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Participating Frequently
October 31, 2007
Question

Photoshop CS3 color management "Save for Web" problem

  • October 31, 2007
  • 680 replies
  • 62092 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
    November 27, 2007
    Raven, understand this. The next time you recalibrate your monitor, the same rgb image you converted before the recalibration will convert to different rgb numbers after the recalibration, and this means that the graphic will look different the second time to everybody else viewing it. This is why people are telling you to use sRGB as your standard to calibrate to. Reason 1, it most closely approximates what most people on most monitors are seeing, so you will please more of the people more of the time. Reason 2, it means you have a consistent standard to convert to that will give you the same conversion result on the same rgb numbers. If you convert to a standard that changes (your monitor profile), the same rgb numbers will convert to different numbers after every time you calibrate your monitor.
    November 27, 2007
    Peter, what seems to be working for me -- call it a workaround, or call it the answer, I don't know -- it to simply convert the image to your monitor profile (whatever you named it after calibrating) and then take it into SFW, and leave "convert to sRGB" and "ICC Profile" unchecked. Gives me the result that I want, looks the same in Firefox and Safari.
    November 27, 2007
    >how can we expect any consistency?

    you can't, this is also what we have been trying to tell you. 95% or more of everyone surfing the web does not have a calibrated monitor. No matter how perfect you get it on your machine, practically the rest of the world viewing it will see something different. but they don't know that neither do they care.

    Remember in the early days of color TV? or are you too young for that? I would visit someone's house and the color would be oversaturated with a green or magenta hue. Sometimes if it was my friends place I would adjust the color as close to normal as possible. The next time I would visit the TV was back to what it was before. The great unwashed masses just don't have much concept about color, what is right or what is not.
    Participating Frequently
    November 27, 2007
    >That's why I recommend beating with a baseball bat any moron that hands you an untagged file

    I hear you... that's all fine and good for print, but there is no way on earth I am going to start embedding profiles in slices and web graphics. I tried this on a project just for yucks the other day, and a simple folder with 75k in total files, shot up to 270K

    I found the profile by the way... it's way down the photoshop list "sRGB Profile", didn't make any difference, still color shift when saving.

    If PS is tweaking images when saving based on monitor profiles, and if "dumb" apps assign/assume "monitorRGB", how can we expect any consistency?
    Participating Frequently
    November 27, 2007
    I just revisited the rollover demo page at gballard.net... I get exactly the same results with the sRGB demo. UntaggedsRGB gives very high saturation and AdobeRGB rollover gives no change which makes no sense to me.

    Never the less, Photoshop is changing my images when saving for web because viewing on other machines, Mac and PC, reveal somewhat increased saturation also. I sure hope photoshop is not assuming my setup is typical of other machines and adjusting my images based on my monitor profile.
    Ramón G Castañeda
    Inspiring
    November 27, 2007
    >"Get info" says simply "RGB".

    Yup. That'll be the case with every untagged RGB file you'll ever come across.

    >I do have jpeg images that I made These are the only files that work properly for me and I can't recreate them. Very frustrating because I know it can be done.

    Now you have to guess what color space they were created in and how they were saved. That's why I recommend beating with a baseball bat any moron that hands you an untagged file. :/
    Participating Frequently
    November 27, 2007
    Using a jpg image I just saved with SFW and "No ICC Profile"

    "Leave as is don't color manage" looks fine
    "Assign WorkingRGB" looks fine, both look the same

    I just dropped the no icc profile image on Safari and it looks oversaturated
    I then droped a profile included version on safari and it looks fine


    Yes, that is 100% as expected and exactly what we've been telling you (how it works).
    Participating Frequently
    November 27, 2007
    OK thanks for the food for thought. I will experiment some more.

    I do have jpeg images that I made on a different system with a different version of photoshop that looks exactly the same in every browser I try. PC included. "Get info" says simply "RGB". When opening in photoshop I get the "No embedded profile" message. I have tried assigning every profile and none fit without a color shift. These are the only files that work properly for me and I can't recreate them. Very frustrating because I know it can be done.
    Participating Frequently
    November 27, 2007
    That's because, I think, Safari either assumes Monitor RGB or what Apple calls Generic RGB when encountering untagged documents. So that would make sense.
    Participating Frequently
    November 27, 2007
    I renamed a finder a copy and opened both

    Using a jpg image I just saved with SFW and "No ICC Profile"

    "Leave as is don't color manage" looks fine
    "Assign WorkingRGB" looks fine, both look the same

    This is too weird!!!!

    I just dropped the no icc profile image on Safari and it looks oversaturated
    I then droped a profile included version on safari and it looks fine