Picture different across multiple monitors

[Bubbarush]

Im not sure exactly how to even search for this problem, but window is  primarily on my main monitor,

the image becomes very bright and washed out, but if the image is on either of my other 2 monitors it is very dark and contrasted. I have tried this with regular images outside of photoshop and they maintian their exact quality, my screens are all calibrated to have about the same picture normally, it's just inside photoshop the picture changes between monitors.

[NB, colourmanagement · Accepted solution]

Hi,

is this with Windows? 

you'll need to set an ICC profile for each display screen in the color management control panel after calibrating 

how are you calibrating / profiling the screens?

I'm afraid its impossible to see any detail in those tiny dalog box screenshots you included

Photoshop reveals issues with faulty profiles where non colour managed applications do not - even with single screens

At least once a week on this forum we read about this, or very similar issues.

here are some notes:

Unfortunately, with Microsoft hardware: Windows updates, Graphics Card updates and Display manufacturers have a frustratingly growing reputation for installing useless (corrupted) monitor display profiles.

I CAN happen with Macs but with far less likelihood, it seems.

The issue can affect different applications in different ways, some not at all, some very badly.

The poor monitor display profile issue is hidden by some applications, specifically those that do not use colour management, such as Windows "Photos".

Photoshop is correct, it’s the industry standard for viewing images, in my experience it's revealing an issue with the Monitor Display profile rather that causing it. Whatever you do, don't ignore it. As the issue isn’t caused by Photoshop, don’t change your Photoshop ‘color settings’ to try fix it. 

To find out if this is the issue, I recommend you to try setting the monitor profile for your own monitor display under “Device” in your Windows ‘color management’ control panel to sRGB. You can ADD sRGB if its not already listed. 

And be sure to check “Use my settings for this device”.

(OR, if you have a wide gamut monitor display (check the spec online) it’s better to try Adobe RGB instead).

Quit and relaunch Photoshop after the control panel change, to ensure the new settings are applied.

If this change fixes the issue, it is recommended that you should now calibrate and profile the monitor properly using a calibration sensor like i1display pro, which will create and install it's own custom monitor profile.

Depending on the characteristics of your monitor display and your requirements, using sRGB or Adobe RGB here may be good enough - but custom calibration is a superior approach.

I hope this helps

if so, please "like" my reply and if you're OK now, please mark it as "correct", so that others who have similar issues can see the solution

thanks

neil barstow, colourmanagement.net :: adobe forum volunteer

[please do not use the reply button on a message in the thread, only use the one at the top of the page, to maintain chronological order]

[Bubbarush]

I don't know how you were able to solve my problem with my giving and knowing basically no information about my problem or how to explain ir properly, but after adding and applying sRGB to all the displays, the picture is consitant across all monitors, you are a godsend and i can finally start working! Thank you again, the issue is resolved.

[D Fosse]

Just to clarify a couple of things:

You normally do not need to go into the Windows color management dialog. You do not need to set the profile manually; the calibration software will set it all up. You only do that when you want to switch profile for diagnostic or test purposes.

Most color management problems are caused by people doing something when they shouldn't. The best general advice is still - don't do anything! Unless there's a corrupt profile or other specific problem, it all works out of the box.

The bad monitor profiles come from the monitor/laptop manufacturers, but they are distributed through Windows Update, just like many other hardware and device updates. If left alone, the Windows default is always sRGB. Why the manufacturers can't leave this alone when they obviously can't get it right, is anybody's guess. But still, the optimal solution is always to use a calibrator (sensor + software). If you do that, the bad manufacturer profiles won't be installed over that.

The Mac system display profile is usually more accurate than sRGB/Adobe RGB/DCI-P3, and it doesn't get overridden by manufacturer profiles. But it's still a generic profile and you should still use a calibrator for optimal results.

[Bubbarush]

i used the windows calibration tool once to get my settings fairly similar, atleast to my eye. but my issue is very visible in the screenshots provided. the image that is on the screens is the same image just moves lsightly so it is primarily on one monitor or the other and becomes Much birghter or darker

[davescm]

"....my screens are all calibrated to have about the same picture normally"

Calibrated and profiled with a hardware device so that each monitor has an individual colour profile, or just adjusted to look roughly the same?

Dave

[Bubbarush]

i used nvidia to calibrate them slightly, i have since set the color profile on the monitors to default, and their setting mainly to default. but the issue is visible from a screenshot, so im not sure it is through the monitors, and the issue is only happening immediatly in photoshop. the picture is the same on both monitors at the same time, but if i drag the image more onto one it snaps to the brighter/darker version as seen in the screenshots

[KShinabery212]

Are all your monitors from the same company?

That is the one big issue with digital art.... every monitor is so different.  And even if you get all your monitors to be calibrated the same... then the person viewing it might have a totally different calibration.  Thus, they will see your art differently anyways.

[Bubbarush]

my issue is visible from my screenshots, no they are not one is a philips, wacom, planar. i have set them all to default settings

[Bubbarush]

im not sure if you can tell in the images, but the window that is open across my monitors is th same image. It is spread across them both in both shots. the colors of the image are pretty much the same on both monitors, it is just when i move the window more onto one monitor that is becomes brighter on BOTH monitors at the same time.  i do not know if this clarifies anything, but i will continue to provide info. and no one of my monitors i am testing against is a philips the other is a wacom. This is in windows 10. I used nvidia to manage my screens color profiles, i changed my monitor back to default preference to manage the picture solely on my computer, also. Most everything on them all have been returned to default to attempt to trouble shoot. The screenshots provided are of the same image, but moved slightly onto one monitor, the picutre becomes much darker/brighter.

[Bubbarush]

and if the problem is visible from a scrrenshot would it be an issue with my monitors...?

[davescm]

You mention 'Windows calibration' and 'Nvidia' calibration. Neither of those produces an accurate color profile that describes your monitor.  Color managed software, such as Photoshop, uses the color profile for each monitor to ensure that the colours are displayed accurately.

To produce a color profile requires a hardware calibration device such as an i1display. You run the process for each monitor and it guides you through the calibration, which sets the monitor controls, then produces the profile and loads it into your system. With that done colour will be accurate on each monitor. 

If your monitors are very different, you may see a switch as you move a document from one monitor to another and Photoshop switches at the half way point to use the appropriate monitor profile. This is because Photoshop uses a single profile for each document window. A duplicate window in each monitor will look the same.

Dave