Color/bw problems

  • Thread starter Thread starter lrdummy
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
L

lrdummy

Guest
I have no idea what's up with LR. Maybe someone more savvy can help me figure out what's wrong. When working with a color file, if I convert to grayscale or desaturate the image 1''%, I never get a true b&w image - always something with a sepia-like tone. I don't have any presets applied and my monitor works fine. In fact, I deleted all my presets to make sure there wasn't something happening with them behind the scenes. When I import into PS, the photo is truly B&W but looks nothing like what I saw in LR. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling, but I still have the same issue. Anyone know what I can do to fix this annoying problem? It's like I have a permanent tone applied to all images. Also, my histogram appears beige where it should be white. This happens no matter what file type I use - RAW, dng, jpg, psd. Please, heeelp!!:roll:

Thanks!
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
There's more detail about this on Flickr, where Vanessa first asked this question. She has posted screen shots there as well.

I'm sure I've seen this before, and I think it had something to do with monitor profiles, but I can't remember the details.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
Cannon, only been seeing this for well on a year. LR uses the Profile most apps don't.

Don
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
ok, i just checked the thread. it's quite long and slightly confusing. what is it exactly that i need to do? thank u all for the help!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
OK, I deleted the photo pro profile and switched my monitor profile to sRGB. everything seems to be working now. Is it ok that I got rid of the profile Lr uses (photo pro)?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I guess we should really do a 'tips & tricks' on how to fix a dodgy monitor profile!

What was your monitor profile set to initially? If sRGB is working perfectly, that's good, because it means that is was a dodgy monitor profile.

Now ideally you want a proper monitor profile - ideally resulting from hardware calibration, but otherwise, check your monitor manufacturer's website and see if they have a profile you can download to install as your monitor profile.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Victoria, it's the OEM canned ones that are often the problem. Better to either do a hardware calibration (borrow if you need to) or lacking that the step though software calibration you do by eye.

This subject has been well covered in the User to USer forum.

Don
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Fair enough Don, it's a lot of years since I last used a canned profile!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Well, I was using the pc's OEM monitor profile (a Dell something or other), so I changed that to sRGB. And then I deleted the photo pro profile from my list of profiles. I don't know if doing that is what made Lr work, or the changing of the monitor profile to sRGB. Is the photo pro profile and essential profile?

P.S. Thank you all so much for the help. I was ready to give up on Lr
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Glad we've identified the problem -- and welcome to Lightroom Forums. Come in and stay a while, the couches are pretty comfortable.

In any case, don't celebrate quite yet -- what you've done is installed a working profile (sRGB) where a monitor profile should be. This will make all applications look the same, but they're all now equally wrong (where before, most were right and one was wrong).

You need to install a proper monitor profile. You can either create your own using a hardware calibration tool (ideal), a software calibration tool (calibrating by eye), or one from the monitor manufacturer (a rough approximation at best). If you have an older copy of that damaged profile in your backups, that might be a place to get it, if you can't get it from the monitor manufacturer directly.

I'm not familiar with software calibration tools for Windows, perhaps someone here can recommend one.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
good point, Mark. i currently have CS3 set to sRGB and have had good results. now that i've set my monitor to sRGB as well, will the color i'm seeing in CS3 be affected or will it remain the same since both are now sRBG?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
sRGB has the smallest color gamut out a any of the color working spaces. Your images will not have the full range of color that can be printed or viewed on the monitor.

In Photoshop use as a working color space either Adobe or ProPhoto. I use ProPhoto...so does Lightroom.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
lrdummy said:
good point, Mark. i currently have CS3 set to sRGB and have had good results. now that i've set my monitor to sRGB as well, will the color i'm seeing in CS3 be affected or will it remain the same since both are now sRBG?
Click to expand...

You should not be using sRGB as a monitor profile. Using sRGB as monitor profile and as a working space is a double whammy that will limit color gamut, highlight and shadow detail.

As mentioned use at the very least the OS color calibration to build a monitor profile...and as a working space either use Adobe or ProPhoto.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I was afraid you would say that. OK, since buying a calibrator is not an option at the moment, I guess I'll use the OS color calibration. Does anyone know how to do this on a pc????
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I think it may depend on your video card.
There's a visual calibration tool that came with my nVidias. You should be able to get to whatever tool is available thru Control Panel > Display > Settings > Advanced > Color Management. That's on XP, I believe Vista is different.

In addition, I believe there is a Windows color management tool available from Microsoft, I forget what it's called, but something like that. I know I have it downloaded somewhere, but I can't find it right now. Maybe somebody else will have an idea.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Brad Snyder said:
...I believe there is a Windows color management tool available from Microsoft, I forget what it's called, but something like that. I know I have it downloaded somewhere, but I can't find it right now. Maybe somebody else will have an idea.
Click to expand...
It is HERE.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top