TechNote

Photos are black or gray in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

Issue

When you view your photos in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom on Windows, only a black or gray rectangle is displayed; you cannot see your photos.

Solution

Do one or more of the following solutions:

Note: The procedures in this document are based on the default interface of Windows XP and Vista. If the interface is customized, some procedures may vary. For example, a commonly encountered difference is the navigation to Control Panel from the Start menu: You may navigate Start > Settings > Control Panel instead of Start > Control Panel. Additionally, the procedures in this document assume you are using the Classic View of the Control Panel: To view the Control Panel in the Classic View, click Switch To Classic View on the Control Panel navigation bar on the left side of the window.

Solution 1: Update to Photoshop Lightroom 1.2.

In Photoshop Lightroom, choose Help > Check For Updates. You can also download the update from the Product Updates page on the Adobe website.

Solution 2: Change the Windows Color System device profile to a non-WCS profile (Windows Vista only).

Exit Photoshop Lightroom.
Choose Start > Control Panel > Color Management.
Click the Advanced tab.
Change the Device Profile to a standard RGB color profile, such as Adobe RGB or sRGB IEC61966 - 2.1.

Solution 3: Remove the color profile for your monitor.

On Windows XP:

Exit Photoshop Lightroom.
Choose Start > Control Panel > Display.
Click the Settings tab.
Click the Advanced button.
Click the Color Management tab.
Click the "ADD..." button.
Choose a standard RGB color profile, such as Adobe RGB or sRGB IEC61966 - 2.1.
In the "Color profiles currently associated with this device" field, select the newprofile you just picked.
Click the "Set As Default" button.
(Optional) Select the old profile.
Click the Remove button.
Click the "OK" button.

On Windows Vista:

Exit Photoshop Lightroom.
Choose Start > Control Panel > Color Management.
In the "Profiles associated with this device" field, select the default monitor profile.
Click the Remove button.

Note: If multiple monitor profiles are listed, it may be necessary to repeat the procedure for each one. Launch Photoshop Lightroom and test to see if the problem is resolved. If it isn't, return to the Display Settings and remove the next profile in the list.

Additional Information

Windows Vista includes the Microsoft Windows Color System (WCS), an OS-level color management platform that uses a unique color profile format. The Photoshop Lightroom 1.2 update is required for Photoshop Lightroom to use WCS profiles.

The monitor profile (also called a color profile or ICC profile) tells your computer's video display card how to accurately display color on your specific monitor. If the profile is damaged, the image data that Photoshop Lightroom sends to the video display card can be corrupted before reaching the monitor, and as a result the photos may not appear. A monitor profile is not required for your monitor to function, but using one is highly recommended.

If the profile you were using was damaged, and it was supplied by the manufacturer of your monitor, you can try to remedy the problem by replacing the file with a new copy. The color profile may have been provided on a CD that came with the monitor, or you may be able to download it from the manufacturer's web site. Open the C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\color directory, delete the old profile, and copy the new profile into the same directory. Then open the display color management settings through the Control Panel (as in Solution 3 above), and add the profile to the monitor.

If the profile you were using was damaged, and you created a custom profile for your monitor using a monitor calibration tool or software, create a new profile using that tool. (It is highly recommended that you create a custom profile for your computer and monitor rather than using the profile supplied by the manufacturer. More information about the benefits of profiling your monitor can be found in the Working With Color Profiles and Color Management sections of Help for Adobe Photoshop CS .)