LR4 JPG export to web washed out

[Kelly2307]

Curious if anyone has a different correction for this problem? I'm having to add saturation to my photos, prior to exporting them to the web, for them to look close to the same as they do on my calibrated monitor. When I print my photos look correct, but when I export to the web and look at the photos on uncalibrated monitors they appear washed out. I know I have no control over other monitors that are not calibrated. I'm using the Spyder to calibrate my monitor. Any suggestion as to how to fix this problem without having into go in and add saturation to all the photos before I upload them or export them from Lightroom 4? Or is this something everyone deals with?

[Mike Buckley]

Welcome to CiC, Kelly!

You should not have to increase the saturation for display on the web. I'm not familiar with this part of using Lightroom, but check to make sure the sRGB color space is being embedded in the image file being created for use on the Internet. Otherwise, you or anyone using a web browser that does not manage the color space will not see the same colors displayed in the original image file and it can be perceived as a lack of saturation.

Even so, some web browsers that claim to manage the color space do not do so very well. I highly recommend using Firefox for viewing images on the Internet.

[Manfred M]

Welcome to CiC Kelly.

The most common cause of what you are reporting (assuming that everything else is okay) is a colour space issue. Anything on the web has to be converted to sRGB, other color spaces can end up looking washed out. Web images are 8-bit, but if you are posting jpgs, this will be okay through the conversion process.

[LocalHero1953]

Further to what others have written.....
If you are using AdobeRGB or ProPhotoRGB in LR, then your problem may well be a colour space issue. I can't remember how LR4 works, but in LR5 hit "S" in the Develop module and you will get a soft proof of your image (make sure the option is set to soft proof as sRGB) and the histogram will show out-of-gamut areas for print or screen. Reducing saturation or luminance of these particular colours will bring them back into gamut.
What puzzles me is that when I've had problems like this it has not shown up as washed out colour, just flat/blocky with little tone detail. However, my experience of this is not wide, so it may show up in different ways.

[Kelly2307]

Thanks for all of the responses. All of my color space settings are sRGB. That's the setting on the camera and in Lightroom. I think I'm just missing a setting somewhere that is not obvious to me. The results are obvious. I'll go back in tonight and check some of the things everyone has talked about. Again thanks!

[HenkB]

Curious if anyone has a different correction for this problem? … when I export to the web and look at the photos on uncalibrated monitors they appear washed out. ... Or is this something everyone deals with?

Everyone! If your exports are tagged sRGB and look correct on your computer (as you say they do) then you have done all there is to do. As Mike suggests, your only hope of a correct remote display is a calibrated monitor running a color-aware browser. Non-color-aware browsers won't do it and uncalibrated monitors are unlikely to be correct. There are so many more ways to be wrong than to be right, there is no way to be certain you will make the correct correction. Imagine how your pumped-up exports might look in a color-aware browser…

Unfortunately this is a feature of web life currently. Just take comfort in these two likelihoods: that folks who see your images in their washed-out state will view everything that way and just may have learned to adjust and, second, that folks who really care how your photos may look will have taken the care to calibrate their monitors and use color-aware software.

Welcome to CIC.

Best,

Hendrik

[DanK]

All of my color space settings are sRGB. That's the setting on the camera and in Lightroom.

Are you shooting raw or JPEG? If you are shooting raw, the setting on the camera does not affect the file at all. Lightroom works in Melissa, a variant of ProPhoto, which is a color space larger than either sRGB or adobe RGB. It maps to sRGB to display on your monitor, but it does not convert internally. It converts only when you export. At that point, you have to specify sRGB, I believe, although I am on a computer without LR and can't check.

If you are shooting jpeg, then the image is already reduced to sRGB when you import it into LR. LR should not change that, but you should keep the sRGB setting in the export dialog anyway.

If you are doing that, then I agree with Hendrik: there is nothing else to do. However, I would export a few images to your hard drive, copy them to a thumb drive, and then view them on someone else's calibrated monitor, just to make sure that there is nothing wrong with your calibration.

[Mike Buckley]

It maps to sRGB to display on your monitor, but it does not convert internally. It converts only when you export. At that point, you have to specify sRGB, I believe, although I am on a computer without LR and can't check.

That's a really good point. Rather than rely on an understanding of Lightroom configurations, it's always best to review the metadata of a saved file and check for the color space. If you don't know how to do that, post a photo here and we can check that for you.

[Kelly2307]

I went home last night and changed some things up and go the same results. I think I'm worrying over something I don't have control over. The photos on my monitor at work looked pretty good. The uploaded photos when viewed on an Apple iPad looked washed out. Bottom line is what I'm seeing on my monitor is close to what I'm getting on my prints at home. I can't control everyone's monitor. Thanks to all who responded. It did give me information that I was able to check to make sure my sittings were correct.