Photoshop changes color

[Ana Elisa Ro Gu]

Hello! i recently got a new computer and installed Photoshop... I don't know why every time i open an image it changes the colors! A window pops up and says that there is a lack of profile, i've tried changing multiple things in that window, but nothing seems to work... I tought it was a problem with the images i was uploading, but i created a new proyect, painted some random circles and then saved it as an image, and still when i import that new image (created in ps and uploaded into a same color profile) all the colors still seem wrong! i am desperate, i've lost a day of work trying to fix it /:
I've never had any problems like these before! and i have used ps for several years now!

Has anyone had a similar problem? or does someone know how to fix it? i'll attach the circle images i created so you can see what i mean!

I know it's subtle, but i do need the accuracy for what i do 😞

Thank you so much for your time!

Ana

[D Fosse · Accepted solution]

Post the exact error message, word for word.

This is either a missing/corrupt/incorrect document profile, or a malfunctioning/defective/incorrect monitor profile. You need both these profiles in correct working order. One is embedded in the document, the other is set up at system level.

Don't change anything in Photoshop's color settings. If you have, change it back.

[Francesco Della Peruta]

Hi, if you're working on a new installation of photoshop in a new machine, please check and syncronize the color profile management setings between the old computer and the new one, and check the document profile embedded in the images.

Please take a look here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/understanding-color-management.html

[D Fosse]

Synchronizing color settings is not necessary. If unsure, Photoshop's color settings should be left at default settings. Above all, color management policies should always be set to "preserve embedded profiles". Then everything will be handled correctly by Photoshop.

If something's still wrong, it's usually the profiles. You can't experiment with profiles. A profile is a map, it has to correspond to the landscape.

The document needs to have an embedded color profile, and it needs to be the correct one. If the profile is missing, anything can happen.

The monitor profile needs to be an accurate description of the monitor's actual and current response. A calibrator will do that. If you don't have a calibrator, you're likely to receive generic monitor profiles from the monitor/laptop manufacturer, distributed through Windows Update or included in "install" files. These profiles are very often defective.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Please set the Status Bar to »Document Profile« and post meaningful screenshots of the originally created image and the re-opened image. 

[Ana Elisa Ro Gu]

Thank you all so much! i figured it out based on what you told me 🙂 Sorry to reply so late, i had a rough situation (everything's fine now)  Thank you again! (:

[gabrielemacena12]

hi ana, can you help me figure it out too? I'm having the same problem. The colors in Ps are not the same in my iphone and, when I post something on an IG account, changes even more! I'm really desperate. Plus, the problem also happens backwards (collors more alive in instagram account than in Ps). So, I'm seeing 3 colors: one in photoshop, other on my iphone and another on IG...

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Do you have an idea of Color Management? 

Because to me it sounds like you are trying to match the colors displayed on a non-Color Managed device and whatever »IG account« is supposed to mean to a Color Managed application, namely Photoshop. 

Please set the Status Bar to »Document Profile« and post neaningful screenshots. 

[gabrielemacena12]

"IG Account" is the Instagram account haahah yes, I have an idea about color management, I am not an expert, but I know enough ... And I know that the colors on my notebook screen are different from my iphone. However, recently, the colors are VERY different. Plus, I'm seeing 3 different colors, as I said before: one on my photoshop, another in my iphone and other on instagram account. The colors of the images don’t change much, this is happening more with solid colors of shapes or backgrounds

[c.pfaffenbichler]

What are Photoshop’s Edit > Color Settings? 

[gabrielemacena12]

This is in portuguese but you can compare the options boxes in your photoshop in english

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Preserving the embedded Profiles is important and set in that way. 

But let me repeat myself: Please set the Status Bar to »Document Profile« and post neaningful screenshots. 

Because so far we don’t know what the image’s Color Space actually is. 

If it is (as the working space would hint at) Adobe RGB you may want to convert to sRGB for display in a browser. 

[gabrielemacena12]

"Please set the Status Bar to »Document Profile«" I don't know how to do that

[c.pfaffenbichler]

And ideally the screenshot should include the image in Photoshop and the image in the browser. 

[gabrielemacena12]

photoshop > whatsapp web > print instagram

[gabrielemacena12]

even when I create a file in sRGB, happens the change colors when I post on instagram account. I don't know if this is an problem on my laptop color calibration, but I already tried to fix that

[c.pfaffenbichler]

The difference looks roughly like what happens when one assigns an AdobeRGB image the sRGB profile instead of converting it. 

[gabrielemacena12]

They look like similars because the print of instagram was taken from my computer so I could upload here. You can look the REAL difference on Instagram @wassabisushistore - the post is "ameixa curtida umezuke". Also you can look the difference between this photo and the post on the same account I told before

[D Fosse]

Yes, this is just normal lack of color management - either because the platform doesn't support it (phones), the application doesn't support it (the web browser), or the document profile is stripped somewhere in the process.

Working without color management is possible as long as the document is created in sRGB and the display you're using is reasonably close to sRGB natively. There will never be a perfect match, but close enough is close enough for most people. Most traditional computer displays are fairly close to sRGB, but more and more idiosyncratic varieties are coming on the market these days. Then you must have a fully color managed environment to see correct colors. It's an absolute requirement, no way around.

Color management is performed by the application. It's not a system thing. Some applications do it, some don't.

• always use color managed software
• always, always embed the color profile
• make sure you have a valid monitor profile set up at system level. This is why people buy and use calibrators, it's the only reliable way

With these in place, document RGB numbers are remapped/converted into monitor RGB numbers. Simply put, the document profile is converted into the monitor profile, on the fly, by the application. You need both profiles in place and they both need to be the correct profile. No experiments, that's not how it works. The profile is a map, it needs to correspond to the landscape.

[gabrielemacena12]

So, I can't afford a calibrator and this computer is from my job. His model is the one in the print below, I already had another one just changing the color from white to gray and it worked PERFECTLY, it never gave me this kind of problem and no other personal or work computer also gave me this headache. However, the partner who owned the computer left the company and gave me this one, which came with this color problem when I export the photo to png, either in "save as" or "export to web"

 

[D Fosse]

Preparing files for web is really simple:

• convert to sRGB
• embed the profile. In Export/SFW, check "embed color profile". It's unchecked by default.
• use a color managed web browser, like Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Don't use Edge, it does not have proper color management.

This will show you the file correctly. That's all you can do. How other people set up their systems is not your problem and you can't do anything about it.

An sRGB file with the profile embedded has the highest chance of displaying correctly in the largest number of scenarios.

Phones are off the map. Nothing you can do - there is no color management and anything can happen depending on what type of screen the phone has. Phones aren't made for accuracy. Nothing you can do, stop worrying about it.

[gabrielemacena12]

But it's the first time I have this problem with colors between photoshop/monitor display and iphone/instagram. In all my other computers in the past I had 0 problems. The color I saw on coomputer/Ps was the same in phone/instagram always. And I never changed any configuration on Ps, I just click in "ok" and start create the post hahaha

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Please post a more meaningful screenshot – with the same sRGB image open in both Photoshop (with the Status Bar set to »Document Profile« obviously) and the browser. 

[NB, colourmanagement net]

Gabriel

Just so you know, if you have an Adobe RGB file (as you seem to from your screenshot) it should be "converted" to sRGB for web browsers and instagram

i.e. image/mode/convert to profile [sRGB]

this coverts the pixel numbers to suit the sRGB colourspace so retains the wanted appearance

If sRGB is 'assigned' that’s not the right method because "assigining" is just changing the profile label 'tag' to sRGB rather than converting the image colour information from Adobe RGB to sRGB.

When you assign the appearance will change.

I hope this helps

neil barstow, colourmanagement.net :: adobe forum volunteer

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