Differences in color display

[nico3d]

Hi Guys,

i have a new computer with a new display that I calibrated using Spyder 3 PRO.
The thing is I am getting this tremendous difference in colors when viewing my photos in Lightroom and viewing them in the browsers and browsers seem to be the only exception. If i open the photos in WIndows viewer which is NOT color managed like Lightroom, they still look almost identical to LR.
I use Firefox and Opera and they both look the same, a lot more vibrant and saturated colors, it's not that they look better, but so much different. I'm confused.....

btw, it happened before calibration too.... i'm lost:hm:

 

[clee01l]

Only a few browsers (like Safari) are color managed. Firefox can be color managed, but (?) requires a plugin and is not color managed using the default install. For best general browser viewing (including other users browsers that may have no color profile or management, you should save LR Exports as SRGB to get the best average look.
Here are a couple of websites to help you get the most out of your browser.
http://www.color.org/version4html.xalter
http://www.fotocommunity.de/pc/pc/mypics/572427/display/4763821

 

[Jim Wilde]

Firefox can be color managed, but (?) requires a plugin and is not color managed using the default install.

Cletus, it depends upon which version of Firefox is being used....from Version 3 onwards colour management was available (but disabled by default) by a config setting. From version 3.5 onwards, changes were made, such that colour management was enabled by default for graphics that have embedded profiles only, but can also be turned on or off for all images (tagged or not). This link contains the details: http://www.earthboundlight.com/phototips/firefox-color-management.html

Prior to version 3, yes a plug-in was needed...

 

[Victoria Bampton]

Also, which monitor? Wide gamut monitors throw another spanner in the works.

 

[b_gossweiler]

Also, it might be worth mentioning that Firefox 3.x only supports V2 ICC profiles, not V4. The link provided by Cletus to www.color.org is a good way for checking your browsers.

Beat

 

[nico3d]

Hi Guys,

thanks for the feedback, i think you overlooked one detail I described. I know browsers are not color managed so to verify the color issue I opened the same photos in all LR, browser (2) and windows picture viewer. The windows viewer is NOT color managed and still, the photos look almost identical to LR. The browsers are the only ones throwing horribly over-saturated colors.

The monitor it's a Dell U2410 which is not the best but pretty good in terms of wide gammut..about 96% adobe rgb. and calibrated using Spyder 3 Pro

 

[b_gossweiler]

What color space do you export with, and do you know if your ICC profile produced by Spyder 3 Pro is V2 or V4 (if you have an option, choose V2).

Beat

 

[nico3d]

Hi Beat

when exporting to the web I use sRGB in LR. I'm not sure about the ICC profile produced...i'll try to check shortly . I'm trying to find how to find the color management options in Firefox you guys discussed above but can't find anything :S

 

[b_gossweiler]

I know browsers are not color managed so to verify the color issue I opened the same photos in all LR, browser (2) and windows picture viewer. The windows viewer is NOT color managed and still, the photos look almost identical to LR. The browsers are the only ones throwing horribly over-saturated colors.

What O/S are you using? I just noticed that on Win7, Windows Picture Viewer is color managed.

I'm trying to find how to find the color management options in Firefox you guys discussed above but can't find anything

In Firefox 3.5 and later, you have to enter about:config in the URL bar and confirm the first warning. Then look for a key of gfx.color_management.mode, which can carry the values described here.

You can check your software for color management by looking at this JPEG. If you can see the rectangles in the colors indicated, the software you're using is color managed. If not, you'll see opposite colors than the ones indicated in the rectangles. Download the JPEG to your PC and open if with Microsoft Picture Viewer to verify.

Beat

 

[nico3d]

What O/S are you using? I just noticed that on Win7, Windows Picture Viewer is color managed.


Beat

you are right! in Win7 IS color Managed....

i think it might have to do with the monitor and calibration then...I read somewhere that the wider the gammut of your monitor is, the worse the quality of the colors of photos in websites.

how true is that?

 

[b_gossweiler]

I read somewhere that the wider the gammut of your monitor is, the worse the quality of the colors of photos in websites.

how true is that?

That is very true for non color managed applications in general, e.g. Internet Explorer.

Beat

 

[tzalman]

sRGB images that look over-saturated in a non-C.M. application is a sign that the monitor has a wide gamut. It is exactly the opposite of what happens to Adobe RGB images in a narrow gamut monitor when viewed without C.M.

 

[nico3d]

then, it makes total sense now, it has to be the wide gammut. to be honest it is one of those things that one cannot help but wonder why they dont have a fix. Isnt it paradoxical that the ones who own the best monitors can't properly see photos in browsers?
Anyway, editing with professional tools is more important....

thanks guys!

 

[Denis Pagé]

Jeffrey Friedl wrote an very extensive and interesting article summing it up. See here.

 

[b_gossweiler]

... Isnt it paradoxical that the ones who own the best monitors can't properly see photos in browsers?

Isnt it paradoxical that the ones who invented ICC profiles (or were part of the group) - Microsoft - don't use them (IE).

Beat

 

[nico3d]

I have one more question. How do I make LR embed or tag the photos with the color space when exporting?
It seems that when I export my images are not tagged with it because I look at some published images I have with both Firefox 3.6 (color managed) and Opera 11 (not color managed) and they both look with the same ugly saturation i.e not color managed

From version 3.5 onwards, changes were made, such that colour management was enabled by default for graphics that have embedded profiles only, but can also be turned on or off for all images (tagged or not).

So, according to Jim, if I tag the images, Firefox will interpret the colors right. How is this done?

Thanks!

 

[Jim Wilde]

As I understand it Lightroom will tag/embed all images during export automatically.

Firefox 3.5 onwards by default has colour management turned on for tagged images. Have you checked that jpeg that Beat provided to ensure that your browser is colour-managed?

So, if you are looking at images exported from Lightroom in a FF3.6 browser window AND you have not changed the default settings, AND you still have a problem with over-saturated colours.....then it would seem that the problem lies elsewhere.

One question: you say you are looking at 'published images'....does that mean you are viewing the files that are actually on the web, or files which are on your hard drive?

 

[b_gossweiler]

One question: you say you are looking at 'published images'....does that mean you are viewing the files that are actually on the web, or files which are on your hard drive?

That's a good point, Jim, as some publishing services strip metadata and/or ICC profiles.

Beat