How can I keep colors consistent from Lightroom to my website?
Asked 8/2/2010
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I shoot RAW, edit in Lightroom on a calibrated Mac display, and export JPEGs for the web. My exported images look different on my website than they do in Lightroom, even on the same monitor. Should I stay in Adobe RGB all the way through, or convert to sRGB for web use? Do browsers reliably handle Adobe RGB, and is there anything I can do about customers viewing my photos on uncalibrated monitors?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
16y ago
2 Answers
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If you convert the image from one color space to another, the colors won't change (except the colors that fall outside what the color space can represent). The image data is converted so that it's interpreted with the new color space to the same color as previously.
If you replace the color space without converting the image, the image data will just be interpreted using the new color space and the colors will change.
Generally programs like browsers doesn't use the color space information in images, so they are displayed without conversion. So, you should convert the images to sRGB for a consistent look.
Dealing with customers that doesn't have a calibrated monitor is problematic, as you only have full control over your part of the process. You can only inform them about what this means and how the results may differ. One method that is used sometimes is to provide an image of a grayscale spectrum, so that they at least can check that their contrast and brightness settings aren't completely off.
Originally by user149. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user149
16y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For web display, export and embed sRGB. That’s the safest choice for consistent browser viewing.
A proper color-space conversion should preserve the appearance of colors, except for colors that fall outside the destination space. Problems usually happen when an image is assigned/replaced with a different profile instead of converted, or when the exported file has no embedded profile.
Lightroom’s internal processing is fine, but for JPEGs going to a website, convert to sRGB and make sure the ICC profile is embedded. Adobe RGB is less reliable for web use because browser and display color management can vary.
Also check the browser you use for testing: color-managed browsers will display tagged images more accurately than browsers that ignore profiles.
As for customers’ monitors, you can’t control that. Even with a calibrated display and correct profiles on your end, uncalibrated screens may show different color, contrast, or saturation. The best you can do is maintain a color-managed workflow, use embedded sRGB for web images, and, if needed, note that appearance may vary by display.
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