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eugenei27144166
Inspiring
April 21, 2022
Question

PS exports still are too contrasty/saturated after attempted fixes

  • April 21, 2022
  • 2 replies
  • 1929 views

My workflow has always been processing the photos in Adobe Camera Raw, then opening them as objects in Photoshopping for any Photoshoppery.  However, when I export them, they are way contrastier and more saturated than what I see in Photoshop.  

So for fixes, I've tried the following:
-  upping exporting as a PNG
-  exporting the highest image quality JPEG possible

-  exporting while embedding color space
-  checking the convert to sRGB box

Due to starting in ACR, the color space I was working in was Adobe RGB. I heard that a lot of platforms use sRGB color spaces as their standard.  So I tried the "Convert the Profile" option and set it to sRGB and then exported it again.  

Importing them back into PS both the Adobe RGB and sRGB-converted photos were accurate, also true in Windows Photo Viewer, but pretty much everywhere else made them constrastier and more saturated.  

What am I missing???

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2 replies

NB, colourmanagement
Community Expert
NB, colourmanagementCommunity Expert
Community Expert
April 21, 2022

You're probably missing colour management. Not all programs do it

What application programs are you using to view your files?

and are you embedding the icc profile when saving

(BTW why export when you can simply "save as"?

 

neil b

colormanagement 

    E
    eugenei27144166Author
    Inspiring
    April 21, 2022

    I'm trying the programs/platforms my clients would see the photos from.  So I send via DropBox, which they show up inaccurate there, Windows Photo if they decide to download them and see them locally, the preview pane in File Explorer, Chrome, and they're all inaccurate.  I haven't tried Insta yet, but I imagine it'd be the same.  

    Is embedding the icc the option you check that reads "Embed Color Profile"?

    As far as exporting instead of saving as, I'll be straight with you, I don't know what the difference is.

    TheDigitalDog
    TheDigitalDog
    Inspiring
    April 21, 2022

    Yes, you must embed a profile to define the color space. But if the 'other' application isn't color managed, it is kind of moot; non-color managed applications have no idea what the profile means, nor does it understand the conditions of your display through a display profile. So we need to know what that 'other' application is. 

    Photoshop is of course color-managed. All other color-managed applications, outside of bugs or issues like corrupted display profiles, will match Photoshop (do always compare when zoomed in at 100%; 1:1). 

    You cannot control how others view your images! They may not be using color-managed applications, calibrating and profiling their displays, or doing so very differently from you and others. 

    Author “Color Management for Photographers" & "Photoshop CC Color Management/pluralsight"
      J E L
      Community Expert
      J E LCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      April 21, 2022

      Hi @eugenei27144166. I'm not sure what you mean by "pretty much everywhere else," but when viewing images with some browsers, such as Edge, recently introduced settings can alter image appearance. These are sometimes turned on by default.

       

      "With a new option enabled, Microsoft can render images on websites in an improved way. The browser will change the image brightness, contrast and improve tones to make it look impressive on your screen."

        E
        eugenei27144166Author
        Inspiring
        April 21, 2022

        So I've found they're different Windows' Photos app, Window's preview screen when clicking on the file, opening them in Chrome, opening them in DropBox, I think I even did Paint for fun and it was the same issue there. Checked the dropbox from my iPhone as well JiC. 

        For clients, is there a way to make it more consistent, so they get accurate photos?  For instance, I send them via DropBox, which is inaccurate.  If they download them and look at them in Photo, that's inaccurate (especially as newest Windows dropped Windows Photo Viewer altogether).  I haven't tried Instagram yet, but if they want to post them to an Instagram, I'd imagine it'd be the same story?   

        NB, colourmanagement
        Community Expert
        NB, colourmanagementCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        April 22, 2022

        Generally, it's considered best practice to save as sRGB for "general" (sometimes non colour managed) viewing. 

        On a "normal" gamut screen - even with out a colour managed application to use the document profile correctly the appearance should be ?OK?

        BUT these days there are a growing number of 'wide gamut monitor screens' in the field [claimed "9x% of Adobe RGB gamut", or maybe "P3" (P3 = macs, mostly), with those screens colour management is vital, because "throwing" an sRGB image onto the wide gamut screen, without colour management, will make the image awfully over-saturated. 

         

        I hope this helps
        neil barstow, colourmanagement net :: adobe forum volunteer:: co-author: 'getting colour right'
        google me "neil barstow colourmanagement" for lots of free articles on colour management

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