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Participating Frequently
October 31, 2007
Question

Photoshop CS3 color management "Save for Web" problem

  • October 31, 2007
  • 680 replies
  • 62210 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
    May 30, 2008
    I call that Adobe wisdom.
    May 30, 2008
    >I did run across a thread sometime ago mentioning that the save for web in cs3 embeds the color profile srgb.

    Not quite right.

    SFW can (it's optional) CONVERT a file to sRGB before saving it for the web; but it does NOT embed that, or any other, profile in order to keep the file as small as possible.

    To enable the sRGB conversion, you need to check the appropriate box in the SFW dialog.
    Participant
    May 30, 2008
    I'm trying to solve a profile problem of my own, but I did run across a thread sometime ago mentioning that the save for web in cs3 embeds the color profile srgb. I'm not sure what a difference it makes, but... they said to open save for web and poke around in the settings to turn it off. If I find the thread again, I'll post it. Hope this helps.
    Ramón G Castañeda
    Inspiring
    May 18, 2008
    > What on earth are desktop and multimedia supposed to represent?

    Without further clarification from Dell, I would take the multimedia setting to be what the "movie" [or something like that] setting in LaCie and Mitsubishi CRT monitors do, namely apply an ungodly boost in brightness (luminosity) while removing the ability to calibrate the red, green and blue guns separately and individually.
    Inspiring
    May 18, 2008
    What on earth are desktop and multimedia supposed to represent?

    If it don't have numbers , it ain't s---.
    Participating Frequently
    May 18, 2008
    It's an interesting thread, but not everyone has the nerves of Andee Caron to read it thoroughly.

    I too have an UltraSharp Dell 2407WFP and had the same problem. Once I found the "secret setting" of the monitor image mode (via the "hidden buttons" on the monitor front) and switched it from "desktop" to "multimedia", the screen became whiter and the problem disappeared.
    Participating Frequently
    April 7, 2008
    Eureka then :D I'm actually sending LOTS of people to this thread and urging them to read through the whole darned thing ;) That and a few other threads that seem to have gone through the same steps and inevitably come to the same conclusions :)

    Thanks guys and gals :)
    Participating Frequently
    April 7, 2008
    "and in the end, it's not an issue with anything as it's a miss-understanding of color management and display"

    Exactly, but a lot of people don't want to admit that they don't understand the "problem" and will look anywhere else for the answer. As soon as you "get it" the problem miraculously disappears.
    April 7, 2008
    glad you learned somthing. Even if it was not what you had intended.
    Participating Frequently
    April 6, 2008
    Just wanted to say, as I've just finished reading the WHOLE thread, that it was worth every freaking minute. As much as I've screamed at some of you for your lack of "bedside manners", I was willing to be just as offending to the newer posters (myself included!) that didn't take the time to read through this long winded thread to come to terms with the whole issue (and in the end, it's not an issue with anything as it's a miss-understanding of color management and display)

    I just wanted to add as a life lesson leanred to "read the whole darned threads before posting" ;) It's worth the headache :)

    Thank you.