Brightness flickers with some TIFF files

[cajhin]

With some photos, it appears that there is a +100 brightess live filter, covering the photo *and* the grey background (but not the GUI elements). That filter turns off briefly as I click on the photo or move it around, even if I'm modifying another visible photo window.

This only happens:

- with maybe 20% of the  photos (iPhone 13 mini)

- with Photos opened via the Photos app > Edit with... > Affinity Photo 2

The photos are opened in TIFF format. When I open the same photo directly from disk, as a jpg, instead of using the Photos app, then there is no problem.

It appears to flicker randomly as you interact, but it is 100% recreatable for the 20% "bad" photos. My best guess is hardware acceleration doesn't like specific TIFF files.

AP 2.0.0 / Macbook Air M2 / Ventura

 

[Callum]

Hi Cajhin,

If possible could you provide a copy of one of the files in question and a screen recording demonstrating this issue? If you disable hardware acceleration does this issue still occur?

Thanks
C

[Asgothian]

I have a similar issue on my Mac mini M2:

Pictures in different formats (Tried: TIFF, PNG) with Apple Wide Color Sharing Profile have a "wrong" brightness in the main viewport. Note that it is only the main viewport which is affected, the preview in the corner is fine, and the image data is also fine, it is just the main viewport display which shows an error.

I cannot provide a screen recording easily, but I have attached a number of screenshots to show the effect. The two different states do not constantly swap, it is more the case that whenever I want to work with an image, I have the "wrong" display, while the app in the background only has it sometimes

 

Note that I had to use a camera to catch the effect, as it never happens when the screenshot function is active. I uploaded "screenshots" from 3 images:

The images ESC_0250 and ESC_0246 show the error, while ESC_0249 and ESC0247 do not. Both original images are RGBA/16 with the  Apple Wide Color Sharing profile, and the only interaction between taking the image was moving the mouse. No operation was made. The file size is big, but not exceptionally so: 4256x2832px, 12.05 MP for 0246/0247 and 5467x3645, 19.93 MP for 0249/0250.

The image esc_0248 never shows this effect, but it has a RGBA/16 colordepth with sRGB IEC61966-2/1 color profile

I had the effect with an older version of Affinity Photo 2, but updates to the current 2.1.1 earlier today. The Mac mini is running MacOS Ventura 13.4.1 (c)

 

How do I get rid of this ? Currently, my workflow to edit images is broken - I cannot use the "edit in affinity photo 2" menu item in Apple Photos, instead I have to export the images separately, making sure to select a compatible colourspace, and then reimport the images afterwards.

 

A.

 

 

 

[Asgothian]

Ps - reading more posts this morning, I found this one which I didn’t find last night - same effect, most likely same bug:

glad to know it is already known and being worked on.

 

A.

[cajhin]

Solution: (note to self if I forget again)

 

This is a conflict between "Renderer = Metal" and no color profile.

In my case (iPhone13 mini, M2 Macbook, MacOS 14), when exporting an image from the Photos app, I have to:

Switch 'color profile' from "Most Compatible" (which will result in "Unassigned") to sRGB.

With the sRGB profile set, the flickering stops.

(you can also, in AP, do menu > Document > Assign ICC Profile... > (sRGB), but then you have to do it every time).