Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

My solution? I use Abode's DNG converter frequently. Then I work in Adobe Photoshop in a wider color space than sRGB until the very last step in my workflow where I use Edit/Convert to Profile and select sRGB IEC61966-E1; Engine Adobe (ACE); Intent (Relative Colorimetric); Check Use Black Point Compensation; and Use Dither (This is if I'm posting online). However if I'm using a commercial printer I typically download their preferred color profile and use that instead.

This has worked well for me, albeit your results may or may not match mine.

Color management can be a challenge.
Believe it is best to get your head around it early on if you are hoping to work commercially.

Thanks!

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

Windows Photo Viewer and not Windows Photos? Windows Photo Viewer is the old app and is not supplied with Windows 11. Windows Photos is the default viewer in Windows 11.

If you really are using Windows Photo Viewer and your monitor is calibrated that could cause your problem.

Try this: Open the final image JPEG that you saved to disk in PS -- not the NEF or DNG but the saved sRGB JPEG. Next open that same JPEG in Windows Photos and not Photo Viewer. Is the image the same in both Photos and PS? I'm betting it is.

Windows Photo Viewer was not fully color managed, Photos is. So Photo Viewer can do what you described while Photos won't.

Sycamore Hank Loc: Northern CA

Sorry for the confusion, I am using the viewer supplied by windows 11. My computer came with Windows 11.

Sycamore Hank Loc: Northern CA

Thanks for everyone's input. I will switch to the Pro Photo color space going forward when editing and convert to sRGB as the final output. BTW I did use the new denoise feature in Photoshop.