Inspiring

Question

Color Management Windows 11

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
October 7, 2023
4 replies
13586 views

I am looking to upgrade my OS from Windows 10 to 11 and noticed there are some new features regarding color management. Specifically the new "Auto Color Management" ACM system. Does this system conflict at all with the Adobe color management system? Are there any settings or parameters that I need to be aware of/disable for a proper color-managed workflow?

I use a wide gamut hardware calibrated display (in native gamut).

Windows

P

POMara

Participant

This is an enlightening thread. I work in Lightroom Classic, I1 Display calibration, Windows 11 Home. Recently I have noticed that web output srgb has a color cast that does not appear in LR. I see it on my screen when I check them on my desktop. It is most glaring with white backgrounds.

Is this related to OS11? It's a new issue for me.

Thanks in advance

NB, colourmanagement

Community Expert

@POMara long ago there were some display calibration issues with W11, but they were solved in an update, to the best of my knowledge.

What application are you using to mvierw the files after exporting~~?
And, as @D Fosse asked, are you embedding the sRGB profile?

Also are you converting images to sRGB (currently that's the best procedure for Internet destined files)

I hope this helps

neil barstow colourmanagement - adobe forum volunteer,

colourmanagement consultant & co-author of 'getting colour right'

See my free articles on colourmanagement online

Help others by clicking "Correct Answer" if the question is answered.

Found the answer elsewhere? Share it here. "Upvote" is for useful posts

P

POMara

Participant

Neil,

First and foremost, Windows is not fully color-managed like macOS, meaning you can't rely on it for accurate picture viewing unless you're using a proper photo editing tool. Unlike macOS, which maintains consistent color management across the system, Windows handles colors inconsistently across different applications.

If you're viewing images outside of a dedicated editing program, the colors may not appear as intended. The only built-in Windows app that follows proper color management is the "Photos" app—so when using it, colors should closely match what you see in Lightroom. However, other applications, including web browsers and file viewers, may display images with color shifts due to the lack of system-wide management.

For the best results, if you're not a fine art printer, it's best to set your monitor to sRGB. Most colors fall within this space, and it ensures that what you see on your screen is closer to what the average PC user will see when viewing your shared images. This helps maintain color consistency across different devices, reducing unexpected variations.

Ricardo,

I believe you have provided the answer I needed. I was looking at the output in the browser window which is where I detected the color cast. I was using the background to sample for white. Attached is an example. Thanks to everyone for the insight!

Ricardo CGI

Inspiring

Hi guys,

I just got a wide-gamut monitor and would like to take advantage of it in Windows 11. The issue is that I don't see the ACM toggle over the advanced display settings, and as far as I know, my PC meets the requirements for this.

Do you have an idea why? Any help would be a good starting point in order to solve this.

Ricardo

NB, colourmanagement

Community Expert

@Ricardo CGI As long as your display has an accurate ICC profile the operating system and Photoshop will use it correctly.

I hope this helps
neil barstow, colourmanagement net - adobe forum volunteer - co-author: 'getting colour right'
google me "neil barstow colourmanagement" for lots of free articles on colour management
Help others by clicking "Correct Answer" if the question is answered.
Found the answer elsewhere? Share it here. "Upvote" is for useful posts.

Ricardo CGI

Inspiring

Hi,

Absolutely. PS always did a great job. The point is that all other apps which are not color-managed will look oversaturated in Windows 11. That's why I'm trying to find some user experience with the new ACM in Win 11 where for some reason, I don't have it available in mine.

D Fosse

Community Expert

I haven't taken the jump to 11 yet, despite nag screens on an almost daily basis 😉 My opinion is that Windows 10 is the perfect operating system and I have no desire to change anything about it. But one day I have to.

But I've been doing some quick reading, and ACM shouldn't affect Photoshop, or any other icc-based color managed application, in any practical way.

What it looks like to me, is that they're moving color managment execution away from the application and into the operating system. This is the Apple model, and I'm not sure I like it. Previously, Windows just managed profiles and made them available to the application as needed, and then the actual conversion was handled by the application.

The problem with having the OS do it is that it's more exposed to bugs, and much less transparent for troubleshooting if it fails. And if bugs do hit, there's nothing you can do. That's what we've been telling Mac users the whole time: "you just have to wait for an OS update". I don't want to sit around waiting. I want to know exactly where the problem is and find workarounds.

But I suppose they need to do this for HDR support. It should also be said that historically, Microsoft have been very good at fixing problems quickly. I just don't like to put everything into the hands of the guys in white lab coats.

R

romany36267645Author

Inspiring

I've also been quite happy with Windows 10. The OS isn't without issue however, and it's been brought to my attention that Windows can be a bit buggy with multi monitor color management. I've been told that Windows can "arbitrarily unload system profiles". I believe programs like ColorNavigator look out for issues like this, and reload the profiles as needed.

"ACM shouldn't affect Photoshop, or any other icc-based color managed application, in any practical way" This would be the case if it was implemented properly. I came across a post by another user that suggested this was not the case.
He claimed that Photoshop would no longer show colors outside of sRGB. He also has issues with 10 bit support. https://www.reddit.com/r/Monitors/comments/15e75xa/windows_11_acm_is_just_another_piece_of_trash_on/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

It's worth noting that he was using a preview version of windows. He does say however that the system has been atleast partially rolled out in official released versions. This was 2 months ago, and i'm unsure how things have changed since.

I saw in the dev blogs that there is an option to "use legacy display icc color management". I wonder if that is the solution for programs that are already color-managed such as Photoshop. Is it perhaps best to avoid Windows 11 altogether for the time being while they make this transition?

D Fosse

Community Expert

it's been brought to my attention that Windows can be a bit buggy with multi monitor color management. I've been told that Windows can "arbitrarily unload system profiles". I believe programs like ColorNavigator look out for issues like this, and reload the profiles as needed.

By @romany36267645

Well, I've been hearing that on and off since Windows xp, and never seen it myself. It's always been dead reliable for me. I always suspected user error in these cases. Lots of people don't understand the basic difference between calibration tables and monitor profile, and basically misunderstand how the whole thing works. So they do things that they shouldn't.

I do use ColorNavigator with two monitors - and so does @davescm who has made the jump to 11. Any problems or things we should know about, Dave?

Bojan Živković11378569

Community Expert

I will tag @D Fosse who may be able to help you.

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded