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Owlquilla
Owlquilla
Participant
June 2, 2018
Answered

Same Image Appears Different Colors in Different Documents - Help Please?

  • June 2, 2018
  • 1 reply
  • 2470 views

Hello,

As the title suggests, I am having problems with colors in photoshop...

I am trying to compare skin colors in two portraits: I have the image that I am editing and a reference image.

When I attempt to copy my image into the reference document it has a yellow-ish color cast. By clicking the tabs on the top of the two documents it is immediately clear that my image is now appearing very differently in the two documents.

I tried to get around this by copying the reference image into my portrait, but in this event the reference image had a red-ish hint.

I can't figure out what is causing this difference. I have checked that both proof setups are monitor RGB and that both image modes are RGB. I also converted my portrait into an 8 bit (from 16) to match the reference image but this didn't help.

I am now worrying about my photoshop setup as if I save the image as a JPEG from the two documents it appears completely different.

I hope somebody can help.

Thanks,

Tom

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer D Fosse

Nevermind color mode - what's the color profile? sRGB? Adobe RGB? ProPhoto?

Also, turn off proof and keep it off. You don't proof as you work. Proof is to check for out of gamut color in the print profile.

As always, screenshots would make it much clearer what your problem actually is.

1 reply

D Fosse
Community Expert
D FosseCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
June 2, 2018

Nevermind color mode - what's the color profile? sRGB? Adobe RGB? ProPhoto?

Also, turn off proof and keep it off. You don't proof as you work. Proof is to check for out of gamut color in the print profile.

As always, screenshots would make it much clearer what your problem actually is.

    Owlquilla
    OwlquillaAuthor
    Participant
    June 2, 2018

    Thank you so much! I had got myself in a real muddle. I had been trying to solve the problem myself with two of my own photographs and had got all my settings confused across the two of them. One I had set to working sRGB (no proof) and the other to ProPhoto (with proof) which resulted in similar colors but gave very different outcomes when copied into my reference image.

    By turning off the proof and reverting the original color profiles to ProPhoto it fixed the problem.

    They now copy into the reference picture (which is a working sRGB) with no color change.

    Is ProPhoto the best choice for all images?

    Thank you again!

    D Fosse
    Community Expert
    D FosseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 2, 2018

    Good. Different color spaces will give different numbers for the same color - and different colors for the same numbers. A profile conversion is a full recalculation of all the numbers, in order to maintain appearance.

    Personally I think ProPhoto is a bit overrated. It has its uses, but also some downsides. For inexperienced users I would never recommend ProPhoto. It can be dangerous in the wrong hands - handle with care.

    And for this reason I think having ProPhoto as default in Lightroom External Editing is a very poor choice. It shouldn't be the default. Those who need it will know why and how, and they can look out for themselves.

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