    D FosseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    December 12, 2019

    Let me try again after a false start 🙂

     

    adrian, can you post a screenshot showing Lightroom on one side, and the photo viewer with the exported jpeg on the other? If you're using Windows "Photos", note that it is not color managed and a difference is normal and expected.

     

    You can export from Lightroom as sRGB. If there's still a huge difference between Lightroom and the photo viewer, a screenshot should reveal the reason.

    A
    adrianh98458211Author
    Participating Frequently
    December 12, 2019

    Here we go this should explain a few things.

    Clockwise starting in the top left. Lightroom RAW image. Next image to the right is the same image exported using LR. Full resolution JPG using sRGB. Bottom image is the exported JPG now opened in Photoshop.

    The main thing I'm trying to solve is I need to match some colours to other JPG images and it really hard to do this in LR or Photoshop if I can't see what I'm getting until I save the image and view again using Windows. The reason I need to do this is my clients will be using the images for their website as PNG or JPG.

     

     

    A
    adrianh98458211Author
    Participating Frequently
    December 12, 2019

    That's interesting. As I look at the image I posted above, it doesn't look anywhere near as different as when I view the screenshot file on my PC.

    When I look at it, the LR and PS images are pretty much the same (at least I can't tell the difference). But the JPG using windows viewer is very different - I also opened the file with Internet Explorer and it looks the same as windows viewer.

    Tony_See
    Tony_See
    Inspiring
    December 12, 2019

    I read that your issue might be more related to image files after Export, but the below might help:

    To make preview generation more friendly, try these steps:
    1. Make sure Catalog Settings > File Handling > Standard Preview Size is set at 1440 (no need to make it larger for your display but this point might not apply).
    2. In the Import window's File Handling, set Build Previews: Embedded & Sidecar.
    3. Set the option Preferences > General > Replace Embedded Previews With Standard Previews During Idle Time.
    4. Un-check the option Preferences > Performance > Generate Previews In Parallel.
    D Fosse
    Community Expert
    D FosseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    December 12, 2019

    It sounds like you have a defective monitor profile. That can affect different color managed applications differently, while applications without color management don't use the profile at all.

     

    This has nothing to do with choice of color spaces. This isn't about document color profiles at all, but the monitor profile.

     

    Which calibrator are you using?

     

    Can you post side by side screenshots?

     

     

    D Fosse
    Community Expert
    D FosseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    December 12, 2019

    Oops - I read "inconsistent" between Lightroom and Photoshop, but he actually said "consistent".

     

    Then it may just be a photo viewer without color management, such as Windows "Photos".

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