Too much contrast in windows photo viewer and firefox

[kyle_t]

I recently noticed that when I open a picture in windows photo viewer the photo is displayed alot darker/more contrast that it really is. This also goes for images in firefox. Sometimes if the image loads slow, it will display the true contrast for a split second then show it with more contrast.

However when I open the image up in photoshop it displays in the true contrast and color. Heres a photo showing the difference.

I am thinking this is because I was recently scanning for a video card update and downloaded the AMD Vision engine control center. In there I tried to set to factory defaults, but I still have the contrasted photos. Im not really sure how to uninstall the vision control center either.

 

[kyle_t]

I uninstalled the AMD vision control center and Im still having the problem. So it wasnt the AMD control center causing it.

 

[kyle_t]

I think I got it fixed. I removed a color profile that mustve gotten created somehow.

 

[AndreyT]

Firstly, the effect you observe is a major and well-known bug in Windows Photo Viewer - the program that launches by default when you double-click on the picture. Windows Photo Viewer implements color management improperly.

Secondly, people who suggest that you should "calibrate and profile your monitor" are completely missing the crux of the matter. It is exactly "calibrating and profiling your monitor" that activates this bug. This bug will not reveal itself if Windows is set to use its default color profiles.

Moreover, removing monitor profile from the Windows Color Management settings is not a "fix". That profile is supposed to be there. That's the whole point of Color Management.

This is what rally happens:

As many of you know, when you calibrate & profile your monitor using the appropriate hardware/software package, the profiler software generates ICC profile for the monitor as well as gamma correction table stored inside that ICC profile. In order for that new profile to work properly, you have to load the gamma correction data into the LUT table of your video card. This can be done in two ways: either 1) by using a small gamma-loader utility supplied by the vendor of your profiling product, or 2) by using Windows 7 built-in capabilities. These gamma-loading capabilities are new to Windows 7 (actually, they were present in Vista as well, but very poorly implemented).

Many people prefer the latter approach, since they don't want to run an extra third-party utility, when Windows can do it for them by itself. In order to use the latter approach you will have to register the new monitor profile in the Windows Color Management engine and ask Windows to load gamma from the registered ICC profile. It will work as it is supposed to, but unfortunately it will destroy normal functionality of Windows Photo Viewer. Pictures in Windows Photo Viewer will suddenly appear dark. It is a bug in Windows Photo Viewer, which Microsoft so far failed to address.

All other software (including the color-managed one) will continue to work properly.

One workaround for this problem is to stop using the built-in capabilities of Windows 7 for gamma loading. Ask Windows to stop loading gamma, and use the standalone gamma loading utility provided by the vendor of your monitor profiling software.

Another workaround is to stop using Windows Photo Viewer. Download a properly implemented color-managed third party picture viewer and you should be fine.

 

[Noctii]

I must agree that this problem exists in Windows Photo Viewer, and it appears after calibrating display (at least if it is done in Win7 settings). The thing that helped me is deleting all color profiles for specific monitor in Color Management settings, then it is returned to the default state that is a lot better.

 

[ExoFrozen]

I'm not sure exactly what fixed it 'cause I'm not willing to replicate the problem again. Had the same problem.
I read a lot of stuff and messed with a lot of settings, nothing really worked until I read Noctii's(above) solution.

These first two things I'm unsure of:
To elaborate what I ended up doing was, in Color Management I checked "use my settings for this device"
Under Advanced, use the button at the bottom to "Change system defaults", check "Use windows display calibration"

Then, back under the default tab make sure there's nothing in "Profiles associated with this device".
[also unsure of] Then go back into Advanced, click "Reload current calibrations"

Then boom, it was perfect.

 

[AndreyT]

Then, back under the default tab make sure there's nothing in "Profiles associated with this device".

Then boom, it was perfect.

Well, by doing this you simply disabled all color management for the monitor. If that's "perfect" in your book then you are lucky. But for us, people who do color-managed image processing, this is actually the opposite of "perfect".

We need to keep our monitors profiled. And that activates the bug in question.

 

[ExoFrozen]

Then, back under the default tab make sure there's nothing in "Profiles associated with this device".

Then boom, it was perfect.

Well, by doing this you simply disabled all color management for the monitor. If that's "perfect" in your book then you are lucky. But for us, people who do color-managed image processing, this is actually the opposite of "perfect".

We need to keep our monitors profiled. And that activates the bug in question.

The only bug here, is disabling an incorrect color profile in the first place. I don't know about you, but I don't think a color profile that adds 20% extra contrast is a good thing. Since you're probably one of those people that chase the perfect shade of maroon that's part of the 7 billion colors the human eye can't even see, you'd be pleased to know my monitor brightness is cranked all the way down as well..

 

[AndreyT]

The only bug here, is disabling an incorrect color profile in the first place.

Absolutely wrong. The color profile is perfectly correct and works without any problems in all color-profiled software. This is a well-established fact. It is not offered for debate here.

I don't know about you, but I don't think a color profile that adds 20% extra contrast is a good thing.

What adds 20% contrast is not the profile, but most likely a classic rookie bug in Windows Photo Viewer. The bug is called "double profiling". Windows Photo Viewer apparently fails to acknowledge the fact that when "Use Windows Display Calibration" setting is enabled, gamma calibration settings are already loaded by Windows from the profile into the LUT table of the video card. Windows Photo Viewer simply reapplies the corresponding (darkening) corrections to an image that has already been sufficiently darkened. That's what makes it extra dark.

There are other ways they could've screwed it up, but what is now beyond debate is that it is a bug in the way Windows Photo Viewer handles profiles.

Firefox has always been spotty on color profile support, but I'm sure they fixed this bug already. Microsoft just doesn't care...

Since you're probably one of those people that chase the perfect shade of maroon that's part of the 7 billion colors the human eye can't even see, you'd be pleased to know my monitor brightness is cranked all the way down as well..

You obviously have very little understanding of what color profiles are and how they work. I'm glad I had this opportunity to spread some basic education on the subject.

 

[veto88]

Firstly, the effect you observe is a major and well-known bug in Windows Photo Viewer - the program that launches by default when you double-click on the picture. Windows Photo Viewer implements color management improperly.

Secondly, people who suggest that you should "calibrate and profile your monitor" are completely missing the crux of the matter. It is exactly "calibrating and profiling your monitor" that activates this bug. This bug will not reveal itself if Windows is set to use its default color profiles.

Moreover, removing monitor profile from the Windows Color Management settings is not a "fix". That profile is supposed to be there. That's the whole point of Color Management.

This is what rally happens:

As many of you know, when you calibrate & profile your monitor using the appropriate hardware/software package, the profiler software generates ICC profile for the monitor as well as gamma correction table stored inside that ICC profile. In order for that new profile to work properly, you have to load the gamma correction data into the LUT table of your video card. This can be done in two ways: either 1) by using a small gamma-loader utility supplied by the vendor of your profiling product, or 2) by using Windows 7 built-in capabilities. These gamma-loading capabilities are new to Windows 7 (actually, they were present in Vista as well, but very poorly implemented).

Many people prefer the latter approach, since they don't want to run an extra third-party utility, when Windows can do it for them by itself. In order to use the latter approach you will have to register the new monitor profile in the Windows Color Management engine and ask Windows to load gamma from the registered ICC profile. It will work as it is supposed to, but unfortunately it will destroy normal functionality of Windows Photo Viewer. Pictures in Windows Photo Viewer will suddenly appear dark. It is a bug in Windows Photo Viewer, which Microsoft so far failed to address.

All other software (including the color-managed one) will continue to work properly.

One workaround for this problem is to stop using the built-in capabilities of Windows 7 for gamma loading. Ask Windows to stop loading gamma, and use the standalone gamma loading utility provided by the vendor of your monitor profiling software.

Another workaround is to stop using Windows Photo Viewer. Download a properly implemented color-managed third party picture viewer and you should be fine.

You need to set the profile to version 2 when saving one out as windows has trouble with version 4,
At leased it worked with me.

http://www.xrite.com/colormunki-design/support/kb4714

 

[migscorpio]

Hi.

In the past i had the same problem with Windows 7, Windows Photo Viewer and Photoshop. I'm using the I1 Display pro, the solution was, has you have already discussed, saving the profile with version 2.

Now i'm with Windows 10, and choosing the version 2 when saving the profile doesn't solve the problem like in Windows 7.