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Participating Frequently
October 31, 2007
Question

Photoshop CS3 color management "Save for Web" problem

  • October 31, 2007
  • 680 replies
  • 62138 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

    Ramón G Castañeda
    Inspiring
    November 1, 2007
    Larry's post is further food for thought;
    >For me it's intermittent. And I've never figured out what makes it work and work breaks it. I just try to use it when it's working!
    Ramón G Castañeda
    Inspiring
    November 1, 2007
    In my case, it was most likely user error.

    For one, I did not realize that the flyout menu in the SFW&D dialog (where you selected Use Document Color, Uncompensated Color, etc) applies separately and individually to each of the two or four windows when you use 2-Up or 4-Up view. Setting one does not affect the other one(s), and they can individually and seemingly capriciously set themselves to different value.

    Second, I've been able to recreate some of the weirdness I saw only by taking a tagged 16-bit image file in ProPhoto RGB and leaving Uncompensated Color selected. I'll play with it some more tomorrow.
    Participating Frequently
    November 1, 2007
    Mike - This happened to me in my early testing of SFW. At first nothing worked right. Then it did. For me it's intermittent. And I've never figured out what makes it work and work breaks it. I just try to use it when it's working!!
    Participating Frequently
    November 1, 2007
    I had a blast doing trick or treat this evening. My 4 year old loved it.

    Cleaned out -with about 500 or so guests in the Bay Area in our hood.

    ;o)
    Ramón G Castañeda
    Inspiring
    November 1, 2007
    Well, I take it back.

    I hereby withdraw all my comments in #14, 43 and 44.

    In the last two hours I've been doing nothing but continuing to test this and answer the door to give treats to little goblins, monsters, witches, pirates and princesses and I have not been able to replicate any of the extremely weird issues I was seeing in Save For Web last night and earlier today.

    I'll continue testing to see if I can duplicate whatever conditions made it go crazy earlier.

    For the past two hours, all functions of Save For Web are acting correctly, as they should.

    If I manage to see the issues again, I'll report back. Otherwise, I'll just go sit in the corner.
    Participating Frequently
    November 1, 2007
    >MO,
    I think SFW is fixed under CS3 By default it Converts to sRGB and strips the profile.

    It's only partially fixed. aka - still not functioning correctly to make it seamless and function as expected.
    Ramón G Castañeda
    Inspiring
    November 1, 2007
    If I don't use uncompensated color and view the Original tab, the original looks miserably, sickly green.
    Ramón G Castañeda
    Inspiring
    November 1, 2007
    MO and Peter appear very likely to be right: Save For Web is messed up.

    Just try the 4-up view. (!!! %() You'll get at least one of those views with absurdly wrong colors.

    The reason I hadn't noticed it is because I always use the Optimized view ("one-up") and Uncompensated Color, in which case everything works OK, and I very seldom use JPEGs anyway.
    Participating Frequently
    November 1, 2007
    The dell monitor is not creating colors where there are none.
    I have stated that my G4 with Sony Multiscan500PS also shows a color shift... more saturation to be exact... just not as noticable. The difference is that the sony crt is not capable of more saturation. The Dell is revealing the increased saturation because it can... not because it is better. The Sony CRT is not revealing the full saturation increase because it cannot.

    Photoshop is changing my files and I do not want it to. All I am trying to do is discover why this is so.

    Besides more people are browsing the web with simple, basic LCD screens... if I see it, they will see it too. Perhaps your screen is incapable of seeing the difference in the images I have posted? Either way... only my SFW jpg photos look like crap... my general PS working screen is just fine.

    I will investigate the HUEYPro for issues, anything is possible I guess.

    I just don't understand why it is so difficult to communicate the problem I am having. I cannot save JPG's from photoshop with CS3

    Here is an image I made in CS1 that displays perfectly in ANY browser... why?
    Please try it yourself... If you have the answer, please let me know.
    It is an untagged RGB file with SFW in CS1

    http://www.hostzombie.com/cs3/test.jpg

    [large image replaced with its link]
    November 1, 2007

    "I would think someone using a Dell is doing so because they can't afford an Apple"

    No, I ordered the 23" Cinema Display and it showed up at my door with a dead pixel right in the middle of the screen. I'm not paying $1000.00 for a monitor with a dead pixel.