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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
    March 7, 2008
    Eye-one display2 PROFILED to 2.2/6500/140luminance -- same saturation boost viewing untagged sRGB...
    Participating Frequently
    March 7, 2008
    yep, giant saturation boost viewing untagged sRGB with the OEM DELL 2408WFP profile -- so it appears at first glance not tied to using a custom profile
    Inspiring
    March 5, 2008
    Why not ask the Dry Creek Photo guy what the deal is with Dells and their gamut. The only thing they could have is a better illuminant and and better blue filter. They're still fluorescent lighted.
    Inspiring
    March 5, 2008
    Participating Frequently
    March 5, 2008
    Thanks, my 30" ACD has a slight saturation shift on my MacPro tower, but I recall someone was talking about the Dell newer 08 models addressed this problem.

    As I want to use it on a G5 I am buying right now to (go back and) run 10.4 and CS2 apps reliably to do web color work and GoLive, I want it to have good color.

    The OP and others with the problem were saying their Dells were displaying cartoonish untagged sRGB color when they hardware calibrated them.

    The Dell I'm looking at has the HDMI-DVI and Rotate features I'm looking for -- their sales person quoted me $549, free shipping...
    March 5, 2008
    Even when properly profiled and calibrated, it will have the saturation "problem" when viewing untagged images (or tagged images in non-colour managed software). It took these 600+ posts for me to learn that! I think it compares very favorably to the ACD's, maybe better since it can display wider gamut than sRGB, but that wider gamut is what causes the saturation shift (in non-colour managed environments).

    Great for photo editting, not so great for casual web viewing.
    Participating Frequently
    March 4, 2008
    Dell UltraSharpTM 2408WFP Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor- featuring 1920 x 1200

    I am looking at this monitor:

    http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/2408wfp?c=au&cs=audhs1&l=en&s=dhs

    Has anyone actually used a eye-one display 2 to profile it?

    Does it have the saturation problem viewing untagged RGB that was being discussed here?

    I don't want to get into having to fiddle with confusing hardware settings, I just want to profile it and go to work -- does it work?
    Participant
    February 18, 2008
    Doug,

    I know you think you know what you thought I said, but you don't know what you think I thought . . . I think . . .

    We can be much more certain that the colors we (think we) see on the printed page are the actual colors that are there. Because our visual process is able to reference the paper background and "memory colors" and resist accommodation to an erroneous state. We can therefore make accurate color decisions about the printed image, even under a wide variety of viewing conditions. We know when colors are right and when they are wrong.

    But when we look at a light source, such as a monitor screen, we can be fooled when the eye/brain accommodates to an inaccurate condition (poorly profiled display). The visual process has no accurate reference (in fact, it INSISTS that the off-color clues it is using for reference ARE accurate), even major color deviations look correct and we are very compromised regarding any color decisions.

    Rich
    February 18, 2008
    > Which "you" are you asking John?

    No-one in particular Doug just a gentle reminder that things are not always what they seem. :)
    Participating Frequently
    February 18, 2008
    > You trust your eyes?

    A must have bookmark! :-)