Color Calibrated Viewers--Viewing Photos

[Kayaker72]

This is very simple and many if not all of you may have already fixed this. But, I was noticing a greater color differential between what I saw in LR and then my jpeg output. Bottom line in my 4+ yr old monitor is likely starting to drift a little (delta E is sill 0.6, but that is up). In the past I fixed this by re-running my color calibration. But, that did not fix it this time. After some searches, it looks like the current "photos" app in Windows 10 is not color corrected. However, the older "Windows Photo Viewer" is color corrected.

So, and this is why it is so simple, but a quick shift to make "Windows Photo Viewer my default app for viewing jpgs, and what I am seeing in jpgs is again aligning with LR. Simple. You may not have this issue. Frustrating that Microsoft has a photo viewing app that does not use color correction profiles. But, there you go.

[Jonathan Huyer]

Hmmm.... I'm not seeing the same issue with the Windows 10 photos app. The jpeg images look exactly like the LR view, on all 3 of my monitors (laptop plus two external). I do have a newer computer so maybe that's the difference (?).

[HDNitehawk]

I have never noticed this.

I have a newer computer as well and using two BENQ monitors.

[Kayaker72]

So, first, I had some issues just over a year ago. Re-calibrating my monitor fixed those. I started having issues again, and recalibrating my monitor did nothing. I am not exactly sure of the cause (color drift in my monitor is a guess, I did update some drivers to my GPU earlier, so ??). But the switch to "Windows Photo Viewer" is the solution. After doing some searches, I found references to the Photos app not being color corrected by the profile while "Windows Photo Viewer" is. At least, according to a few posts I found.

So, for years, using the Photos app was not problem. But this is easy enough to recreate as I can just reopen a recent image with the Photos app and take screen shots:

In Lightroom:

In Photos App:

Then when I post in Flickr, it would be similar to LR:
537A2509 by kayaker72, on Flickr

So, I have actually, for a couple of weeks now, just been posting to Flickr even though my jpgs were off. I got frustrated with this yesterday morning and tried several things before coming across the concept that "Photos" app was not color corrected and "Windows Photo Viewer" was. I actually think I came across this awhile back but had forgotten. Anyway, it had never been an issue before, but, open the same pic in Windows Photo Viewer and:

Much better aligned with LR and Flickr. So, Windows Photo Viewer is now my default app for viewing my jpgs. I am not exactly sure what the problem was, whether a recent driver update altered something, if the colors on my monitor are drifting (very slight increasing trend on my deltaE, but as it is still within specs, this seems odd), etc. But, I found a solution that is working for now and shared just in case someone else comes across this.

[HDNitehawk]

I see the obvious answer here;
Stop using the Windows Photo Viewer.

The sad truth of digital photography is that even if you have your color perfect the guy on the other end may see it different.
Few people color calibrate their monitors, even among photographers.
Only two monitors I work with do I color calibrate, what is worse is even among the same manufactures different models see things differently.
Different sized monitors and different sized views are even tough to compare.
For web viewing I would count it a success if I get flickr and LR to match.
OCD could take hold of us on this if we let it, there is an entire world out there not color calibrated.

[Kayaker72]

Ha!

Rick, that is a heckuva point and very true. While I did not mention this, part of what I noticed was that LR/Flickr were also aligning with what I saw on my phone (iPhone), and TDP, for that matter. Also, both you and Jonathan are talking about newer machines, which I suspect are in better alignment. As I haven't migrated over to my new computer, this issue is with a 10 yr old build, a 4-5 yr old monitor, and after a GPU driver update. The oddball starting in mid-summer was the "Photos" App.

This may not affect others, but I use the jpg output photo viewer as a quick check on the images and to pick between similar images before posting. For now, the Windows Photo Viewer is giving me something to work with that lines up with where I am outputting my images and the rest of my workflow.

I mostly thought it was interesting at reports that one photo viewer used the color profile to correct the images while another did not. I saw an instant difference and the fix was so simple. As I said above, when I run into an issue and find a solution that works for me, I usually post it here. The sunrise was just the image that made me look for a solution. The difference was more pronounced in images with more colors.

But you are right, we are not living in a color calibrated world. What everyone else sees will be different depending on the device they use to view the image.

[HDNitehawk]

It may be a combination of things.
Video Card, monitor and if your Windows version is up to date.

I do remember years ago I got in the habit of using adobe bridge because the Windows Viewer was always flat.

This can be an expensive hobby if you are always looking for perfection.