Fixing Pinkish Hue on Samsung Monitor in Ubuntu 22.04: A Step-by-Step Guide

fix_color_profile.md

Fixing Pinkish Hue on Samsung Monitor in Ubuntu 22.04: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you recently noticed that your Samsung monitor is displaying a pinkish hue instead of proper grayscale tones on your Ubuntu 22.04 system, you might initially suspect that your monitor or graphics card is malfunctioning. However, if your monitor works fine with another device, like a Windows notebook, and another monitor works well with your current setup, the issue is likely related to the color profile settings on your Ubuntu system.

In this guide, I'll walk you through diagnosing and fixing this issue by adjusting the color profile of your monitor using command line tools. By the end, your display should return to the expected colors.

Step 1: Diagnose the Issue

Before jumping to solutions, ensure that the problem is indeed with the color profile settings:

1. Check with Another Device: Connect your Samsung monitor to another device (e.g., a Windows notebook) to see if the issue persists. If the colors display correctly, the monitor is fine.
2. Test with Another Monitor: Connect a different monitor to your Ubuntu system. If it displays correctly, your graphics card and cable are not the problem.

Step 2: Identify the Problem

The problem likely lies within the color profile settings of your monitor on Ubuntu. By default, Ubuntu might have assigned a faulty or inappropriate color profile to your monitor, causing the pinkish hue.

Step 3: Try the GUI Method First

Before delving into command-line solutions, check if you can resolve the issue via the graphical interface:

1. Open Settings: Go to the Settings menu in Ubuntu.
2. Navigate to Color: Click on the "Color" section.
3. Select Your Monitor: Find your Samsung monitor in the list of devices.
4. Change the Profile: If you see an sRGB profile or any other appropriate color profile, select it.

If you find and select an appropriate profile, this method is much easier and more straightforward. However, if you don't find a useful profile in the GUI, proceed with the command-line method.

Step 4: List Available Color Profiles and Devices

Open a terminal and run the following commands:

colormgr get-profiles

This command lists all available color profiles on your system. Note down the Profile_ID for the standard RGB profile, which is often named something like sRGB.icc.

Next, list all connected devices:

colormgr get-devices

Look through the output to find your monitor's device ID. It will look something like /org/freedesktop/ColorManager/devices/.... Note this down as well.

Step 5: Assign the Correct Color Profile

Now, use the Profile_ID and Device_ID you noted to assign the standard RGB profile to your monitor. Replace Device_ID and Profile_ID in the following command with your actual IDs. Here is an example command for reference:

colormgr device-add-profile "xrandr-Samsung Electric Company-CF791-HTRK100105" icc-a16f7c144d1f572cbbc0ee12227c0d14

Step 6: Verify the Changes

After assigning the new profile, verify if the changes have taken effect. Your monitor should now display colors correctly without the pinkish hue.

Step 7: Restart if Necessary

Sometimes, a reboot is necessary for changes to take full effect. If the color profile assignment doesn't seem to apply immediately, restart your system:

sudo reboot

Conclusion

Changing the color profile should resolve the pinkish hue issue on your Samsung monitor when using Ubuntu 22.04. If you continue to experience problems, double-check that you selected the correct Profile_ID and Device_ID, and try reapplying the steps above.

This solution not only fixes the color display issue but also helps maintain accurate color representation on your monitor. If you found this guide helpful, consider sharing it with others who might face similar issues.

And mine -- thank you so much!