Image exposure changes with different computers

[tbrenn]

I am very confused on this subject. I currently use my labtop to post process using lightroom 5. I usually upload to flickr first then verify by looking at my phone. I always have to go in and turn the exposure down then reupload. However, if i look at this same photos on another computer they now seem overexposed. This varies of course. What is the best way to gage this? If the photos look great after editing them then how can i make them not look like rubish on someone elses? I shoot local automotive events so I do get a lot of traffic. It just pains me that people can not see the images the way I am seeing them.

Hope this makes sense and someone can clarify my problem. Is there a better computer setup to post process on?

Thank you,

Travis

 

[SCraig]

You can't trust the screen of a laptop. How things look are going to change depending on the light hitting the screen, the angle at which you view it, and so forth. Additionally, all monitors need to be calibrated using a hardware calibration device and this is virtually useless on a laptop for the same reasons. You can calibrate it but as soon as you move it the calibration is worthless. Many people who post-process with a laptop use a fixed, desktop monitor for that reason.

There are software calibration methods but they are not as accurate as a hardware calibration device. Try these two:
Monitor calibration and gamma
Display Calibration - Free online computer monitor calibration. Calibrate for brightness, contrast, color depth and resolution.
They might help.

 

[photograpix]

I have the same problem, the image looks ok when viewed thru viewfinder but once I imported it to Lightroom the exposure decreases although the histogram looks the same.

 

[Ysarex83 77]

I have the same problem, the image looks ok when viewed thru viewfinder but once I imported it to Lightroom the exposure decreases although the histogram looks the same.

Viewed through what viewfinder?

Joe

 

[table1349]

Making fine prints in your digital darkroom: Getting started

Monitor Calibration for Photography

brief explanation of colour management

 

[hirejn]

This is a calibration problem. To get a true view of the image, the monitor must be calibrated to display color and contrast correctly. The only way to do this is with a calibration device, such as a ColorMunki or Spyder. When you calibrate, you'll know the screen is showing you the best representation possible. Then you can trust that what you see on your screen is accurate. Without calibration, especially on laptops, you're really just guessing at what it should look like as the monitor could be showing you any variation of the original file, and any adjustments you make on an uncalibrated monitor may or may not be appropriate or relevant to the file.

 

[photograpix]

Viewed through what viewfinder? Joe

my camera

 

[Overread13 1]

What camera are you using? Most DSLRs only have mirrors so what you see in the viewfinder is the frame, but the actual photograph will look different because of how sensors record light and because of the closing of the aperture blades when the photo is taken. Most also have a button on the DSLR you can press to close the aperture blades before you take a shot to get a sense of the depth of field that the aperture will give you; however the image in the viewfinder will be darker than the final photo you get.

If your camera has a video viewfinder and it shows a preview of the final photo taken after the shot it taken through the viewfinder (or more commonly on the back of the camera on the LCD screen) then its important to note that whilst the histogram is the same the calibration of the LCD and your computer monitor won't be the same. Indeed many LCDs are poorly calibrated as are most off the shelf computer screens. You have to go back to the earlier posts made and look into a hardware based monitor calibration device to get the correct view on the computer screen.

 

[photograpix]

What camera are you using? Most DSLRs only have mirrors so what you see in the viewfinder is the frame, but the actual photograph will look different because of how sensors record light and because of the closing of the aperture blades when the photo is taken. Most also have a button on the DSLR you can press to close the aperture blades before you take a shot to get a sense of the depth of field that the aperture will give you; however the image in the viewfinder will be darker than the final photo you get. If your camera has a video viewfinder and it shows a preview of the final photo taken after the shot it taken through the viewfinder (or more commonly on the back of the camera on the LCD screen) then its important to note that whilst the histogram is the same the calibration of the LCD and your computer monitor won't be the same. Indeed many LCDs are poorly calibrated as are most off the shelf computer screens. You have to go back to the earlier posts made and look into a hardware based monitor calibration device to get the correct view on the computer screen.

Thanks for clearing that up Overead sorry for that added confusion. I was referring to at back of the camera not "Viewfinder"

 

[Overread13 1]

No problem photograpix.

Myself with the LCD what I take away from it is the histogram, frame content, point of focus and the overexposed blinkies. Generally its only a quick look to confirm - everything else happens in the computer where you can have a real proper look at the photo. (zoom in on the LCD is slow and whilst good for checking critical sharpness can end up wasting time and missing shots).

Also remember if you're shooting in RAW mode the LCD is showing the converted JPEG attached inside every RAW shot for preview - when you open the RAW in your computer the software you use might read the cameras defaults or use its own default values (depending on the software and what you've set) so you might again see differences there). This is why the histogram is key as that doesn't change - overexposure is overexposure