Affinity Photo main editor window colors are incorrect. (and inconsistent with navigator)

[rcooper102]

Hey there, I am having an issue that is driving me insane and I was wondering if anyone had any ideas. The colors in the affinity editor window for an image I am working with are wrong. I know it isn't a display calibration issue because the colors are ONLY wrong in the main Affinity Photo editor window. (Also I am working using a calibrated monitor)

- They are correct when I open the source image file in Windows Pictures

- They are even correct in the tiny little navigator window in Affinity Photo

- They are correct if I export the image file and then open it in Window Pictures again. 

The only area where they are incorrect is in the main editor window itself. Colors look dull. Its as if saturation has been lowered. I have tried all sorts of things to fix it from working with different color profiles to different bit depths or even different file formats. Nothing has any impact. Whenever I open an image in affinity, it just looks "dull"

This obviously presents a huge problem when working with photos as I can't make accurate color grading decisions. 

I've included a screenshot below showing an image at various steps of the workflow. You can very clearly see that the main large image is duller than all the others and if I sample say the center of the green highlight in the top left hand blur what I am seeing is also affirmed:

- Source File: 15,27,3
- Editor Window: 28, 36, 13
- Output: 16, 28, 4
- Navigator: 16, 30, 5

You expect a bit of variance because I can't sample the exact same spot but the Editor Window is clearly very difference than the others. I have also included a screenshot of a new document just filled with red to rule out it being an issue with the photo itself. In that screen you can clearly see that the red in the navigator preview is richer and more vibrant than the red in the editor window itself. (The navigator is accurate to the color I selected)

Any help would be really appreciated. I  am running AP 1.8.5.703 on Windows 10. I am hoping maybe there is some setting that may be wrong in my preferences? 

 

 

[Daniel Tudosiu]

I have a similar problem. I am using a Dell XPS 13 which should be decently accurate for colour reproduction and in AP I get a nice image while in an external viewer (after exporting in either JPEG or PNG) I get a photo with the contrast cranked up to 1.

The images have been extracted with snipping tool. The first one is from inside AP while the second one is from Window Photo (I have tried other viewers as well, and also Facebook renders it with "enchanced" contrast). My export settings are the third photo and my project settings are the fourth photo.

Please let me know what I am doing wrong as I would love to continue using AP.

[Daniel Tudosiu]

@rcooper102 I solved my issue.

I observed that in Windows -> Settings -> System -> Display -> Color Profile there was a weird code (14CC). On further inspection in Control Panel -> Color Management -> ICC Profiles I was unable to find sRGB or AdobeRGB, so I looked in all profiles and I found sRGB IEC61966-2.1 which is the sRGB standard. Then I added it. Afterwards it appears in Windows -> Settings -> System -> Display -> Color Profile and I changed it there as well.

After I restarted Affinity Photo the image that I exported and the one that I saw in an image viewer are identical.

Now, I also ordered an SpyderX Elite Monitor Calibration from Amazon.de where it is heavily discounted for Datacolor's 50 year anniversary (I am not posting links cuz I am not sure about the forum rules). I am to calibrate my monitor and create an ICC profile for it to import in in Afinity Photo. 

[Old Bruce]

Thanks Daniel for posting about how you solved the problem. 

[rcooper102]

For me my Color Profile is the calibrated one (I'm using a Colormunki Smile). I tried switching to sRGB and it did change the look of the display but did not solve the issue at all. The preview pane is still desatured in the main pane. I have done some experimenting it is about an 18% saturation shift. This allows a work around of adding an -18% saturation layer that I turn on right before export so that what I see in the main window matches what gets exported. Kind of a ridiculous work around though. 

[Callum]

Hi Rcooper102,

Welcome to the forums

Does this only happen with certain RAW files or is it all?

Thanks

C

[Daniel Tudosiu]

On further inspection I have found out that my initial post is wrong. Setting the screen's ICC profile to sRGB is just a temporary way to debug, but should not be used as a permanent solution. What I have found that it works is the following. Go to Control Panel -> Color Management -> ICC Profiles and make sure that the "Use my settings for this device is ticked" and that the ICC profile for your screen (ideally obtained from a calibration tool such as Colormunki Smile or Datacolor's Spider) is set as default for both "ICC Profiles" and "ICC Profiles (Advanced Color)". Furthermore, make sure that in what you preview your photos (JPEG,PNG,TIFF..) is color managed (for example the Window 10 Photo App is not, but the old Windows Photo Viewer is).

Here are some useful links that helped me:

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/97417-colors-are-more-saturated-in-affinity-than-in-photoshop/&do=findComment&comment=521846

https://affinityspotlight.com/article/display-colour-management-in-the-affinity-apps/

I am not 100% sure this will solve your issues, but I will keep writing here if I find anything else.

[rcooper102]

40 minutes ago, Callum said:

Hi Rcooper102,

Welcome to the forums

Does this only happen with certain RAW files or is it all?

Thanks

C

All images, the red screenshot above was just a newly created empty file and filled with red. It is consistent across every image file I open. Regardless of the source, format, or color space. 

Going to try Daniel's latest post soon when I get home.  

[rcooper102]

Update, Daniel's fix seems to have improved things by quite a bit. There is still a difference between the navigator and the main window but it is close to negligible now. For example in my test I filled with main window with rgb: 235, 67, 40 and the navigator preview is rgb: 235, 67, 38. I am assuming this is just a byproduct of the compression on the navigator image as it is so tiny that it is no longer visibly different. I'd consider this issue solved. Albeit I am still miffed as to why the display's color profile impacts the main window but not the navigator.  I had assumed early on that if the issue was display color profile related that it would universally impact everything. 

Big thanks to Daniel for figuring this out. You deserve many cookies.

[Daniel Tudosiu]

Glad that it helped! ❤️