Pictures look darker?

When I edit pictures in lightroom, I do so with the standard black background around the picture. Is that what everyone else does? I only ask because, when I export the images and place them in my InDesign document to make a book out of the pictures, the pictures just seem darker to me. Do you think it's because I am no longer using a black background and the pics contrast differently against my book background?
Thanks for the help.

There's a lot of possible causes. Can you specify how you're working -platform, cmyk or rgb, color spaces, InDesign color settings, etc.?
On a tangent - the difference between composing a book against white vs. black is pretty monumental. It's no just the apparent contrast of the images. Everything changes. Go to your master pages and throw in a black rectangle behind everything. It's a drastic change. I love photo books composed against black.

Similar Messages

HDV looks dark after capture

Hi, recently I came across the following problem:
when I caputure HDV footage (sony Z1) with FCP 6.0 the video looks good in the caputere preview window. But when i start working in FCP it suddenly looks really dark!
What is happening? When I import it in eg Motion it looks the same as in FCP. And when i try the movie player things get a bit weird: http://www.graniet.com/dump/snapniet.mov
Sometimes good and sometimes dark...
Captureing using Apple proress had the same result.
On my television which is connected to my Powermac, the picture looks dark too.
But ! ... but why does the capture-preview-window give such a nice, crispy image?
And how can I get that same image in the rest of my workflow.
Message was edited by: tames.org

Hi Jim,
I was using the lcd screen of the camera. I wasn't in the position to use my crt monitor.
But I compared my manual settings with the automatic camera lighting settings and the difference was only one stop. And I checked the image using the zebra-function. I hoped this would be enough to make a good exposure...
I forgot to mention that the flickering in the qtmovie I posted on the web, the flickering only occures when I actually move the qtmovie across the screen with my mouse. When I first open the movie it looks bright when I reposition the movie somewhere else on my screen it suddenly turns darker.

Pictures too dark - not a monitor calibration problem

I believe this is some kind of color space or EXIF data issue I'm having. The jist of it is this: if I view one of my pictures (they're in jpg format) in Windows Explorer, they look fine. But when Lightroom opens the picture or displays it in the library, it looks too dark. (Important note: this is not a monitor calibration issue. Searching on Google reveals tons of advice along these lines, but that's not what's happening here. Lightroom is simply displaying things differently than anything else.)
Photoshop had this problem also, but Adobe supplied a patch that made Photoshop ignore the color space EXIF data so my pictures would display "correctly". There does not seem to be any such equivalent fix for Lightroom. I'm using Windows XP - perhaps there's something I can do in the OS to fix this issue? I believe most of my pictures are sRGB.
How do I get Lightroom to display my pictures correctly? They are, of course, impossible to edit while they display like this. Thanks in advance for any help!

Thanks for the responses. I freely admit I don't understand color management. I also admit I have not calibrated my monitor. I know, therefore, that my colors are not perfectly synchronized across all my devices - and I'm fine with that for the moment, because they are close enough. What comes out of my camera, what is displayed on my monitor, and what comes out of my printer are all pretty close. I will calibrate soon and get even closer, but for now perfect color isn't my chief concern.
My problem is not that the colors don't match, it's that the pictures are too dark when displayed in Lightroom. By "too dark", I mean several stops of exposure too dark. A picture will display a certain way on my camera and in Windows, and the histogram reflects this. Then I load it into Lightroom, and while the histogram looks the same of course, the picture itself is being displayed like I took it at night. Hence, as far as I can tell, it's not a monitor calibration issue. If I were to calibrate the monitor to display the pictures in Lightroom correctly, everything else would look too bright, wouldn't it? Including Lightroom itself. Besides, it wouldn't be possible to brighten my monitor to the point that the pictures looked acceptable - that's how dark they are.
Here's another clue: if I'm at work, and I RDP to my PC at home, and open Lightroom in the RDP session, everything looks great. So, I'm thinking it's a Windows color space issue of some kind. The question is, since I admit I don't know much about color space, what might be the problem and how might I fix it?
So to summarize: incorrect color calibration isn't my problem (though I know it's something I have to do if I ever want to perfectly match output on my monitor and printer). The colors across all my devices are close enough for my purposes. Incorrect color isn't my problem at all. The problem is that Lightroom on my PC displays pictures as if most of the histogram was on the left, even when that's not the case. The pictures in Lightroom look nothing like they look on my camera, in Windows Explorer, or when printed on my printer. Why is that, and what can I do to fix it? Thanks.

Ken Burns Effects Look Darker On Preview

Not sure why, but effect previews on deinterlaced movie stills look darker and "better" than after the effect is applied and played back. Why?

Do you notice this mostly on slow moving text? Photographs can get away with more, but lines or text will have more noticeable artifacts. What you're seeing is the ever changing anti-aliasing of the lines or words as they are drawn to match the few lines in a TV picture. You may have seen similar ripply effects on home made credits. There's almost a science to getting the speed just right to avoid the issue.
If possible try a different movement speed. Ideally you want the image to be moving across the screen, or if it's up or down the screen then it would need to move at exactly a multiple of two scan lines per frame to avoid all artifacts. Thicker lines or larger text would reduce the effect too, because it's only at the edges of shapes that the effect would be really noticeable.

When I open or paste a picture into Photoshop, the picture appears darker than it was originally.

It doesn't matter whether or not I copy and paste the picture into the program, or if I save it first and then open it through Photoshop. The picture appears darker and more contrasted than the original does. I've never had this problem until today.

I'm just trying to use this picture, but when the problem arose I tested multiple pictures from various websites and from my own collection to see if it was just the picture or Photoshop itself. All of the pictures I tested had the same problem. Here's exactly what is happening to the picture: this is the original, and this is what it looks like once I open it into Photoshop. As for my color settings, here's what they are right now. I have never changed them from what they were originally.

Pictures import dark

The last batch of pictures I've imported into iPhoto all look darker than they did on the camera. If I click on the 'enhance' button they come back to somewhere near what I expected to see.
I think this has only just started happening, I've certainly not noticed it before on a whole batch of pictures. Nothing's been changed or adjusted.
I use a Nikon D40 importing JPG's. Monitor set to imac colour profile. I did notice there are a whole lot of colour profiles for Nikon in the Displays prefs, I tried all of them but they all made the screen too blue, and didn't affect the darkness.
Strange...
Geoff H

Rob
This isn't an issue with Colour Profile, this isn't an issue with iPhoto. It's an issue with not quite understanding Raw and how it works.
A Raw is a Sensor dump from your camera. Believe it or not, that's what every shot you take looks like on the sensor. For people who don't shoot Raw what happens next is that the camera processes the photos and stores the result of that process as a jpeg. Looks good.
However, Raw shooters don't want that. They want to do that processing themselves.
They look great on my camera's screen.
That's not your Raw. That's a jpeg (and therefore processed by the camera) Preview of the shot.
I could use the edit functions in iPhoto, or even Photoshop to fix them, but why should I have to?
Um, bluntly, because you chose to. See the problem: "I want to shoot Raw so I can use the edit functions in iPhoto to process them but I don't want to actually do that".
If you don't want to process the pics yourself, shoot jpeg.
Regards
TD

Photosmart 1215 printing pictures very dark

My Photosmart 1215, which I've had for several years, has started to print my pictures very dark and not true to the picture displayed on my screen. This is a recent development in the past two months. I've always had beautiful pictures from it.
The printer has also started to eat the end of the printed paper if I don't remove it from the printer the second it finishes printing.

I too have the same printer, and the same problem.
I have scanned the net, hoping to find an answer to the problem.
I have changed the settings on my printer to RGB + 2.2 Gamma. This does brighten the printed photo, to a degree.
But in doing so, losing some good colour and contrast.
Fabulous printer, printing fabulous colour. But not very good at reproducing what I am looking at on my monitor.
Hope some one can give you and I some useful answers!

Pictures look like they transfer via iTunes app window - but don't appear on iOS device

My pictures look like they transferred to iPad (the new) or iPhone (4) in iTunes (on the App page). I can see the files in the little app file share/transfer window, but the pictures do not show up in the iPhoto App on either iOS device.
Tried deleting the ios iphoto folder mentioned in a different post - did not help.
Deleted all pictures from the app window, and then synched, then tried putting in half as many (mostly because I didn't want to wait for a whole bunch to transfer like the first time ... still showing up in app window, still taking a long time to synch and saying that it is loading, and app percentage of disk space grows accordingly on device (in itunes monitor window). Go to iPhoto on device .... Only pictures are the ones taken by that device.
Photos in the sunflower still work like always, just can't use the cool iPhoto on any of my pictures not taken by the ipad or iphone!!!! GRRRRR!!!!!

This is happening on both the new iPad and iPhone 4.
I wrote under time pressure yesterday, here is more complete history.
purchased iPhoto app on the New iPad, then plugged in, launched iTunes, went to App tab, went to File Sharing - selected iPhoto, Clicked Add... button, selected photos/iphoto ... used daisyA to select all and clicked open.
All photo names appeared in the iPhoto Documents box. Then clicked Sync button (3 hours later) Sync complete - all photos listed in iPhoto Documents box in iTunes. Memory indicator shows application consumption of memory has grown appropriately for having added all those photos.
eject and disconnect iPad .... no photos appear in iTunes except for those taken by the device. Did same procedure on iPhone 4 .... same result. I can group, edit, view, and tinker with the photos taken by the device (ie iPhoto working as it should), however I can't see any of the photos from my long time iPhoto library not taken on this device that the iTunes file share window on the app tab says are there (and app memory usage also indicates are probably there).
Turned off both devices and then re-started -- no help
Soft reset both devices (dimple & power key, hold till restart happens) - even though the power down / power up should do at least the same thing. No help
Deleted iPod Photo Cache in iPhoto app (home/pictures/right click iphoto show package contents ... )
Synched again - no help
Deleted all pictures listed on app tab in file share window for iPhoto iOS app.
Synched - indicator for amount of memory used by apps decreases appropriately
Still can see and use photos taken by device and no others
Powered down then re- started device again.
Plugged in and open iTunes, use file share window on app tab to add just a dozen pictures this time (instead of all). Then sync - Still cannot see the pictures in the iPhoto app on the device .... file share window on app tab of iTunes says they are there. Indicator for memory useage says they are there - progress bar during sync says they are being added, I just cant see them in the iPhoto iOS app when I click on the Photos selector in the iOS iPhoto app.
Photos are on the iPad and synching with the ipad from iphoto into the sunflower app that comes with the devices. Just won't go into iPhoto!

My photos always seem to look darker in photoshop elements than when I view them in windows photo viewer - and now I have purchased the annual contract for photography cloud they look exactly the same in PS CC6 as they do in photo viewer - but I still use

My photos always seem to look darker in photoshop elements than when I view them in windows photo viewer - and now I have purchased the annual contract for photography cloud they look exactly the same in PS CC6 as they do in photo viewer - but I still use PS Elements 12 for some tasks and they still appear slightly darker in there - any ideas? - Regards Robert

My photos always seem to look darker in photoshop elements than when I view them in windows photo viewer - and now I have purchased the annual contract for photography cloud they look exactly the same in PS CC6 as they do in photo viewer - but I still use PS Elements 12 for some tasks and they still appear slightly darker in there - any ideas? - Regards Robert

Jpegs look 'darker' in PSE8 than they do in other programs.

I have started to have problems with Photoshop Elements 8. It used to display jpegs exactly the same as when viewed in other programs, such as Preview and Canon DPP. Then the other day I opened a jpeg in PS8 and it looked a lot darker than I remember, so I opened it in Preview to find that it was OK. Switching back to PSE8 and it was definitely much darker, so I tried DPP as well, again the jpeg looked fine in DPP.
In the end I reinstalled PSE8 and all returned to normal then today when I launched PSE8 it froze on me and I had to do a Force Quit. So I then rebooted launched PSE8 opened a jpeg and its darker than it should be? Opening the same file in Preview, DPP, iPhoto, Image Browser and bizarrely Adobe Bridge CS4 and the jpeg looks correct. It is only PSE8 which is wrong?
I have trashed all the preferences I can find for PSE8 but that did not help.
I suppose I could reinstall PSE8 again but seems a bit of a palaver to have to do this every time.
Any thoughts out there?
MacBook Pro 2.66GHz, 4 GB ram, 10.6.2
Phil

I use Adobe RGB for my image settings and I use a Spyder 2 to calibrate my display.
All was perfectly OK in that no matter which program I viewed the jpegs in be it Digital Photo Professional, Preview or PSE they always looked the same. Even when I printed them out the printed result was as far as I was concerned the same.
Then something happened and jpegs started looking darker in PSE, but looked the same as they always did in Preview, DPP and even Adobe CS4 Bridge, it was only PSE that they looked underexposed.
I cured the problem by reinstalling PSE but then it went again, I have reinstalled it again and so far things are OK.
I am sure the problem lies in PSE and something goes awry with the program. As all the other programs continue to display the images as I expect them to look and they print out as I expect as well.
Phil

DVD burned looks darker than FCP video on ntsc monitor

I use a broadcast ntsc monitor to color correct video from FCP via a cinewave capture/output card. My footage was shot mini-dv. Everything looks great on ntsc monitor. I finished the show, color-corrected rendered and all is good. I export mpeg 2 using the mpeg-2 export option from FCP, playback on computer, looks good. I used dvdsp 4, simulator looks good. I burn dvd and view it on same monitor as I was color correcting on. NOW, the dvd looks darker, the contrast is a little heavier, overal levels are muddier and darker. I try another dvd player, same thing. Different monitor - still dark. I take it home, and try it on 2 other dvd players, and it looks perfect on my tv at home.
I've been doing some research, and I thought this might be one of those IRE setup issues, but from what I've read, it looks like if it were an IRE issue, my video on the dvd would appear washed out and brighter, not darker. Again, it looks great on 2 set top dvd players I've tried, as well as the built in apple dvd player on the powerbook screen. On two other set-top boxes, it appears dark and muddy.
Anybody have any experience with this problem?
IRE, or something different?
Thanks

I've been doing some research, and I thought this might be one of those IRE setup issues, but from what I've read, it looks like if it were an IRE issue, my video on the dvd would appear washed out and brighter, not darker. Again, it looks great on 2 set top dvd players I've tried, as well as the built in apple dvd player on the powerbook screen. On two other set-top boxes, it appears dark and muddy.
It sounds like it may be DVD Player or television set-up related. If it behaved the same way on each player/tv then it could have been related to encoding settings, gamma etc. - did you double check the set-ups to make sure?

Making low resolution pictures look high

Hello guys. I am new to this forumn and this is my first post. I am pretty good with Photoshop. I use Adobe Photoshop CS3. Here is what my question is. I have a rather low megapixel camera (4 mpx) and I am wondering how I can get my photos to appear like they are of a higher resolution like these ones.
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=7302164&alb umId=1482376
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=38961338&al bumId=539649
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=38961338&al bumId=1292461
Thanks ahead of time!
-Matt
Oh and also, how can I reduce skin redness. My camera tends to pick up on the redness of peoples skin and it really makes the pictures look poor.

These kinds of application-specific questions should really be posted in the Photoshop forum, but here goes.
There's really not much you can do for a low res image, but 4 megapixels at the highest quality setting should be more than adequate for the web, and should allow printing at wallet size, or a bit larger, on a desktop printer. Photoshop can upsample, and there's a program called "genuine fractals" that does a good job, but don't expect miracles.
Most professionals would deal with your skintone issues by adding a curves adjustment layer and using the gray eyedropper to set the neutrals. If that doesn't work, you can also use a variety of other techniques like a hue/saturation layer along with selecting the skintone or using a layer mask. This is more complex than time and space allow here, but you'll find a lot of good information in a number of books or online tutorials.

Picture looks more fuzzy and compressed ONLY at start of movie

Hi there
I am using IDVD 6.02 on my MacBook Pro 17" Intel Duo. I am also running OSX 10.4.7.
I have made an Imovie project that begins with some imported titles (white text on a black screen) and then leads into the movie. When I make this full movie onto DVD, these opening titles are perfectly clear, but as the actual image part of the movie begins, the picture looks fuzzier/ more compressed than normal, but after about 10-15 seconds it seems to clear/ correct itself so the picture looks as it should. I have tried actually deleting that bit of footage and remaking the movie, but it still makes whatever the first part of the movie is, fuzzier. This fuzziness is not so bad, but there is a definite difference after the picture clears itself. The odd thing is that its only just started doing this. I have gone back through DVD's I made only a week or so ago and they are fine.
Does anyone know what this could be? Any help would be extremely appreciated.

Hi there
I am using IDVD 6.02 on my MacBook Pro 17" Intel Duo.
I am also running OSX 10.4.7.
I have made an Imovie project that begins with some
imported titles (white text on a black screen) and
then leads into the movie. When I make this full
movie onto DVD, these opening titles are perfectly
clear, but as the actual image part of the movie
begins, the picture looks fuzzier/ more compressed
than normal, but after about 10-15 seconds it seems
to clear/ correct itself so the picture looks as it
should. I have tried actually deleting that bit of
footage and remaking the movie, but it still makes
whatever the first part of the movie is, fuzzier.
This fuzziness is not so bad, but there is a definite
difference after the picture clears itself. The odd
thing is that its only just started doing this. I
have gone back through DVD's I made only a week or so
ago and they are fine.
Does anyone know what this could be? Any help would
be extremely appreciated.
I am also having problems with burning a DVD. 18mins into the movie it "Shakes and id fuzzy" but clears up after 4 minutes and the rest is fine. Tried a couple of makes of disc but no change.
If you hear anything about this would appreciate some feedback, Thanks

In the Book creation screen, pictures look blurry

Hello,
I'm creating a new book. As I'm creating, I'm dropping in high-resolution pictures taken with a DSLR into the album. The issue I'm having is that the pictures look blurry. The high resolution seems to be gone. Is this behavior normal? Will the pictures turn out fine once it is printed? Please let me know. Thanks.

select a photo and look at the information pane in the lower left hand corner of the iPhoto window (if it is not there click the blue "i" icon to display it) and see what the resolution of the photo is
I do not see blurry photos when I am building a book
The printed version will use the full resolution of the photos
Before you send to print you should preview the book by right clicking (control click) just outside the book and selecting preview
LN

DVD picture looks awful

Not sure exactly where to address this. I shot some footage on my Canon 7D, edited in FCP (no effects or filters applied) and then burned a DVD. The picture looks terrible.
the h264 footage was converted in FCP into ProRes422. Frame rate was 59.94. My FCP export looks fine, but when I burn it in DVD Studio and play it on my DVD player, there are blotches everywhere and does not look clear at all. Very noticeable during pause.

bubsy wrote:
Thank I'll give that a try when I get home tonight. Quick note, I played the same DVD on an SD television set and the picture looked fine, decent anyway. But on my HD TV it looked terrible.
Are you using the same playback deck? All players use different upscale algorithms and some are really awful. Then there is the setting on the TV which may have its own upscaling routine. Your DSLR footage was 720 or 1080 but your DVD is a very lossy and lousy MPEG2 that, at best, can only deliver 480 horizontal lines of severely compressed video. You are throwing away 75'% of your pixels.
Scaling that tiny number of MPEG2 pixels back up to fill a 1080 HD display means every pixel is blown up about 4 times. Every compression artifact is also four times as visible, four times as ugly.
bogiesan
Message was edited by: David Bogie Chq-1

Pictures look darker?

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