Picture is lighter in LR than in any other program

[12qwer233]

Hello!

Recently I was surprised that LR displays pictures lighter than on exported JPG (exported in sRGB, as well as AdobeRGB, ProPhotoRGB) or other programs (GIMP, DxO, xnView, fast stone, windows viewer and so on). It is very well seen in the darks (please, look at the attached screenshot). If I open the exported JPG in LR, it looks lighter again.

I use LR 5.7 and calibrated display, profiles seem to be loaded correctly in the system.

I have tried many ways to fix this, however didn't succeed. Unfortunately, it is very annoying to keep in mind that deep shadows will be lost after export even if a picture looks just fine in LR.

[Per Berntsen]

Most likely, the monitor profile is corrupted, or incompatible with Lightroom.

What version of Windows do you have?

What kind of calibrator?

And are you creating a version 2 or version 4 icc profile?

Lightroom has a problem with version 4 profiles.

Try setting the monitor profile to sRGB (or Adobe RGB if you have a wide gamut monitor).

If that fixes the problem, you have a corrupted or incompatible monitor profile.

Press the Windows key+R, type colorcpl, and hit Enter.

Add the sRGB profile, then set it as Default profile. See screenshot (from Windows 7) below.

Make sure that Use my settings for this device is checked.

[12qwer233]

Hello Per,

thanks for your reply.

I use Win7, EIZO CS230 and i1 Display Pro. Calibration was done by Color Navigator (the calibrator appears as i1 Display 3 / Pro there)

Actually, I don't know what version of icc profiles Color Navigator creates when calibrating the display.

Regarding your experiment. After I changed the default profile to sRGB, the difference between the exported JPG and LR disappeared (please, look at the attached screenshot). At least, I can't see noticeable difference.

I'm not sure if the display profile is corrupted (may be it is). But definitely, LR seems to have troubles with display profiles. Other programs doesn't.

[Per Berntsen]

To set the profile version and tone curve, you have to create a new target in Color Navigator.

After having clicked Next a few times, you will see this screen, click Customize profile.

That will present you with this screen, where you choose version 2.2.

Under Tone curve below, although LUT is recommended, choose Gamma value. LUT can create problems.

Then calibrate again with the new target selected in the main window (first screenshot).

[12qwer233]

Just have done everything as you suggested. I tried several different targets with icc 2.2 or 4.2, LUT or gamma tone curve. Result is the same: exported JPG is much darker. That's a pity. May be, this is a LR problem?

Thank you for very descriptive replies.

[Per Berntsen]

Since setting the monitor profile to sRGB fixed the problem, there is probably  something wrong with the profiles that you create with Color Navigator. Is Color Navigator up to date? The latest version is 6.4.18.4.

What model is your Eizo monitor? If it is wide gamut, you have to use only color managed programs to view your images - they will display wrong in non color managed programs. I am not familiar with GIMP, DxO, xnView, and Fast Stone, but the Windows Photo viewer on Win 7 is color managed, and should display correctly.

I'm running out of ideas, so let's see if D Fosse​ can help you further.

[12qwer233]

Yes, Color Navigator is up to date.

I use EIZO CS230, it is sRGB gamut.

All other programs I listed before are color managed (as far as I know) and they display the exported JPG same as Windows Viewer: darker than in LR.

Anyway, thank you very much for your help.

The difference between LR and exported JPG looks like this now. It is not that large, but noticeable in darks (sort of "washed"). Just to make sure you also see it.

[12qwer233]

I thought it could be due to 8bit JPG compression, however exported 16bit tiff is the same.

[Per Berntsen]

I was just going to ask you about that, but then we can rule it out

[D Fosse]

Actually this looks very much like the difference between color managed and non-color managed display, on an sRGB-type monitor. Most monitors have a small dip in the shadow response, which is compensated in the monitor profile - if used.

I'm not familiar with any of those other apps, but I wouldn't trust that they're fully color managed just by assumption. The only one I can confirm is Windows Photo Viewer.

ColorNavigator has some small issues with LUT profiles, although I've never had problems in Lightroom (only Photoshop with GPU on). Version 4 profiles from CN have always worked fine in Lightroom in my own testing. If this is a monitor profile problem, with matrix and V2, this is the first time ever I've heard about it.

Is this a single or dual display setup? If the latter, Lightroom and ACR have both been known to use the wrong profile - the profile for the other display than the one the application is on. It doesn't happen often, but it happens. The only way to check is to swap display assignments in the OS.

Oh, and turn off GPU in preferences if it's on. That too can sometimes mess up.

[TheDigitalDog]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/D+Fosse  wrote

Actually this looks very much like the difference between color managed and non-color managed display, on an sRGB-type monitor. Most monitors have a small dip in the shadow response, which is compensated in the monitor profile - if used

That’s my suspicion as well. Short of a wonky display profile, LR in Develop at 100% (1:1) and any other ICC aware application at the same zoom ratio will match.

[12qwer233]

Hello D Fosse,

thank you for your reply. I use laptop with EIZO connected through the docking station. Docking station has video card on-board (Radeon HD 6650M). Usually, I don't use the laptop display and it is not seen in the windows settings. If I open the laptop lid and use both displays, the result of the JPG output is the same. If I swap displays (if I understood you correctly, I just should choose the main display in the "screen and resolution"), nothing changes again.

I also noticed that if I drag LR window from EIZO to laptop, then picture is darken after a couple of seconds. If i drag it back, it looks a bit darker on EIZO for couple of seconds (too dark actually) and then becomes lighter again. As far as I understood, this is due to system/LR changing the monitor profiles.

Regarding the GPU. I'm not sure that LR 5.7 has that function.

I just tried to do the same on my laptop display. It is not calibrated and uses default profile from manufacturer. The profile is seen by windows and loaded. I set it as the main display and then exported JPG. The result is the same. LR is lighter (and color is a bit warmer, btw). Please, look at the screenshot (100% zoom).

It is really weird. Another RAW converter (DxO) doesn't have such troubles on my setup.

[D Fosse]

I see. This makes me fairly certain the problem is that the wrong profile is used by Lightroom. It's the only possible explanation if the profile itself is good and other color managed apps display differently. The instances I've heard of before where this happens, have always been laptop + external main display.

ColorNavigator set to version 2 and matrix ("gamma value") is a very reliable configuration and I have never heard of any problems with these profiles in any situation.

Yes, you'd change assignment of main <> secondary display in the OS.

[12qwer233]

Reinstallation of LR did not help. Is it possible to solve this problem somehow?

[D Fosse]

Reinstalling Lr won't do anything.

You need to change main <> secondary display assignment at OS level.

[12qwer233]

As I wrote before (post 11), changing main/secondary display did not help. The problem is present if I use any of the displays, or both. But usually I don't use the laptop display (the lid is closed) and it is not seen in the display assignment section.

Now I will disconnect the docking station and try to run LR only on laptop.

So, this did not help as well. Even if I use only laptop display, JPG after export is way darker than in LR.