11 Replies Latest reply: Jul 21, 2011 7:47 PM by savoy91 RSS

    Color in lightroom different than export.

    savoy91 Community Member

      I've noticed for some time now that I was having to adjust the white balance in almost all my photos while working in LR 3. Then when I print they were all too cool and blue. Just back from vacation and I developed my photos while gone on my laptop with LR3 and noticed I did not have that problem. I know your going to say it's my monitor. But then I imported the catalog from my laptop and the exported photos that I developed. When I opened lightroom the pictures again were very warm, almost brown in hue. When I opened the exported JPG it looked fine.

       

      The image is a screen shot of the export on the left next to the photo in the develop module in LR.

      Capture.JPG

      If it was a monitor problem then both should look the same. Why am I getting such a warm photo in lightroom? I've compared the settings on my laptop and desktop and they appear to be the same. Anyone have an idea of whats happening in my desktop Lightroom?

       

      Thanks,

       

      Chris

        • 1. Re: Color in lightroom different than export.
          Jasonized Community Member

          Welcome to the fourm!

           

          First question I have for you:  how aer you viewing the "correct" jpg file?  with a color managed program, or what?

           

          Next, check your import settings, make sure when you import files you are not inadvertantly applying a preset.

           

          I don't think it would be in export settings, because you exported and it showed up "correctly", so either you need to calibrate your monitor (yes, quite likely)  or you have a preset set.

           

          The reason it could be the above is: when you imported as a catalog, it would not apply presets as it would if you imported directly.  And your catalog file was created on a different computer with a different monitor, so you could have set the color balance/etc just fine, but your local monitor is messed up and showing you wierd things.

           

          I'd have to see a screen grab of your develop module to get a clue as to where it is; take a look at the histogram, for example.. does it have actual white in it, or is it "warm"? If so, your screen profile is messed up!  Try setting it (temporarily) to sRGB and see what it looks like.

           

          Cheers!

          • 2. Re: Color in lightroom different than export.
            savoy91 Community Member

            Jasonized,

             

            Thank you for the reply. I've tried everything I know to make Lightroom give me a true view of my photos. The view displayed in Lightroom is so bad I can't even work with it anymore. It appears to be the way Lightroom displays the photo on my monitor. The photos appear too warm or brown. If I use the develop module to then make  the photo appear somewhat normal and then export the photo as a JPG, the result is a JPG that is too blue. If I don't do anything and just export the photo, what I get is a normal photo. It's only the on screen image that is too brown. I wonder if the real problem is the thumbnail that Lightroom is generating. But if I understand the way it works, when I go to the develop module I should no longer be looking at a thumbnail but the actual RAW photo + any adjustments???????

             

            Below are two photos that are saved as RAW files. The screen shot is Photoshop CS3 on the left and Lightroom on the right. Lightroom is open to the develop module and I hit the reset button to remove any adjustments. The programs are using the same RAW file.

            Capture2.JPG

             

            Capture3.JPG

            If I take the image in Lightroom and export it, then the resulting JPG will turn out like the image on the left in CS3. That's why it's impossible to use Lightroom on my desktop, I have no idea what the final product will be. The funny thing is I have Lightroom 3 on my laptop (same version on both) and I don't have this issue. If anyone has a suggestion I'm all ears!

            • 3. Re: Color in lightroom different than export.
              Jasonized Community Member

              Ah!

               

                Okay, that's a different issue then.  So, a couple of questions: what monitor are you using?  Is it profiled?  LR uses pro photo rgb, and by default PS uses adobe rgb, I think.  But your monitor is srgb unless you have a wide gamut display!  So many spaces.  There is an additional problem that LR is a lot more sensitive to display profiles than other programs.

               

              Could we see a screen grab of LR?  For example, one of the upper right corner of the develop window.. In particular, what does the historgram look like?

               

              You can test some of this stuff by changing your OS screen profiles temporarily to sRGB and see what it looks like.

               

              Cheers!

              • 4. Re: Color in lightroom different than export.
                Pete Marshall Community Member

                You need to calibrate your monitor using a calibration device and the software that comes with it. Then only view and judge images colour in colour managed software. Uncalibrated monitors or none colour managed software will give varying results and no judgement of colour values can be made.

                You say

                If it was a monitor problem then both should look the same

                They would only look the same with a calibrated monitor viewed in colour managed software. Using an uncalibrated monitor will produce variations in colour across applications. Using none colour managed applications will produce variation across applications. Only using a correctly calibrated monitor and colour managed applications will produce consistency in colour viewing.

                • 5. Re: Color in lightroom different than export.
                  savoy91 Community Member

                  I don't have a problem spending some money to calibrate my monitor if it will help. Any suggestions for a calibration tool? I have an LG W2252 Monitor. I'll be the first to admit I went for the largest screen size for the $$. But honestly with the exception of Lightroom the colors look fine. I looked at the color management section of Windows Vista and it looks as if everything is sRGB. I selected a couple of different profiles in color management and they did'nt change much.

                  Here is a screen shot from my laptop and then my desktop. The files were all originally processed on the laptop during the trip and I then imported the catalog with pictures to the decktop.

                   

                  Laptop

                  Cap_laptop.JPG

                  Desktop

                   

                  Capture5.JPG

                  Color Management settings in Windows Vista

                   

                  Colormgmt.JPG

                   

                  I appreciate any input! I'm just frustrated at this point that I'm getting such a huge difference with my desktop. Maybe I don't undertand how this all works but if I calibrate my monitor to make the output from lightroom look normal, Then wouldn't that make everything that looks normal and GOOD right now look bad????

                  • 6. Re: Color in lightroom different than export.
                    savoy91 Community Member

                    Here is a better view of the Histogram from both photos in LR.

                     

                    Laptop

                    Lap_hist.JPG

                     

                    Desktop

                    Desk_hist.JPG

                    • 7. Re: Color in lightroom different than export.
                      Hal P Anderson Community Member

                      No, calibrating won't make other things look bad.

                       

                      Look at the histogram from the desktop. There's a distinct colour cast in the area that should be grey. That's a sure sign that your monitor profile is bad. You have to properly calibrate it. Any $100 calibration tool will be fine.

                       

                      Hal

                      • 8. Re: Color in lightroom different than export.
                        John Blaustein Community Member

                        Chris,

                         

                        Take a look at:

                         

                        Datacolor:

                        http://spyder.datacolor.com/product-mc.php

                         

                        The Spyder3Express will work for you:

                        http://spyder.datacolor.com/product-mc-s3express.php

                         

                        Note:  I do not have any affiation with Datacolor, but I have done beta testing for them and can highly recommend their products based on my personal use of them.

                         

                        John

                        • 9. Re: Color in lightroom different than export.
                          Jasonized Community Member

                          That was exactly why I asked to see the historgram...  everything has a color cast (including buttons), which means your monitor is not calibrated.

                           

                          Okay, so here's the deal:  Everything is set to sRGB, _except_ LR.  Lr doesn't run in that space, you have to calibrate it to look right.

                           

                          So, best choice, pick up a calibration tool... spyder, i1, all do a fine job.   And no, it won't mess up anything else, because you won't be relying on "standard" screen definitions that aren't exactly right for anything!


                          Cheers!

                          • 10. Re: Color in lightroom different than export.
                            savoy91 Community Member

                            Thanks for all the input. Sounds like I need to calibrate my monitor! Just ordered the Spyder3Express and it should arrive Thursday. I'm looking forward to actually being able to work with Lightroom and not guess at what the final product will look like. Will post the results Thursday evening.

                             

                            Chris

                            • 11. Re: Color in lightroom different than export.
                              savoy91 Community Member

                              Received my Spyder3Express today and just finished calibrating my monitor. All I can say is, I wish I had done this a long time ago! I don't pretend to know how or why it works but it did. Here is the comparison now with CS3 on the left and LR on the right. I would say the quality of the photo in LR is now better and more true than CS3. If you look at the photos above the image before calibration was way too warm, almost brown.

                               

                              Calibration.JPG

                               

                              Thanks again to everyone for the sound advice. If you have been wondering if you should try calibration, just do it. Best $66 I've spent in a long time!

                               

                              Chris