Why do Lightroom and Photoshop show different colors on my calibrated dual-monitor setup?
Asked 10/19/2012
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2 answers
0
I use Lightroom 5 and Photoshop CS5 with two calibrated monitors. In Lightroom, moving the same image between the two screens causes only a small color shift. But if I export the edited image from Lightroom as a TIFF or PSD and open it in Photoshop, the colors look very different between the two monitors and also different from what I saw in Lightroom. Preview shows the TIFF looking consistent across screens, and exporting in either Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB does not change the problem. What could cause Lightroom and Photoshop to display such different colors, and how can I troubleshoot it?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
1
When you move Lightroom from one screen to another it's likely being subjected to mild differences in calibration whilst still accessing the same monitor profile, whereas when you open a TIFF or PSD in Photoshop it'll certainly be accessing the profile for whatever monitor you open it on. Or if it isn't you'd need to reconfigure it. The monitor profile 'in play' will be listed in edit>color settings>working spaces>RGB - so it needs to match the monitor you're using for that app.
Calibration settings and profiles are two separate things - the changes that kick in at startup, if any, are calibration settings tagged to the loading profile. The photo isn't wholly 'colour corrected' or managed at that point, as calibration only ever addresses neutral colour, hence even the Windows desktop might look slightly garish on some monitors.
Originally by user13185. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user13185
13y ago
0
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Two likely causes were raised.
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Color management / monitor profile mismatch in Photoshop. Lightroom and Photoshop may not be using the same display profile behavior. With two monitors, Photoshop may be picking up a different monitor/profile than Lightroom, which can make the same TIFF/PSD look very different on each screen. Check Photoshop’s color settings and make sure the correct monitor/profile is being used for the display where Photoshop is open.
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Camera Raw version mismatch between Lightroom 5 and Photoshop CS5. Lightroom 5 uses a newer raw-processing engine than the older Camera Raw support in CS5. If your source files come from a newer camera or use newer raw interpretation, Lightroom and Photoshop may render color differently. A practical test is to export a TIFF from Lightroom and open that in Photoshop; if the TIFF looks correct while opening/processing the raw file in CS5 does not, the older Camera Raw support is likely the issue.
Since you said TIFFs look fine in Preview, that points more toward Photoshop display/profile setup, but the raw-engine mismatch is also worth testing.
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