P: Color Distortion When Opening Images saved from FB in Photoshop 26.5

[Chanitpon370485241xu8]

After updating to the latest version of Photoshop, we encountered an issue where images saved from Facebook from the previous year display color distortions when opened in the program. However, images saved recently from Facebook open without any issues and display correctly.

 

 

[faiv]

Version: Mac ver 26.3.1
macOS 15.3.1

macBook Air M3 16/512... Sheesh, i'm paying for this!

[Sameer K]

Hey, @faiv. Welcome to the Photoshop Community. I'll move your response to discussions for now. I'll need more info to help you figure this out. Please share the system info from Photoshop Help > System info > Copy and paste into a text document > upload and attach here. 

Does this happen with the specific documents? Is this image stored on an external drive or in a folder associated with cloud backup services? Working through a network or external drive is unpredictable & is not recommended. Head here to learn more: https://adobe.ly/3A2G2zK

Please share if you find a repeatable pattern or series of steps along with a sample JPEG/PSD file with me via direct message. 

Thanks!
Sameer K

(Type '@' and type my name to mention me when you reply)

[faiv]

@Sameer K
These are just JPEGS, on Mac desktop. Been doing this for over 20 years…
Text doc Sys Info attached…



James Faivre
 Certified Support Professional

[Sameer K]

Thanks for the reply! I think you might have used your mobile to send the attachment. Please use the desktop browser tab to send it. I've also redacted your signature from your response. 

Thanks!

Sameer K

[Venkata38425314b1l0]

 i dont know why its coming like this for few images , i was changed the location and i importd in the photoshop but same lines are coming when imported wht we do , and i tried redownload from the facebook imaesd but no use same priblem comming

[Sameer K]

Hey, @Venkata38425314b1l0. Welcome to the Photoshop Community. I'll move your response to discussions for now. I'll need more info to help you figure this out. Please share the system info from Photoshop Help > System info > Copy and paste into a text document > upload and attach here. 

Does this happen with the specific documents? Is this image stored on an external drive or in a folder associated with cloud backup services? Working through a network or external drive is unpredictable & is not recommended. Head here to learn more: https://adobe.ly/3A2G2zK

Please share if you find a repeatable pattern or series of steps along with a sample JPEG/PSD file with me via direct message. 

Thanks!
Sameer K

(Type '@' and type my name to mention me when you reply)

[CMass]

Hey @Chanitpon370485241xu8, 

Can you share what your color space is? You can find that by going to Edit > Convert to Profile and looking at the Source Space. Does it do this only to these images? 

^CM

[Brandilio_VA]

I'm having this issue as well.  It's an issue with the way Photoshop reads facebook images.  This is entirely on Adobe, and there's little you can do about it.

I've had success with running images through media converters online (the kinds that convert annoying formats like AVIF into something actually useable) and turning them into .png files.  But yeah, this is for Adobe to fix.  There's nothing you can currently do.  And despite what Adobe Support will tell you, the person on the other end who has 8 years of photoshop experince and has dealt with this issue several times is lying about both of those things.

[Per Berntsen]

@Chanitpon370485241xu8 

@Brandilio_VA 

Please post sample jgps here so we can examine them.

[Brandilio_VA]

It's just images from Facebook that are causing issues.  Do you want us to just repost images downloaded from Facebook?  You can just grab any image uploaded to Adobe's facebook recently and see it for yourself, if you're curious.  For example, this image that promotes turbo-actress Awkwafina.  If you download it and try to bring it into an up-to-date version of Photoshop, it'll do the purple-ish green-ish distortion.

As far as I can see, it's exclusively happening with Facebook images.

[Per Berntsen]

The image displays correctly in Photoshop 26.4.1, and reports the embedded profile to be Adobe RGB.

It also looks fine in Lightroom Classic 14.2.

After updating to PS 26.5, the image displays as you describe, and the embedded profile is now reported as uRGB, which apparently is a variant of sRGB created by Meta.

Converting to sRGB or Adobe RGB does not fix it. I have no idea what's going on here.

@CMass Can you pass this on to the Photoshop team please?

[CMass]

@Per Berntsen & @Brandilio_VA, 

That is so curious. I'm sharing this with the team. Thank you to both for helping gather more information. I was able to reproduce the issue on my end too. 😱

^CM

[TheBeatnikHimself]

When opening images in Photoshop from Lightroom useing the AdobeRGB color space the images noticeably change in shadow areas where the blacks become washed out and lose detail. This issue also occurs when switching between the Develop and Library modules in Lightroom when the HDR option is disabled in library. Disabling GPU acceleration in Lightroom's performance settings results in poor quality across the board. Enabling the HDR in Library option helps maintain consistency in Lightroom, but the black details still wash out after exporting to Photoshop when using the AdobeRGB color space.

The only time my images look correct is in the Develop module with GPU enabled or in the Library with HDR turned on; this does not carry over to Photoshop or during exports in AdobeRGB, even with GPU enabled for exports.

My monitor is calibrated using hardware calibration tools, and I’ve ensured that I have the proper monitor profile selected before opening LR or PS and the color profiles match in both programs. I've tried various monitor calibration profiles to rule out corrupted ICC files..

I'm using a Mac M2 Studio, OS 15.4, Lightroom version 14.2, and Photoshop version 26.5.

EDIT: As May 29th 2025 I have spent 2 months working with the Adobe representatives and engineers. Countless hours have gone into this issue on my end, but no solution or public statement has been provided form the people at Adobe.

[D Fosse]

This has been reported by some Mac users over the last couple of months.

See this thread, which includes very simple steps to determine which version is correct:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/photoshop-not-showing-correct-colors-... 

There are two known workarounds, which may or may not work. They don't solve it, but they let you keep working.

One is to make sure you are not using table-based (LUT-based) monitor profiles. It does not work well in MacOS. Some calibration software make LUT profiles by default, but then there will always be an option to switch to (much safer) matrix-based profiles. Similarly, avoid v4. Use v2.

The other is to switch from Adobe Color Engine to Apple Color Engine. That will in some cases reduce the difference (if not eliminate it entirely). It's still a bug, it should obviously be correctly treated in both.

[TheBeatnikHimself]

Thank you for your response.

I appreciate the information and have already reviewed the thread you linked. I've checked my monitor calibration settings and experimented with both LUT and matrix-based profiles, ensuring I am set to V2, though I also tested V4 without noticing any improvements. Additionally, I have bypassed all calibration and used generic profiles, but unfortunately, this too did not lead to any changes. I also switched the conversion engine from Adobe to Mac, yet still did not see a difference.

This issue is significantly impacting my image production and, consequently, my business. As a professional software, I believe Adobe should be held to high standards, especially given the investment in subscription fees for these critical tools. 

I feel that Adobe needs to addresses this bug so those of us who pay their wages can get back to work so we can continue to do so.. Thank you for your attention to this matter; but I have found no solutions, and I feel a working editing platform is crucial for many users like myself.

[TheBeatnikHimself]

In the thread you linked the OP linked a video on youtube where they are changing there monitor profile back a pnd forth to prove something is wrong. Seems the first thing a knowledgeable person would say is that you have to restart photoshop for such changes to be put in place. 

[D Fosse]

If you ask me, all the signs here point to the GPU. 

Did you do the described steps to determine whether Photoshop or Lightroom displays correctly? The test is absolutely conclusive, by definition.

[TheBeatnikHimself]

Several significant developments have transpired.

By configuring my monitor and color profiles to sRGB and activating the HDR option in the Export as diolog (which, for some inexplicable reason, only permits sRGB export), the issue has been resolved when exporting a flattened image. This, however, does not address the issue when exporting a file into Photoshop, which is my primary concern. I can now export a flattened .TIFF file and reopen said file in Photoshop and get expected results, but this has been inhibiting me from opening files as Smart Objects, which is my preferred workflow.

Nevertheless, this restriction does not permit the utilization of other color spaces beyond sRGB (which is not ideal for printing) and precludes the calibration of my monitor.

Despite escalating the matter to multiple support representatives, I have been unsuccessful in resolving this issue. The third-tier support representative I recently spoke with required clarification on the distinction between a color space and an .icc profile. They were completely unfamiliar with hardware-based monitor calibration and the concept of soft proofing with a .icc profile designed for a printer. These concepts are widely known even among experienced photographers, and it is unacceptable that Adobe support requires such extensive explanations.

[TheBeatnikHimself]

Yes. I have gone through the provided steps. While I see the direction you are going with such a test I see it as incomplete to troubleshoot the issue. However it confirms my other tests that the Develope module consistently shows the images "correctly". However, I can change settings such as changing the colorspace to sRGB and activate the export HDR setting (even though it is not an HDR image) and it will render correctly. I can also enable the HDR in Library setting in Lightroom and get consistent results in both Modules within lightroom. However, there is no way to export anything out of lightroom that is not sRGB and get retain any level of detail in my shadows. This is a MAJOR issue. 

[TheBeatnikHimself]

If its the GPU why does it not happen when I switch to sRGB?

[D Fosse]

If its the GPU why does it not happen when I switch to sRGB?

By @TheBeatnikHimself

Apple uses Display P3 as default system monitor profile. This could be explained by that tone response curve being hard wired for output to the display. That was suggested earlier. Not saying that's what happens, but it would explain it.

Display P3 uses the sRGB tone curve. The sRGB curve is highly idiosyncratic and not at all a standard gamma function. It is very unlike gamma 2.2, and you would clearly see the difference, particularly in the shadows.

[TheBeatnikHimself]

On another mac system I tested last night (that has the exact same specs as mine) I got a reliable response from both ProPhoto and sRGB, but not Adobe98. However on my machine I only get consistent results in sRGB.

[TheBeatnikHimself]

Just got this response from Adobe.

While not everything is flushed out yet we are getting there.

The issue is 100% with adobe and these people on this forum saying is just a Mac issue are spreading misinformation.

“

Thank you for providing such a detailed breakdown, it really helps clarify the issue. From what you've described, you're encountering a complex combination of:

1. Color space and ICC profile inconsistencies
2. GPU rendering issues specific to Adobe apps on M-series Macs
3. Export discrepancies between Develop and Library modules in Lightroom
4. Cross-platform viewing issues (Preview vs. Adobe apps)
5. Potential HDR/sRGB export workarounds

Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of what’s likely happening and some steps you can take to isolate and address the problem:

1. Exporting with AdobeRGB + .TIFF causing a washed-out look: AdobeRGB has a wider gamut than sRGB. When these files are viewed in apps that are not color-managed (like Apple’s Preview or Finder thumbnails), they can appear washed out. However, since this happens even inside Lightroom and Photoshop, it points to a rendering issue rather than just display incompatibility.

2. GPU acceleration affects rendering in the Develop module: Lightroom’s Develop module uses the GPU and a different rendering engine than the Library module. That’s why your images might look more contrasty or vibrant in Develop but appear duller in Library or Photoshop.

3. Discrepancies with soft proofing: This discrepancy should not happen when using soft proofing with the same ICC profiles, yet it is. This could be due to:

   • A mismatch between how Adobe apps are utilizing the Apple Silicon GPU
   • Potential bugs or inconsistencies in how color spaces are handled between modules

4. Exporting in sRGB with HDR enabled works: That’s a significant clue. HDR export forces Adobe to handle tone mapping and rendering differently. It’s possible the tone mapping for AdobeRGB exports isn’t being processed correctly, especially when GPU is enabled.

5. BenQ says it's not their fault (and likely isn't): Since this happens even after changing monitors and the reimported files still look degraded on your original Mac, the issue is more likely internal to Adobe’s rendering pipeline, not your display or its calibration.”

[D Fosse]

@TheBeatnikHimself 

Here is a raw file in Lightroom Classic, opened directly into Photoshop with "Edit In".

As you can see, they display absolutely identically.

The small inserted histograms are taken from the image part of the screenshots. Screenshots don't lie. If something displays lighter or darker, it's because lighter or darker numbers are sent to screen. And those are the numbers recorded in the screenshot.

[avalent]

@CMass, no it's not "so curious", it's "so frustrating". This is why people pirate your products and forfeit updating. Adobe products are unreliable as professional tools due to updates almost consistently breaking things.

This shouldn't be happening with stable Photoshop versions. I just discovered this issue when saving a few Facebook images from my clients' FB page and at first thought it was either a RAM, GPU or disk issue. But no, it's good old Photoshop f*cking up after another update.

Do tell the team about the curious, cute, ha-ha issue. It reads the data as uRGB and causes massive artefacting and misplaced color. All of us paying for the All Apps Suite sure are idiots..