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Coildrop
Coildrop
Participant
June 8, 2021
Answered

Calibrated my monitor using DisplayCAL, and now overwhelmed and frustrated with color management...

  • June 8, 2021
  • 2 replies
  • 7670 views

So, I've pretty much only ever work in sRGB, and I recently got a SpyderX and calibrated my monitor using DisplayCAL. That all worked out well, and my profile says my monitor is 99.9% sRGB coverage. 

 

So is it wrong for me to expect images I look at say using Windows Photo browser or even Chrome not to look identical or at least close to the same when working on them in Photoshop using the sRGB color space? Because they don't, and it's driving me crazy. Images in Photoshop look more desaturated, and maybe a tiny hint of yellow. When I export it using the sRGB profile, and then open it anywhere else, it's pretty good. Why does this happen if my display is nearly 100% sRGB? I'm so confused on what is happening, and how to fix it, if it even can be fixed. Here is a side by side of what I see in Photoshop, vs what I see in Windows Photo...

Here is another example, and where I really started to notice the changes...

From this photo I feel like what Photoshop is showing looks more accurate. You can actually see detail in his shirt, and what Windows Photo shows is darker and more saturated. However, it's not just Windows Photo, it's pretty much anywhere outside of the working file in Photoshop. Even at the Photoshop start screen where it shows thumbnails of recently opened images it is darker and more saturated.

 

I'm going crazy over here, if anyone has any ideas, suggestions, or pointing out what I'm doing wrong. I'd appreciate it. Thank you

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

First of all, ignore Windows "Photos". It is not color managed and doesn't know what an icc profile is. It ignores both the sRGB document profile and your monitor profile, you might as well not run DisplayCAL at all. "Photos" will never display correctly, ever, under any circumstances. We've also seen quite a few reports of broken Chrome color management. I don't use it and don't know the reason. I use Firefox which has always been very reliable here.

 

You need to understand the difference between color managed software and not color managed software, and identify which is which. Trust the former; ignore the latter.

 

Photoshop does use the monitor profile, and assuming that profile is accurate, it will always display correctly. Photoshop is the reference! If it looks "desaturated", it's because your monitor has a wider native gamut than sRGB. The profile corrects for that when it's used; not when it's not.

 

Now, DisplayCAL is, from what I gather, rather advanced software with a lot of options. It's easy to get lost and pick the wrong settings. Generally, stick with the simplest alternatives. For instance, I see you have a checkbox marked "LUT". This is not a good choice. LUT profiles are very complex and cause problems in many situations. Choose "matrix", keep it simple.

 

Also, if you have the choice, choose the v2 specification, not the v4 specification. Same reason.

 

There may also be options for number of measurement patches. Now, you may think the more the better, but the opposite is true. The more patches, the more convoluted the curve, and you don't want that. It would only be worthwhile with an extremely high-quality monitor that behaves almost perfectly to begin with.

 

In short, run the calibration again to be sure. Choose matrix, version 2, and the minimum measurement patches. Keep it simple.

2 replies

D Fosse
Community Expert
D FosseCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
June 9, 2021

First of all, ignore Windows "Photos". It is not color managed and doesn't know what an icc profile is. It ignores both the sRGB document profile and your monitor profile, you might as well not run DisplayCAL at all. "Photos" will never display correctly, ever, under any circumstances. We've also seen quite a few reports of broken Chrome color management. I don't use it and don't know the reason. I use Firefox which has always been very reliable here.

 

You need to understand the difference between color managed software and not color managed software, and identify which is which. Trust the former; ignore the latter.

 

Photoshop does use the monitor profile, and assuming that profile is accurate, it will always display correctly. Photoshop is the reference! If it looks "desaturated", it's because your monitor has a wider native gamut than sRGB. The profile corrects for that when it's used; not when it's not.

 

Now, DisplayCAL is, from what I gather, rather advanced software with a lot of options. It's easy to get lost and pick the wrong settings. Generally, stick with the simplest alternatives. For instance, I see you have a checkbox marked "LUT". This is not a good choice. LUT profiles are very complex and cause problems in many situations. Choose "matrix", keep it simple.

 

Also, if you have the choice, choose the v2 specification, not the v4 specification. Same reason.

 

There may also be options for number of measurement patches. Now, you may think the more the better, but the opposite is true. The more patches, the more convoluted the curve, and you don't want that. It would only be worthwhile with an extremely high-quality monitor that behaves almost perfectly to begin with.

 

In short, run the calibration again to be sure. Choose matrix, version 2, and the minimum measurement patches. Keep it simple.

    Coildrop
    CoildropAuthor
    Participant
    June 9, 2021

    Thanks for the very thorough and informative reply. I really appreate it. Much I have to learn about DisplayCAL 😄

    Derek Cross
    Community Expert
    Derek CrossCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 9, 2021

    Colour management can be complex and confusing, it might help if you took one of the excellent online video tutorials on LinkedIn Learning. You can get 30-days free access.

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