Photoshop Changing Color Profile on Every Export

[brianb96817752]

I'm currently switching over from a Mac to a Windows 10 laptop and am running into nonstop issues with Photoshop, now even with the color spaces when exporting. I do graphic design for web and have always used sRGB (although I've never really had to change color settings at all before), and no matter what I change, the export colors are significantly different as soon as it actually exports. Here's an example screenshot (canvas on the left, export on the right)

I've checked all my past files from before moving to Windows and all are set as Untagged RGB with "Convert to sRGB" selected by default when exporting. Exporting the same files with the same settings gives me different results. I've tried assigning sRGB directly, selecting "Embed Color Profile" on export, and every combination in between and it still does this. I've seen someone say that Windows' image previews don't properly color manage, but it's the same thing when uploading to a browser and viewing on a different display or an entirely different device. I'm also getting the same issue in Premiere after checking that, so I really don't know what to think. Currently completely stuck and unable to work at all.

[Test Screen Name]

You aren't using a colour managed app to view the file. Yes, unbelievably, Windows photo viewer cannot show correct colours. Most Windows browsers can't either. Windows users just don't seem to care enough to get Microsoft to fix it.

Choosing sRGB often looks about right, but if you have a high gamut monitor NOTHING can make such apps show correct colour. If you have such a monitor and want accurate colour stick only to colour managed apps, or else you have the wrong monitor.

If you aren't sure whether your monitor is wide gamut, let us know the model, please.

[brianb96817752]

Thanks for the response. Windows photo viewer not being color managed is what I had heard before, but what surprises me then is that it still shows up incorrectly on other apps and devices too. If I'm exporting the same file with the same settings from a Mac as on Windows, then it should still look the same once I upload it to something like Twitter and view it on any other device, regardless of whether or not Windows apps can display it correctly. Is Chrome on Windows or Android apps like Twitter or Discord unable to color manage too? I can live with Windows photo viewer not working, but if everything outside of Photoshop not on a Mac looks this severely wrong, then I don't even know what the point of correct color is in the first place.

Also the device in question is an XPS 15 OLED with 239% sRGB gamut. This is definitely a software issue though with such extreme differences in color that even show up when connecting to the same external display.

[D Fosse]

I have been using wide gamut monitors exclusively for many years, including for web work. It's no problem at all as long as you only use color managed software. Properly color managed software exists for virtually anything - web browsers, photo viewers, file browsers, etc.

That's all it takes. Identify all applications on your system that don't color manage, and throw them out. It's simple.

Naturally, you need to have a good calibrator that can profile your monitor properly. Your color managed applications need a valid monitor profile to display correctly. If you don't have that, or aren't prepared to pay for it, you should sell the monitor and get a standard one.

[davescm]

I fully agree with all of the above but with an additional comment.

Brian mentioned the Android operating system in his last post. That OS does not support color management, which makes a mockery of phones and tablets with wide gamut displays. Oh, and Apples iOS is no better. Phone and tablet marketing hype at its worst.

Dave

[D Fosse]

That's absolutely correct. This isn't a mystery at all - "Photos" simply isn't color managed, and all profiles, both document and monitor, are ignored.

You always need to separate between those applications that support color management, and those that don't. The latter category is useless if accuracy is important. Throw them out, don't use them. Find something else.

If you have a wide gamut monitor that becomes a rather urgent consideration.

Always, always, always embed the color profile. An untagged image has no reference and can display like anything at all.

[Test Screen Name]

"what surprises me then is that it still shows up incorrectly on other apps and devices too"

Don't be surprised. Windows Photo Viewer isn't a strange exception,it's just a normal Windows app. Almost all Windows apps are not colour managed. Almost all browsers cannot colour managed. Most mobile devices aren't colour managed at all. Systems have gone backwards, not forwards. Welcome to the brave new world of Similar Looking Colour.

"I don't even know what the point of correct color is in the first place."

It is for workflows that are ENTIRELY colour managed. In the context of today's world, that largely means design for print.

"Also the device in question is an XPS 15 OLED with 239% sRGB gamut. "

The important thing about wide gamut monitors is this. Use them ONLY with colour managed apps. Not for other apps, including browsers. They are a wonderful tool, a very specialist tool, and not for general use at all. They should be, but sadly the colour management just isn't there and nobody (who might fix it) cares. You need a regular monitor too for other work.

[Per Berntsen]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Test+Screen+Name  wrote

Don't be surprised. Windows Photo Viewer isn't a strange exception,it's just a normal Windows app. Almost all Windows apps are not colour managed. Almost all browsers cannot colour managed. Most mobile devices aren't colour managed at all. Systems have gone backwards, not forwards. Welcome to the brave new world of Similar Looking Colour.

Acutally, the Windows Photo Viewer is the only color managed native application on Windows.

The OP is using Photos, which is not color managed.

Also, all the major web browsers are color managed now, even on Windows. (Firefox, Chrome, Opera)

The notable exceptions are Internet Explorer and Edge.

[NB, colourmanagement]

Hi


1: Always embed the ICC profile on saving, even for the web, sRGB is tiny so adds hardly any size*

*(which is why folk used to avoid embedding profiles on web destined image).

you write -" all are set as Untagged RGB with "Convert to sRGB" selected by default when exporting"

if you think about it that’s dangerous, definitely not how it should be. "converting" untagged files is risky, what is the conversion FROM -

that has to be assumed by Photoshop, so it takes the current working colour space as source.

If you change the default photoshop working space that changes the source. bad.

2: "universal" data is mostly best saved as sRGB [not ideal if going to print], but far safer for screen display
 - it seems you’re doing that sometimes.

3: on ANY wide gamut device colour management is essential for appearance to be correct.

So ONLY colour managed apps can show your files correctly.




Sending files out and that’s a worry?

All those folk with wide gamut display devices that don't know any better are used to what they see, so we just have to let them get on with it.




I hope this helps 





thanks

neil barstow, colourmanagement

[brianb96817752]

Appreciate all the helpful responses. I'm looking more into browser color management now and see that most desktop browsers do in fact finally color manage (even if mobile is still a complete mess). However it still doesn't add up why Chrome on Windows here is still showing the above image so severely different, even though other tests seem to indicate my browser is color managing fine. I have the color profile embedded and it's still displaying these incorrectly on Chrome.

[D Fosse]

Do you use a calibrator? You haven't said, and that's essential with wide gamut displays. You really can't work without one, and they shouldn't be sold without one.

If you rely on the factory canned profile, these are surprisingly often defective, and especially from Dell. They can't seem to get it right. Defective monitor profiles can often affect different color managed applications differently - some may handle it and some may choke.

[NB, colourmanagement]

Hi

try this

https://cameratico.com/tools/web-browser-color-management-test/

I hope this helps

thanks

neil barstow, colourmanagement