Photoshop flips color space, sometimes flickers between them

[philmade]

My monitor is set to Adobe RGB color space

My Adobe apps are set for this space as well

My images look vibrant and perfect in Lightroom, but when I open them in Photoshop they look faint, like they are in sRGB standard color space and not the wider gamut Adobe RGB color space. But then if I move the Photoshop window slightly, the image displays correctly, vivid (see attached videos). But if I move the window back or open a dialogue box, it again shows faint and incorrect. It also looks incorrect when I actually work on it. (But the screen saver behind the Photoshop window does not change to faint… so I am assuming the BenQ monitor is not the issue. Also when I open a dialogue box such as the Image Size dialog box, the image flickers back & forth between color spaces for a second before the dialogue box even opens. I have short videos to demonstrate both of these. This has been happening for a few weeks now, I think since I upgraded Photoshop, but not sure (my computer use was limited over the holidays… I may have upgraded and not used PS for a couple weeks)

When I save the image, it still looks faint on the monitor… but when I export it and view on another device (or bring it back into Lightroom), it looks fine. I just can’t see it in PS as it really is, except for them I move the window over slightkly and it temporarily displays correctly.  

What limited info I can find online suggests it may be a video card issue. But since it only happens with an adobe product, I don’t know if the issue is on Apple’s end or Adobe’s... seems like Adobe. But I paid/pay a fortune to both, and just want them to play nice. My Mac is out of warranty. I don’t know who to call for help. Appreciate any guidance. 

I have a late 2016 MacBook Pro 15” w/high end (at the time) processor and graphics. 

2.9 GHz Intel core i7 processor

Radeon Pro 460 4 GB video card

Using BenQ SW270C high end monitor, 6 mos old

Apple Mojave 10.14.6 (not current, was waiting)

Adobe Creative Cloud subscription

Photoshop 22.1.1 current 

Lightroom Classic 10.1.1 current

[D Fosse]

Read this thread (so I don't have to type everything all over again... )

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop/colors-between-camera-raw-and-photoshop-are-not-consistent/... 

This is an old issue that used to come up very rarely, but lately there's been several cases. Short version: it's not the document color space, it's the monitor profile.

Everyone experiencing this, please chime in on this thread in the feedback forum, which is the official bug report channel:

https://feedback.photoshop.com/conversations/photoshop/photoshop-2210-critical-problem-with-colours-... 

[philmade]

You do not understand my issue: the color space changes within Photoshop without doing anythinhg to the file. Simply moving the PS window one inch changes the color back to the wrong space. Then it flips back again. Watch the short videos, like 15 seconds each. 

[D Fosse]

And you don't understand what I'm saying: it's the monitor profile, not the document profile.

It's not academic. To get to the bottom of this, we need to be precise in describing what really happens. Otherwise we just get a lot of nonproductive noise.

We've run into this many times. Details vary, but the underlying problem is the same.

[philmade]

Sorry, I didnt that that response applied to my situation. 

"The only workaround I know of is to make sure Photoshop and ACR is on the primary display as set in the operating system. That seems to always correct it."

I don't knowingly use ACR, but maybe I am in the background?... How do I accomplish what you describe? This is over my head. Thanks.

[D Fosse]

Which application is affected is the "details vary" part. It can be ACR, Lightroom, Bridge, or Photoshop. Usually one of them, sometimes two.

There is no permanent fix, other than not using a laptop (or other machine with integrated display) connected to an external display. This seems to be the common factor.

I would urge you to read the threads I linked to. There are several suggestions that might work around it. Try them all.

[philmade]

Thanks, really appreciate your help. I'll get busy.

[NB, colourmanagement net · Accepted solution]

You are using Apple's  'extended desktop' I presume?

Colour management cannot work right with screen mirroring [where both screens show the same].

This is a frustrating issue, well described by D.Fosse in those linked posts, where the Adobe application's relationship with the display profile seems to be an issue. Different Adobe apps can exhibit this issue.

One correspondent on another thread said it was fixed for them by setting both screens to the same ICC display profile. In your case, that would be the benQ profile*.

That way the application does not need to choose correctly between 2 display profiles. 

 Does the random changing of appearance still occur?

[*of course that’s not ideal as your MacBook appearance will be wrong, but it may get you by 'til this bug is fixed]

I've only seen this Mac /Adobe display profile problem exhibited as an issue where appearance was unreliable when windows were moved between screens. In that case, ensuring the Adobe app opened on the "master" screen fixed it.

Your issue with dialogue box opening affecting appearance is a new one. 

I wonder if the benQ ICC profile is perhaps flawed?

I can't imagine that but, who knows, maybe?? Finding bugs is hard to do.

I would consider this, because the benQ PalletMaster software causes a lot of issues for users.

To rule that out, you could try temporarily setting both screens to the MacBook ICC profile and test. Again, does the random changing still occur? of course appearance will be wrong [in this case the benQ will display inaccurately]

I hope this helps
neil barstow, colourmanagement net :: adobe forum volunteer
google me "neil barstow colourmanagement" for lots of free articles on colour management
[please only use the blue reply button at the top of the page, this maintains the original thread title and chronological order of posts]

s

[philmade]

Neil, thanks for that detailed info. defionitely frustrating. I'll experiment. (and I do have the Palette Master software installed, but I canot get it to work... the start button malfunctions. Same after 2 updates!)

[NB, colourmanagement net]

Hi Phil

I hope those tips help you,. Palette Master truly does seem to be a dud, why not take a free test-drive of basICColor display SW - I've worked with quite a few benQ owners who felt it gave them really good results. disphttps://www.colourmanagement.net/products/basiccolor/basiccolor-display-software/

I hope this helps
neil barstow, colourmanagement net :: adobe forum volunteer
google me "neil barstow colourmanagement" for lots of free articles on colour management
[please only use the blue reply button at the top of the page, this maintains the original thread title and chronological order of posts]

[philmade]

Neil, woud you recommend that calibration software over x-rite i1 Display Pro for the BenQ 270C?

[NB, colourmanagement net]

Yes Phil

why not test the free 14 day demo software. 

neil barstow

[philmade]

Neil, I neglected to mention that I am actully using 2 external monitors with my Macbook Pro. In addition to the BenQ 270C, I also use a crappy HP 23es, which is still a bit easier to read than the laptop screen (I keep the laptop closed). The first try worked... switching the HP monitor to the BenQ profile seems to take care of the issue. (I also was opening Photoshop on the HP monitor... I changed that as well.). Really appreciate your help & expertise, same to D Fosse.

I still would like your opinion on whether you would recommend that calibration software (basICColor) over x-rite i1 Display Pro for the BenQ 270C? Thanks.

[Bronwen5EAC]

I also have recently been experiencing a similar problem. My image flicks colour frequently when trying to work on an image as if it cannot hold a constant colour space. I am on an iMac purchased in Dec 2019 and also use an Eizo CG279X Display. I use the Eizo when I am working on images.

I can be doing virtually nothing and have the colour flick. Using the cropping tool on the image it can flicker constantly as I move the crop as if it is trying to set a balance on the image based on the remainin section left in the crop.

I used to have my Eizo set to just User profile but have set it to sRGB in the hope of resolving it. I use sRGB in both my Canon 5D cameras and use Raw settings in camera, yet when I open the images in Raw it indicates it is Adobe Colour and I have to convert the files. I use sRGB as that is the profile my commercial printer uses along with many of the places to which I need to send images.

This problem has only started recently and I cannot pinpoint exactly when and why but it is driving me crazy. I can only assume it has something to do with a recent update to Photoshop as nothing else has changed this year.

[D Fosse]

You cannot use sRGB as monitor profile with an Eizo CG279. That's a wide gamut unit.

The purpose of the monitor profile is to accurately describe the actual and current response of the monitor. You can't "experiment" with this. Only one profile is the right one.

This is why you use a calibrator, and I assume you are using ColorNavigator.

As for this particular issue, the wrong monitor profile is used. Either the OS hands over the wrong profile to Photoshop, or Photoshop misinterprets what it gets from the OS. Most likely the former. Normally, Photoshop will just use whatever profile it gets from the OS.

Either way, "experimenting" with the profile just gets you deeper into trouble.

The workaround that seems to resolve it for most people, at least temporarily, is to swap primary <> secondary display assignment in the OS.