Image files look different in different image viewers

[PaulWog]

When I view images in Lightroom, Photoshop, or if I click the "Play Slideshow" button in Windows 7, my images look correctly colored, with proper contrast, darks are not washed out, and the resolution is 100% correct.

When I view images with the Windows Image Viewer, or upload the images online (ie. to Tinypic, or Flickr, or anything else) my images get contrasted out. Some blacks become way too deep, shadows get darkened and details get lost due to that, and in general the intended image from Lightroom can shift drastically. I was just working on a black & white image and ended up with a final image that was very precise, with some shadows just showing a tiny bit, and even some of the more obvious details in the shadows got blacked out pretty badly.

Does anyone know why this would be? I'm saving in Jpeg format, 100% quality, sRGB color space. If I view my exported Jpegs, they look great in the above-mentioned viewers (Windows Slideshow, Photoshop, or Lightroom). However, if viewed as a Jpeg or viewed online, they look terrible. Could this be due to my default image viewer, and could that image viewer also be controlling my web browser? How should I edit photos with the expectation that others will view the images, and possibly not get that intended final image?

 

[CaptainNapalm]

This is just the nature of sharing your images online or digital devices. Every device is set up and calibrated differently so your images on different computers will look different. Also, different websites compress or manipulate your images differently on import so what you see on flicker might differ to what you see on Facebook, etc. Similarly, different programs or applications on any single device will have their own way of rendering an image. Unlike printing a final image, where everyone sees the same thing, the rendition of your image will differ to an extent based on what someone else's settings are on the application or website their using to view your work. There is really nothing you can do about that. This is an aspect you give up by gaining the convenience of sharing digitally. The only thing you can do is calibrate your own monitor and various applications on your computer to render images as closely to your intent as possible. If you want to get really fancy and technical, learn to edit each image for the purpose you're using it for. Example, learn how flicker processes your image on upload and create a library of blanket settings you would apply to each image you intend to upload to flickr. Set up the same default set of settings for other popular websites you use to display your work and apply these settings to each set of images right before upload so that they render correctly. Frankly, I don't bother too much with all that stuff, I make sure that my monitor is calibrated with where I develop my photos so that my prints look good, that's all.

 

[KmH]

In addition to what is mentioned above many, many different browsers are used by people and not all browsers handle color the same way.

Add to that that most people on the Internet do not have a calibrated display and/or have a display type that can only display 6-bits of color.
So even if your photos look the same to you everywhere they are electronically displayed, does not mean the same is true applies to everyone else that looks at your photos online.

What type of display of you use? TN? PVA? IPS?
Is it calibrated regularly?

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