Photoshop bounces back and forth between saturated and muted colors

[Brennan_Griffith]

In the middle of working on both CMYK or RGB images, the photoshop interface will suddenly display a muted/unsaturated version of my document.

It only happens while I'm actually working on the document. If I save out the graphic (even while it's displayed as the muted version) the saved file will look fine. Sometimes I'll just keep working on the document and photoshop will unexpectedly revert back to the fully saturated version - but not always. When it doesn't revert back, simply closing out the document and reopening it magically fixes the problem every time.

This only happens within photoshop. I haven't had any other color issues like this in any other program.

Any thoughts?

[davescm]

Any chance you have been switching "Proof Colours" on/off  by accident (Ctrl+Y on Windows)

Dave

[Brennan_Griffith]

As clumsy as I am, I won't rule that out. However, I feel I haven't noticed any pattern for when the color shifts happen.

I'll keep any eye out for the possibility that maybe I've been mistakenly hitting "command+Y" when I attempt to transform an object with "command+T".

Thanks!

[davescm]

If it happens again it is easily checked by hitting Ctrl+Y and see if it switches back.

Let us know either way

Dave

[D Fosse]

Yes, that's pretty much the only possible explanation.

[amye34953020]

Mine is doing the same thing.  I just started my creative cloud subscription and noticed it right away when looking at a portrait.  Although for me it doesn't shift to desaturate or mute... it shifts to suddenly oversaturate.  Which of course is frustrating because it causes your eyes to sort of bug out.  Definitely need consistent color when working on fine detail color balancing.

It seems to do this when I am shifting viewing modes.  Not touching any other keys.. not changing any profiles.  But simply hitting the F button on a mac to toggle between full screen mode and the work screen. 

The only thing I can think of is that this is because it is cloud based software and is depending on internet?  Maybe a lull in processing power?  I have no idea.  It's odd that only one other person is experiencing this here. 

[D Fosse · Accepted solution]

Ahhh...the F key. That's a Mac OS bug that has been reported before, although I thought that was fixed a long time ago.

Sudden Color-Change when switching to Fullscreen Mode (F) ?!?

Why does color shift using the full screen mode?

Photoshop: Colour shifts when switching to fullscreen mode (CS5, Mac 10.7) | Photoshop Family Custom...

[Ann5F9C]

I am having the same issue.

Its when I toggle on the F Key the saturation and contrast changes.

I tried looking at all shortcuts and in window settings but cant figure out.

It drives me nuts as I am a digital painter and color is most important.

Any way to fix?

[BJ Ramsay]

Does anyone have a solution for this problem, it appears to be a recurring issue.

The below images were processed in PS CC release 22.2 on a MacBook pro running Big Sur 11.1 

Dual Monitor secondary monitor  Dell P2715Q, both monitors were just calibrated i1Studio 15.1

Open GL turned off

These are screenshot images that were cropped in PS so the profile associated is the monitor colorspace not corrected back.

The original image was been moved to the second monitor with no changes to the original AdobeRGB profile.

The second image is a screenshot captured after the second monitor was changed to Full Screen using the "F" key. No other actions taken.

The presentation of the color in the image on the secondary monitor does not change back even when switching back out of Fullscreen mode though closing it and reopenning indicates no actual change occured within the file, just how its presented on the monitor.

I like to keep my fullscreen mode with a white background for evaluating the dynamic range of my B&W images before printing and decluttered while I'm doing touch up work. What appears to be happening is PS (MAC not sure who) is switching the profile it isusing for displaying on the secondary monitor when it switches to Fullscreen.

[D Fosse]

The problem is that Photoshop uses the wrong monitor profile. We've had quite a few threads on the "wrong monitor profile" syndrome lately. Windows laptops may be affected too, but it is always laptop/iMac + external display, in other words, a computer with an integrated display. To my knowledge it never happens with desktop systems (and I've noticed this coming up from time to time over many many years).

This fact suggests that if there is a bug here, it may not be Adobe, and it may not even be the operating system. It may be connected to manufacturer's modifications to the operating system or GPU drivers to accommodate the integrated display. That's the only common factor.

It's a frustrating issue because it's so elusive. Being a Windows desktop user I've never seen it myself, but nevertheless it would be nice to have something to tell people.

There are workarounds, like setting up the same monitor profile for both displays. At least one of them will be right.

I'd try a broader search, in your case Apple forums, for Windows users I'd try laptop manufacturer's support forums.

[PSLovuuu]

I am having the exact same problem and it's annoying as hell! I had this issue couple of years ago but it was resolved. now it's recurring again stronger than ever. adobe is the worst and they couldn't care less just because they have a monopoly!! 

[dri22451]

i am having the exact same issue,  and for me it is not the F key , it happens randomly when i am brushing, cloning,  sometimes zooming,   it is extremely frustrating.  I am a photo retoucher for hi end beauty cosmetics and skin color is extremely important.  seems like i am getting kicked out of my monitor calibaration,  i use a Ben q SW270 C on a mac pro.  when it kicks me out,    my screen gets saturated and red.    like a flash,   i have to launch the photoshop color settings dialog box, and just launching the window and not doing anything else,   it resets my monitor profile.    I have been working on this system for a very long time,     .    This started ,   id say,  last week?    SUPER annoying,  Needs to be addressed,  nothing changed for me,   same graphic card,  same hardware, same OS  catalina .   i just recently updated photoshop to the latest and greatest,  i was one upgrade behind,  with hopes that it would go away,  but no.   problem still there..

[mbergsma]

I recently upgraded my old mid-2010 Mac Pro 5.1 to Mojave. This is when I first started seeing this problem. It was very frustrating until I found this thread. I must have spent over 4 hours trying to figure out what the problem was. Currently, I am using photoshop 22.3. I would hit the F key to view in full-screen mode, and the color would have an obvious shift to over-saturation. I am using 2 monitors to work with. One is an old Apple 23" Cinema Display and the other is an NEC PA271Q. I really love the NEC monitor and I can rely on it for accuracy for printing on an Epson P9000 printer.

I found that I was actually using my old Cinema display for the main monitor. I used system preferences > monitor to change the arrangement to have the NEC become the main monitor. I simply dragged the menu bar indicator from the Cinema to the NEC in the Arrangement tab and tested the change. Magically my problem was solved. Thanks so much for your input in this thread.

"I smell victory"!!!!