Help for screenshot images that look dull when imported into Affinity applications

[LEB]

Hello all,

I often use screenshots of web applications, which I import into Affinity apps.

If I open them in Apple Preview, they are bright. However, when I import them into an Affinity app in RGB mode, I always get very dull results.

I assume it is a profile problem, I have found posts on the subject, but I have not been able to solve it.

Could you help me?

Attached is an example image. On the left, the preview, on the right, Affinity Publisher.

LEB

 

[Otto Manuel]

It's a wild guess because I do not use Publisher, but your web-sourced sRGB files might be conformed and displayed in a CMYK colorspace in Publisher, so you can anticipate what the images will look like when they are published in print form.

[LEB]

Thank you @Otto Manuel,

The same happens in Affinity Photo.

[R C-R]

3 hours ago, LEB said:

The same happens in Affinity Photo.

In either one*, if you open Document > Convert Format / ICC Profile what does it show for the current Color Profile? (You don't need to change anything, just check what it says, & then you can use Cancel.)

*In APub, you will need to switch to the Photo Persona to use that menu item.

[LEB]

Here is the information (sorry for the French).

Upon opening the file, it converts it to sRGB from "Nom du profil: LCD couleur" which is my screen profile.

NB: I have just deleted the name of my company.

[LEB]

I confirm this is my screen profile.

[R C-R]

6 minutes ago, LEB said:

Upon opening the file, it converts it to this profile from "Nom du profil: LCD couleur" which is my screen profile.

I'm not sure what you mean about it converting the file to your screen's LCD profile, but you should not use a screen profile for a document. 

[LEB]

As it is a screenshot, the initial profile of the image is my screen profile.

I have clarified my previous text:

Quote

Upon opening the file, it converts it to sRGB from "Nom du profil: LCD couleur" which is my screen profile.

 

 

[R C-R]

7 minutes ago, LEB said:

As it is a screenshot, the initial profile of the image is my screen profile.

??? Where did this file come from? It is unusual for a document file to use a screen (display) profile.

[LEB]

This is screenshot from a web browser.

[LEB]

NB: I just saw that if I assign (not convert) the eciRGB v2 ICCv4 profile to the image, the colours are I think ok…

Also, if I print the screen from the browser to a PDF and open it in Affinity Publisher, then the colours are fine.

Interesting reading: https://www.reddit.com/r/colorists/comments/14r289e/psa_macos_screenshots/?rdt=56439

Still, does not explain to me why Affinity Photo does not successfully convert the screen profile to sRGB.

 

[R C-R]

7 minutes ago, LEB said:

This is screenshot from a web browser.

That's the kind of detail it would be good to mention when you first start a topic like this one. I don't know which browser you are using but if it applied s display profile to your screenshots, that is probably the reason it looks different.

[LEB]

I indeed mentioned in my initial post that I was "using screenshots of web application". Do you mean that the browser might play a role? This is confusing to me, as I guess screenshot is systemwise and would apply identically to any app(?).

[LEB]

Got it!

If I:

1. Open the screenshot in Preview
2. Assign a sRGB profile to the screenshot.
3. Open in an Affinity app.
4. … all is fine

Does this mean that the screen profile is wrongly assigned to the screenshot in the first place?

[R C-R]

From your first screenshot the left image seems to be coming from something that displays geolocation info. I'm not familiar with any web browser that does that, so could you name the browser? Or is it perhaps from a photo opened in Apple Photos or a similar app?

Also, can you provide a screenshot of the profile Preview.app shows for it? I can't seem to duplicate this with anything I have tried but there are way to many possibilities to test them all.

[LEB]

This is this webpage: https://www.onisr.securite-routiere.gouv.fr/cartographie-des-accidents-metropole-dom-tom on Firefox.

Profile:

I am also attaching the screenshot image file.

[LEB]

In the Reddit link I mentioned, it clearly says that screenshots on Macs are attributed the screen profile.

[LEB]

Let me summarise what we have found so far. And thanks again to R C-R for his contribution, which has helped me to clarify the problem a little.

The problem:
- when I copy a screenshot on my Mac running MacOS 13.7.1 to an Affinity application, it appears dull
- however, the colours are normal on Preview and other applications
- this is independent of the application from which the screenshot is taken (Firefox, Safari, Preview...)

Solution:
The colours are correct on Affinity applications if I :
- Open the screenshot saved in Preview
- Assign an sRGB profile to the screenshot
- Open the modified image in an Affinity application

My interpretation so far:
- the screenshot is assigned the screen profile "LCD couleur" when it is produced.
- This screen profile is very close to the sRGB profile, so if I assign sRGB in Preview, the colours look good in Affinity.
- However, for some reason, the Affinity applications fail to decode "LCD couleur".

Questions:
- Is it normal for the screen profile to be "LCD Couleur", even though my screen is a Retina XRD Display (P3-1600 nits)?
- Is not it a bug that Affinity applications cannot take into account the "LCD Couleur" profile, when this image is rendered with the correct colours in any other application (Preview, Word, browsers)?

Any help you can give on these two points is most welcome!