App for Photos struggles to show transparent pictures on Windows 10
App for Photos struggles to show transparent pictures on Windows 10
When working with transparent visuals, the Microsoft Photos App serves as the standard viewer in Windows 10. Images often appear faded or misrendered, especially during dynamic resizing of the app. Once resizing ceases, the display reverts to its washed-out state. This inconsistency affects designers who assume lower quality when reviewing files. The issue isn't related to Switchable Graphics, Discrete Graphics, or Integrated Graphics settings. I've filed a bug report on the Windows feedback hub, which has gained traction with many users: https://aka.ms/AA6ityt. The problem persists across other applications and web pages, where images render properly. The core challenge lies in the default use of the Photos App for image viewing, which can mislead recipients about the image's quality. I've reset and reinstalled the Photos App multiple times, but it still impacts all current Windows 10 systems. While I can switch to alternative viewers for personal projects, this doesn't resolve the concern for others. The legacy photo viewer option exists but is limited by its poor color and gamma handling, making it unsuitable for professional use.
Did you verify your ICC color profile? It might not be correct. Different monitors don’t always produce accurate colors. Switch to the default sRGB profile instead of your monitor’s setting, then restart the Photos app. (Go to Start > Type: Color Management > choose "Color Management". A window will appear, check the box: "Use my settings for this device", pick the available profile if any, click "Remove", then tap "Add..." and select "sRGB virtual device model profile" under "WCS". Click OK. If you have multiple displays, repeat this for each one (select the monitor from the dropdown above the "Use my settings..." checkbox). Ensure Photos is closed before reopening your image.)
occurs even on devices without special color profiles, and your attempts to delete custom settings didn’t yield any results. Still, the advice was helpful.
So I made a gradient image with transparency under Paint.net, and it works fine on my side (I don't have your issue). Here it is, for you to try: Does it work for you as well?
The same problem appears on all my devices. Each system runs Windows 10 Pro Version 1903 (OS Build 18362.449). Some were upgraded from Windows 7, others from Windows 10 Home, some were fresh installations, and all have recently been switched to Windows 10 Pro. The hardware varies widely.
Interesting. It appears the issue will be resolved. I’m currently in the Insider Preview program. Photos app version: 2019.19071.17920.0 You’re able to join only through the Photos app—open it, tap the "..." menu, select "Settings," scroll to "Preview," and click "Join Preview." In about 24 hours you should be able to join the preview, and your version will appear. You can exit anytime by repeating the steps and choosing the "Leave preview" option.
I activated the preview mode of the Photos App and will refresh here after it activates. By chance, I had to open the full screen of the current Photos version to access the settings menu. Now that the preview is active, settings are accessible at any size by scrolling through the '...' menu. I installed both the Microsoft Store and Windows updates, but no new versions appeared, suggesting preview versions work through another system component. I’ll hold off as you suggested, no matter the outcome. Thanks for sharing this valuable information—I didn’t know it existed.
The problem continues to occur. I suspect the Preview version of the Photos App has already activated, but I’m not sure how to verify that. Enrolling my computer in the insider program and selecting the preview ring seems necessary, though I’m stuck in a loop when trying to enroll for insider.
To join the Insider program, follow these steps: Connect your primary admin account to a Microsoft account via Settings > Accounts. Register using the same Microsoft account at https://insider.windows.com/en-us/register. Navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program and click "Get Started." Restart your system and verify for updates, which may take up to 24 hours.
Release Preview includes the latest Windows 10 version (v: 1909) released in November 2019. No new major updates have been issued since then, so any further updates will likely focus on security patches and minor fixes. Expect slow rollouts—monthly or weekly depending on the release cycle (20H1 for Build 19013, 20H1 for Build 19023).