camera LCD vs raw on pc monitor, color cast

[progster]

Dear all, I have this doubt about my 5D mk ii.

The image displayed by the camera LCD is very different in comparison to the file dislapyed by DPP on my monitor. I did not a calibration , but I tried also a couple of other monitors just in case.

The difference is not only in saturation and contrast, but also in a different cast: magenta in the LCD camera vs more Green in the pc monitor.

Is the camera applying some kind of preset to the raw in the LCD? If yes, how to disable this function, at least for the color cast? 

I use the faithfull preset in my picture style, so I don’t understand why this pretty big difference.

Thanks in advance

[pjmacd]

My understanding is that the camera's LCD always shows a .jpg version of the RAW file that you shot, and that there is no way to disable this. The version you see on your monitor is the RAW version, which can then be edited with your preferred image editing software.

[jazzman1]

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@pjmacd wrote:
My understanding is that the camera's LCD always shows a .jpg version of the RAW file that you shot, and that there is no way to disable this. The version you see on your monitor is the RAW version, which can then be edited with your preferred image editing software.

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My problem on my 60D LCD monitor, is that no image is ever the same to what I see om my Pc screen.  I cannot judge correctly anything I see on my 60 D LCD screen.  Many times I have thought a shot good on the LCD screen, only to look in horror the same pic viewd on my Pc monitor.

[jrhoffman75]

1. is your PC monitor profiled?

2. what viewing software are you using?

[progster]

my monitor is not already profiled, but my point is that I tried 2 different pc monitors, a tablet and a smartphone monitor, sending the jpeg saved from an unprocessed raw: there some small differences, but in general colors are pretty similar from one device to another, instead all are very different from camera LCD.

if i open the raw in adobe camera raw I have to add 30 % magenta to the file in order to match LCD aspect.

I know that profiling is very good, but my question is, makes sense matching my camera and not matching all other people average settings??

[RobertTheFat]

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@progster wrote:

Dear all, I have this doubt about my 5D mk ii.

The image displayed by the camera LCD is very different in comparison to the file dislapyed by DPP on my monitor. I did not a calibration , but I tried also a couple of other monitors just in case.

The difference is not only in saturation and contrast, but also in a different cast: magenta in the LCD camera vs more Green in the pc monitor.

Is the camera applying some kind of preset to the raw in the LCD? If yes, how to disable this function, at least for the color cast? 

I use the faithfull preset in my picture style, so I don’t understand why this pretty big difference.

Thanks in advance

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The camera's WB default is "Auto", and it will try to assess the ambient color temperature and make an intelligent guess. If it guesses wrong (and some models are much better at it than others, especially when tungsten or fluorescent light is present), you can always fix it in post processing. DPP gives you plenty of options - although, annoyingly, it doesn't keep track of the closest color temperature to the WB value it inferred, and the "color temperature" WB setting always starts at 5200 K (Canon's definition of "daylight").

[cicopo]

You need to isolate the problem, either by profiling your monitor using commercial equipment or a standardized test print. If you can't go that route set your camera to large fine jpg + raw and take a photo of a nicely colored scene that looks good on your LCD & PRINT IT. If the print matches (other maybe than a brightness difference) it's a monitor problem. The larger you can make the print the better (as in an 8 X 10 is more useful than a 4 X 6).

ALSO note that if you have your camera set to Adobe RGB & your monitor can't be set to Adobe RGB then you have another problem in that your monitor can't replicate what the file is trying to display. 

[progster]

do you mean printing directly from the camera or try to print from DPP or similar?

may be printing works, may be not: printers have calibration problems as well, or even more.

I've heard of this good tool, colomunki, it allows calibration of both monitor and printer: it's not so expensive but if I find a free way it's better.

I see the problem also shooting with sRGB

[ScottyP]

RAW is RAW and will not get better looking from being converted to JPG. The LPG displayed by the camera
LCD has been juiced up in camera.

You first need to get the white balance right if it is off. I don't use DPP but in Lightroom there's an eye dropper you can use to tell LR what either white or 18% grey looks like and it will correct your WB to that. If there's a white tee shirt or a
Styrofoam cup or a white paper plate, etc in the shot that works
Otherwise you might consider taking a
White card with you.

After that you need to process the photo. Fix exposure then address contrast, sharpness, clarity, saturation, etc. then you make a Jpg from the processed RAW.

You should get the monitor calibrator. It is important. Also be sure your monitor is good enough to calibrate or an upgrade may be in order.

[jrhoffman75]

Here's some things to try for a start.

1. in DPP Preferences Color Management select monitor profile operating system profile.

2. Many folks have the monitor too bright. Set brightness and contrast to 50% level.

3. go to this website, read the article and download the test image: 

http://www.outbackphoto.com/printinginsights/pi049/essay.html

4. open the download test image in DPP and, without making any adjustments, how does it look? It has "memory colors" that you know exactly how they should look; do they look OK? Can you see all the step gradients in the gray scale strips?

If you don't get a good image of the test file then your monitor needs some adjusting. Need more info on what you have to help there.

5. If you are happy with the monitor image print the image using the correct paper profile/selection for your printer/paper combination.  How does the print look compred to the monitor? I have helped a number of folks with this, and without fail the printed image looks just how they want - then the task is to get the monitor to look like the printer.