Photoshop CS3 color management "Save for Web" problem

[_Peter_Mars_]

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

[Ramón_G_Castañeda]

Duplicate post. This is already being discussed in another thread.

In any event, plenty of words, but little pertinent information in your posts. Please posts screen shots of ALL your color settings and a sample file.

[Ramón_G_Castañeda]

Try reading this carefully:

http://www.gballard.net/psd/cmstheory.html

[Guest]

Read the FAQS its also covered there.

[_Peter_Mars_]

3 days of research sums it up.. I have read gballard... I spent many hours there. My CS3 is not behaving like it should. I cannot get any image to display the way it looks in photoshop. The second I hit "Save for web", things go sideways big time. There are only 3 or 4 things to be concerned with in terms of settings. I have done them all. Nothing gives me accurate color... I have even tried BruceRGB for Cripesakes!
Actually, it's not bad.

Again... how do I post screen shots? I do have them!

[Ramón_G_Castañeda]

Peter,

If you cannot manage to find posts in the threads in which you are participating, how can we trust you are doing the what needs to be done?

>Again... how do I post screen shots? I do have them!

Asked and answered.

[Ramón_G_Castañeda]

CLUE:

>All artwork was created in photoshop and exported to JPG format by using "Save for Web".

Your images are untagged. :/

[_Peter_Mars_]

OK good... they need to be sRGB and untagged because that's the only way they will display exactly correct on all browsers. That's a little known secret I discovered today. I have no idea why tho.

I'm looking up picture posting, hold on....

[Ramón_G_Castañeda]

If they're untagged, Bridge and Photoshop will assume they are in your working color space. That's why I need to see screen shots of your Color Settings and your Monitor Profile (in Displays).

At this point I'm not interested in seeing your images or screen shots of those images.

[_Peter_Mars_]

Here's a couple screenshots of my settings

http://www.hostzombie.com/cs3/Picture-1.png

http://www.hostzombie.com/cs3/Picture-2.png

http://www.hostzombie.com/cs3/Picture-3.png

[large images replaced by their external links]

[_Peter_Mars_]

That's how I understand it. Getting images into photoshop correctly is not the problem. Getting them out is. Some of my artwork is AdobeRGB and some is sRGB. I understand how to correctly open both types, thanks.

Hopefully my color settings images came thru OK

[_Peter_Mars_]

Here's the calibrated monitor profile I'm using

http://www.hostzombie.com/cs3/Picture-4.png

[large image replaced by its external link]

[_Peter_Mars_]

Just so were on the same page, I use sRGB space to open sRGB images, and AdobeRGB space to open AdobeRGB images. I convert adobeRGB images to sRGB before using "save for web". I am currently set to sRGB space.

[Ramón_G_Castañeda]

Peter,

I'll look at your screen shots. It'll take a while.

Next time, please do not use the non-working "[image] [/image]" tags, that way your links will become clickable links, rather than tedious copy-and-paste deals.

[Ramón_G_Castañeda]

Peter,

There's something wrong there, no question.

I have to admit that I virtually never work with JPEGs and only save occasional images as JPEGs, through Save For Web And Devices. Therefore, it hadn't occurred me to try any view other than Optimized in the Save For Web dialog box. I had never bothered to investigate the 2-Up and 4-Up tabs.

I just explored those a bit after checking your screen shots, and they are indeed problematic, to say the least.

As an experiment, try looking ONLY at the "Optimized" tab, with the Optimized tab checked, and with "Uncompensated Color" selected in the flyout menu (rather than "Use Document Color". Convert a couple of images with those settings, and tell us whether you get a correct JPEG with true colors that way.

Also make sure "Convert to sRGB" is selected in the Presets flyout menu too.

[Guest]

use uncompensated color

[_Peter_Mars_]

OK... well the FAQ (on this site) I read last night showed [image]blahblahblah[/image] I'll try it differently next time.

I will try your suggestions, but I'm pretty sure I have tried this. I have tried everything.

I just tried a people photo with skin tones and the second I hit "Save for Web" the saturation goes to high... uncompensated color gives the worst result by far. I'll post an image shortly.

[_Peter_Mars_]

Just a post so I can subscribe to this thread

[Guest]

You could have a bad Calibrator. Huey's are not known for their accuracy

[_Peter_Mars_]

Possible I guess, but monitor color looks awesome after calibration, horrible before calibration (too bright and too green).

Here's 2 screen shots demonstrating "save for web" window using uncompensated color. Note the "optimized" tab and "original" tab.

Also note the actual original photo shown to the left. Original shows correct and good colors, while "save for web" window shows colors all screwed up.

I have left them large in size because I do not want to run them through PS at this point and screw up the color.

http://www.hostzombie.com/cs3/pic5.png
http://www.hostzombie.com/cs3/pic5.png

http://www.hostzombie.com/cs3/pic6.png
http://www.hostzombie.com/cs3/pic6.png

[large images replaced by their links]

[_Peter_Mars_]

What is really happening when "uncompensated color" is selected?

Does this bypass the monitor calibration file somehow?

The colors hint at what my monitor looks like without calibration profile.

[Guest]

Don't paste huge pics like that use a link to the pics as posted by Len in the forum comments thread you started. Some of the visitors are still on dialup and others are in countries where they pay for the bandwidth they use unlike here where we have unlimited use.

Photoshop always uses your monitor Profile to display your image as it is color managed.
This is why ImageReady was nice it was not color managed. I don't know this for sure but I would imagine that uncompensated color is not using the monitor profile.

Viewing your pics on a laptop I'm not sure what you are complaining about. I do not see any oversaturated color. also keep in mind that most of the people looking at a website don't have a calibrated monitor so your image will look different on every randomly chosen computer If you were to line them up side by side.

[Guest]

I do see a difference but I think a better test would be by using an image of something with a blue sky. We all know what the color is of a blue sky.

[_Peter_Mars_]

I cannot make the images smaller because that would involve running them all through PS, and that's the whole problem.

Here's a better example... surely you can see the difference.

Uncompensated Color Top image is photoshop, bottom image is in Preview

Use Documents Color Profile Top image is photoshop, bottom image is in Preview

And here's the actual saved JPG's

UCC.jpg Much more saturated than original

UDCP.jpg Also much more saturated than original

Nothing I try gives me correct color.

[_Peter_Mars_]

Doesn't matter about the blue sky... photoshop is not handling "save for web" properly. Something is wrong. It is changing colors for no apparent reason. I have never had this problem before upgrading to CS3.