Lightroom colour issues

i_am_cam

i_am_cam

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Cam
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Hi everyone, I'm having some problems with Lightroom (using version 2, but the problem started on version 1) when it comes to exporting my images to JPEG. I'm shooting in RAW with a 400d, tweaking in Lightroom, which I think by default is using the ProPhoto RGB colour space, and exporting to JPEG at 100% quality and in the sRGB colour space.

The problem is that the exported JPEG is noticeably darker, to the point of being unusable, than what I'm seeing in Lightroom and I'm not really sure why.

If I choose the 'edit in photoshop' option, the image looks the same as in Lightroom, but if I save it as a JPEG from Photoshop it turns out darker again.

Confused! :shrug:
 
Lightroom and Photoshop are colour managed apps so they are adjusting the display colours of the images based on the monitor profile for your monitor. Viewing the images using Windows, on the web, etc. means colour management isn't used which is why they look different.

I would first check you've got the right profile for your monitor, look for colour management under the monitor properties (exactly where depends on the OS). Ultimately the way to fix this is to buy a hardware calibration device such as the Huey or Spyder which will measure your montior, create an accurate profile and adjust the display for all apps (but colour managed ones will still be more accurate).
 
Ah, I think I get you.

If I posted the exported image - which looks too dark to me - on the web, and someone else was to look at it on a properly calibrated monitor, or in a colour-managed application, would they then see what I see in Lightroom?

Thanks for the help. I'll have a look at the colour management for my monitor and failing that I'll either get one of those little calibration devices or move my workflow to my mac.
 
I doubt they'd see the same as what you saw in lightroom as, by the sounds of it, your system isn't currently calibrated.

Colour management is about adjusting the image colours so that they are correct for the output device (monitor, printer, etc) but in order to do that a profile for the device is needed. If you have the wrong profile or an inaccurate one then the adjustments could be completely wrong. The profile might be saying your monitor speaks french when in fact it speaks italian.
 
I have just changed to Lightroom 2 and CS3 and everything I have posted today (lots!) shows much, much darker in the TP forums (fora?) than on my screen. I have a Huey calibrating constantly to measure room light and adjust accordingly (and have had this for ages), so I am wondering if it is something new with CS3 "save for web" compression???:shrug:
 
FWIW, I finally moved my photography workflow to my Mac. Spent a good few hours reading up on the issue and tried a few solutions but to no avail.

All seems to be working as I'd expect on the Mac now, thankfully.
 
photostar_1 said:
I have just changed to Lightroom 2 and CS3 and everything I have posted today (lots!) shows much, much darker in the TP forums (fora?) than on my screen. I have a Huey calibrating constantly to measure room light and adjust accordingly (and have had this for ages), so I am wondering if it is something new with CS3 "save for web" compression???:shrug:
Click to expand...

What working space are you using when you export from Lightroom?
 
pxl8 said:
What working space are you using when you export from Lightroom?
Click to expand...

It comes over as pro...something or other (I'm not at home at the moment so can't check). I then get a message in CS2/3 asking me what I want to change it to and I always change it to the calibrated monitor profile. I have noticed that in CS3, when I "save for web" it automatically changes to sRGB. I don't think CS2 did this...........but I may be wrong.

Maybe it's just my eyes getting older! ;)
 
I suspected ProPhoto was the culprit here. Stick to using sRGB throughout and you won't go far wrong. Save for Web is also another cause of headaches, I just use Save As and select jpg as the filetype. A window pops up letting you choose the amount of compression and shows the file size it will create so you can make sure the images will be within forum guidelines, etc.
 
pxl8 said:
Save for Web is also another cause of headaches, I just use Save As and select jpg as the filetype. A window pops up letting you choose the amount of compression and shows the file size it will create so you can make sure the images will be within forum guidelines, etc.
Click to expand...

Save for web works fine providing you disable the "convert to sRGB" option, and manually convert to sRGB before calling up the save routine.

Take a look here :

http://tancredi.co.uk/2007/5/13/photoshop-cs3-and-save-for-web-issues

http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx/.3bc105eb
 
Why are you using save for web with Lightroom? Wouldn't you be just as well setting up an export preset in Lightroom (or one for each forum you post on to keep to various size rules) that sets the colourspace, compression etc and allows you to keep meta data?
 
Stevieboy378 said:
Save for web works fine providing you disable the "convert to sRGB" option, and manually convert to sRGB before calling up the save routine.

Take a look here :

http://tancredi.co.uk/2007/5/13/photoshop-cs3-and-save-for-web-issues

http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx/.3bc105eb
Click to expand...

I'd be cautious of following advice from that first link, the author has a basic mis-understanding of colour management. Using your monitor space as working space is a very bad idea.

The problem the OP has is that the working space is ProPhoto and the image being isn't being converted to sRGB for web viewing, probably because Convert to sRGB is disabled in Save for Web which also stripped the profile out.

Using sRGB throughout will sidestep these problems and using Save As will stop the problems Save for Web introduces by trying to be clever.
 
photostar_1 said:
It's in CS3 that I use save for web.
Click to expand...

The export function in Lightroom can do the same though, just set the colourspace to sRGB set the size you want and lower the quality a bit. Then save as a preset for next time. For added save for web likeness tick the minimize embedded metadata box...
 
Craikeybaby said:
The export function in Lightroom can do the same though, just set the colourspace to sRGB set the size you want and lower the quality a bit. Then save as a preset for next time. For added save for web likeness tick the minimize embedded metadata box...
Click to expand...

Must give that a try. I'm a creature of habit, I suppose and once I get shown/find out one way of doing something, I tend to just stick to it. A bit like using "MS Word" isn't it......a trillion different ways to do just one thing.
 
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