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Participating Frequently
October 31, 2007
Question

Photoshop CS3 color management "Save for Web" problem

  • October 31, 2007
  • 680 replies
  • 62091 views
This problem is getting the best of me.......

After spending 3 full days researching this problem, I am no closer to finding an answer than when I started. I still cannot produce a usable image through the "Save for Web" feature of Photoshop CS3. I have read web page after web page of "Tips, Tricks and Recommendations" from dozens of experts, some from this forum, and still I have no solution... I am exhausted and frustrated to say the least. Here's the simple facts that I know at this point.

I have a web design project that was started in PS CS1. All artwork was created in photoshop and exported to JPG format by using "Save for Web". Every image displays correctly in these browsers (Safari, Camino, FireFox and even Internet Explorer on a PC).

I have recently upgraded to PS CS3 and now cannot get any newly JPG'd image to display correctly. My original settings in CS1 were of no concern to me at the time, because it always just worked, and so I do not know what they were. I have opened a few of my previous images in CS3 and found that sRGB-2.1 displays them more or less accurately. I am using sRGB 2.1 working space. Upon openning these previous image files, I get the "Missing Profile" message and of course I select "Leave as is. Do Not color manage". CS3 assumes sRGB-2.1 working space, opens the file, and all is well.

The problem is when I go to "Save for Web", the saturation goes up, and the colors change. The opposite of what most people are reporting. Here's another important point... new artwork created in CS3 does exactly the same thing, so it's not because of the older CS1 files.

I have tried every combination of "uncompensated color", "Convert to sRGB", "ICC Profile", etc. while saving. I have Converted to sRGB before saving, and my monitor is calibrated correctly.
I have tried setting the "Save for Web" page on 2-up and the "original" on the left is already color shifted before I even hit the "Save" button. Of course, the "Optimized" image on the right looks perfect because I am cheating by selecting the "Use Document Color Profile" item. Why do they even have this feature if doesn't work, or misleads you?

Does anyone have any ideas what could be happening here? Why is this all so screwed up?
CS1 worked fine out of the box.

Final note: I do have an image file I could send along that demonstrates how it is possible to display an image exactly the same in all 4 of the browsers I mentioned with no color differences. It is untagged RGB and somehow it just works.

I am very frustrated with all of this and any suggestions will be appreciated

Thanks,
Pete
    This topic has been closed for replies.

    680 replies

    Participating Frequently
    December 11, 2007
    >but rather than a constructive debate or conversation

    We've already had about 500 posts of that. Not all of constructive at times, but most of it pointing out the proper method of managing colour to achieve predictable results. Using your monitor profile as your RGB working space is not it.
    December 11, 2007
    I was the one who asked the link be removed because it was such bad advice. I even posted at that blog telling everyone why it was such bad advice.

    paolobaillie, If you actually knew what is going on you would not have posted that link. I sorry you got your feelings hurt with the removal of that link but if you stick with it and actually read some books about color management you will understand why it was removed.
    Ramón G Castañeda
    Inspiring
    December 11, 2007
    Hope you come back, Paolo.

    Don't take the deletion of your ill-informed link personally. It had nothing to do with you.

    Hope you take the time to read on color management so you'll find out why that advice would have anyone flying color-blind.

    My reaction to your aggressive rhetorical question is immaterial. I just explained how I felt about it.
    Participant
    December 11, 2007
    And on that sad note I shall leave the Adobe community to you and the moderators and go and join the real world.

    Adios
    Ramón G Castañeda
    Inspiring
    December 11, 2007
    To put it in other terms: not being concerned with the web does not remotely mean not being aware of the process of saving images for the web and, most especially, color management in general.
    Ramón G Castañeda
    Inspiring
    December 11, 2007
    Because the s.o.b. who tells me where to post hasn't been born, Paolo.
    Participant
    December 11, 2007
    The other thing Ramon and Lunberg is that the original post clearly refers to web users so why are you bothering to enter the debate at all.
    Ramón G Castañeda
    Inspiring
    December 11, 2007
    Paolo,

    The advice in that link was terrible AND dangerous.

    It does not "fix" a problem at all, it just makes whatever crap you have there look OK to you on your particular monitor and NOWHERE ELSE.

    Any user adopting that asinine method is going to end up with lots of ruined image files.

    If you had read this entire thread, or if you had the most elementary knowledge of color management, you would know that.

    The removal of that thread was a real service to other newbies like you who may have followed that terribly bad advice.

    I don't know who deleted the link, but kudos to that person.
    Participant
    December 11, 2007
    Bizarre bizarre bizarre

    The replies of the techy elite and the removal of the link above by Adobe.

    FACT - there is a problem that clearly exists for a large number of CS3 users. There is a fix, in language anyone can understand (rather than most of the jibberish posted here), by general consensus the fix works but rather than a constructive debate or conversation - a brick wall of arrogance.

    How predictable.
    Ramón G Castañeda
    Inspiring
    December 11, 2007
    Lundberg02,

    Likewise, I'm not concerned with the web in the least.

    But the gray scales on both of my monitors are as neutral as can be, even tough I calibrate and profile to gamma 2.2, 6500ºK and a White Point of 95cd/m^2.

    > I calibrate to 1.8 and 9300 on my 17" LCDS because the gray scale is brown at 3/4 if I don't.

    I'd hate to see that on my monitors. Obviously yo hate it too, or you wouldn't correct for it.

    My comment was only that the LCDs are somehow inherently brown if you're forced to calibrate to 1.8 gamma and 9300ºK to get a neutral scale.