LightRoom - RAW - Contrast Issues

So I'm doing my first real use of RAW - shot all our camping trip pics in Raw (plus JPEG) and am touching up in LR.

When finished, the image in LR looks saturated, deep, full of life. When I view in any PC viewing app they look washed out.

Viewed in TapaTalk when drawing from a hosting site, they look better, but still not quite as nice, in my opinion - a hair too "bright".

Here a are a few examples - I'd appreciate any critique on what you all are seeing. Also any tips, pointers, known issues/tricks if this is a "thing" when doing what I'm doing. Thanks.

EDIT: When viewed on my phone, both in TapaTalk as well as emailing them to myself - they look much closer to what I wanted.

If you are editing in LR with RAW files, the view will have greater color depth than output JPEGs. Depending on your monitor, you may be seeing a more saturated view. Have you tried looking at the exported JPEGs side by side in Lightroom to see if they look the same as the edited RAW file?

Dave

If you are editing in LR with RAW files, the view will have greater color depth than output JPEGs. Depending on your monitor, you may be seeing a more saturated view. Have you tried looking at the exported JPEGs side by side in Lightroom to see if they look the same as the edited RAW file?

 

Dave

I edit on a laptop with a less-than-stellar screen, but until this situation it hasn't been much of an issue.

Do you know perhaps of a tutorial, or advice on a workaround to get the final jpegs to look more like the raw images?

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

I have, the jpegs are noticeably "lighter" (overexposed looking).

 

I edit on a laptop with a less-than-stellar screen, but until this situation it hasn't been much of an issue.

 

Do you know perhaps of a tutorial, or advice on a workaround to get the final jpegs to look more like the raw images?

 

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

A couple of things to check:

Export settings - File Settings > Color Space = sRGB

I did a trial and exported a file with Adobe RGB and there was a significant difference.

Dave

Hmm, they look washed out on my work monitor. I'm currently on a PC. I just pulled up the photos we store online and this PC monitor does make the pictures a bit more washed out than as viewed on our iMac or on our iPhones. The monitor thing can make a difference. I don't calibrate any monitors. Just use them straight out of the box.

That said, our pictures are still a lot more punchier and vibrant than yours on this PC monitor. That's Utah? Looks well after sunrise and before sunset on a cloudy day? That's gonna limit how punchy you can make things look without getting too artificial.

I don't edit in LR. I just sit next to DW while she edits and give my input when asked. But I still know a few things.

Picture 1: There's a dehaze preset you can find for free on the internet. That will help with the sky. Whole picture actually. It works like a polarizing filter would. And I would do that layer thing (need help here as to what it's called). That thing where three lines across the screen show up? I'd fix the sky and the rocks using two different one of those things. Mess with the temperature, vibrance, highlights/shadows, etc.

Pictures 2 and 3: They really look hazy. Definitely need that dehaze thing. Otherwise, the same as first. Temperature is just too cold. Things look flat and dull.

You may have to do that painting thing so the changes don't affect you. With that circle that paints things red and only the red part is affected. It's hard to edit landscapes with people in them because the changes tend to make people look all weird.

There's no "right" way to edit photos. Just get them to where you think they look good. Doesn't hurt to get ideas on how the final product can look though.

http://www.roseandcharles.com/

I just checked and it says down for maintenance. It was up last night though. They're a Utah based photography couple. I found their site maybe a week or so ago (I'm just reading their reviews)? I found their coloring pleasing. That said, you can tell that they went during peak photography times. Some of their shots look like sunrise shots and others look like golden hour before sunset shots. Very little is in the middle of the day like normal folks, but it still is good for inspiration.

A couple of things to check:

 

Export settings - File Settings > Color Space = sRGB

 

I did a trial and exported a file with Adobe RGB and there was a significant difference.

 

 

Dave

Yep, still set to sRGB

There's no "right" way to edit photos. Just get them to where you think they look good. Doesn't hurt to get ideas on how the final product can look though.

 

http://www.roseandcharles.com/

 

I just checked and it says down for maintenance. It was up last night though. They're a Utah based photography couple. I found their site maybe a week or so ago (I'm just reading their reviews)? I found their coloring pleasing. That said, you can tell that they went during peak photography times. Some of their shots look like sunrise shots and others look like golden hour before sunset shots. Very little is in the middle of the day like normal folks, but it still is good for inspiration.

That's how I go about it too, adjust to what I find pleasing. But with LR, when I export the image as a jpeg, it comes out noticeably washed out compared to the touched-up RAW image.

A couple of things to check:

 

Export settings - File Settings > Color Space = sRGB

 

I did a trial and exported a file with Adobe RGB and there was a significant difference.

 

 

Dave

So when you export from RAW to jpeg - your pics look the same? RAW in LR vs jpeg in a photo viewer on the same monitor?

So when you export from RAW to jpeg - your pics look the same? RAW in LR vs jpeg in a photo viewer on the same monitor?

Yes they do. I use a Spyder color calibration tool and the monitor profile seems to be honored by Lightroom. What I see in Develop or Library is what I see in an export when I open it in IrfanView, windows Photo or anything else on on either monitor. Prints sent to outside services generally look just like I see them on the monitor as well.

I have had odd stuff pop up and my view change when I inadvertently type without clicking on a comment box and LR sees my keystrokes as shortcut keys. I have spent a lot of time finding the settings I changed but in all that mess I never had the color disparity like you are seeing.

Did it just start?

Only affects files from one camera or all?

What version of LR are you using? (I did a search and couldn't find a similar issue with anyone past LR5.)

Monitor calibrated?

Using something other than "Profile: Embedded" in the Camera Calibration tab?

This is quite odd.

Dave

Yes they do. I use a Spyder color calibration tool and the monitor profile seems to be honored by Lightroom. What I see in Develop or Library is what I see in an export when I open it in IrfanView, windows Photo or anything else on on either monitor. Prints sent to outside services generally look just like I see them on the monitor as well.

 

I have had odd stuff pop up and my view change when I inadvertently type without clicking on a comment box and LR sees my keystrokes as shortcut keys. I have spent a lot of time finding the settings I changed but in all that mess I never had the color disparity like you are seeing.

 

Did it just start? This is my first go at using RAW - never had an issue when using JPEG before.

Only affects files from one camera or all? I only have the a6000 - did verify in settings it saves with the sRGB format.

What version of LR are you using? (I did a search and couldn't find a similar issue with anyone past LR5.) Lightroom Classic CC V 7.2 / RAW 10.2 (The monthly subscription - just updated before I started this)

Monitor calibrated? I don't have a Spyder system, just eyeballed and changes (laptop screen) I'll look at this next - only thing that might make sense of this. EDIT: Just recalibrated using an onboard system so am now going to see how things look.

Using something other than "Profile: Embedded" in the Camera Calibration tab? On the "Camera Calibration" tab, I don't see "Profile" or an "Embedded" option. There is an On/Off switch to the left of the "Camera Calibration" title. It is flipped "On", and where is says "Process" it is using "Version 4 (current).

This is quite odd. Agreed (lol)

 

Dave

See above in red...

Screencap of the LR window:

Jpeg output version:

These images are pretty true to what I'm seeing on my laptop as well as on my cellphone (only devices handy right now to use)

OK, new direction (same results...)

So I imported the jpeg versions of the original pics into LR, did some touching up, and exported them in jpeg. They have the same issue. The LR window shows deeper saturation, the saved jpegs look lighter.

To add another wrinkle, I took the edited image in LR, clicked the "Edit in PS" button. Image in PS looks exactly like LR image - well saturated. Saved the image in PS as a jpeg. It too looks washed out/lighter.

Man, this is starting to really suck...

Going to try Adobe help and see if there's any luck.

SOLVED.

Adobe customer service outstanding. He found a monitor setting buried in the Color Management setting - it was something other than sRGB (like slRGB or something). Once we switched it over to regular sRGB - all LR images match exported images.

Also turned off the Use Graphics Processor tab in the Performance section of Preferences (one of the updates turned it back on I guess)

Anywho, back to some testing - will see how RAW editing works now.

Thanks for your time!

Excellent! Just read all the updates. Turns out I hadn't fully understood the problem when I first posted. Oh well. Happy editing. Time consuming, but fun!

Excellent! Just read all the updates. Turns out I hadn't fully understood the problem when I first posted. Oh well. Happy editing. Time consuming, but fun!