Save for web / flatten image color loss

[JoshRupisan]

Hi,

Whenever I export an image (save for web) OR flatten an image (command + shift + option +E) it seems to lower the quality. The photo gets this grainy overlay and almost like the black tones get lifted.

I exported, using "save as" jpeg and it kept the colors however it's just not the best quality for Instagram. 

On the older Photoshop version this was never an issue. 

I'll include the photo differences attached.

I've been researching this for a couple days now...

Any help is much appreciated! 

[TheDigitalDog]

Are you viewing this at 100% zoom ratio? 

SFW and the JPEG quality of course can play a role. 

Where outside of Photoshop are you viewing these images; is that software color managed? 

[JoshRupisan]

Hi, Thanks for the quick repsonse!

I would view it at 100% zoom ratio and zoom out to see the whole image, but it still ends up with a slight white overlay when I save the image or flatten the image.

I view the image on the macbook-air "preview" and also on Iphone.

I am thinking of re-editing the photo, but is there a way to edit the photo viewing the "whole image" with the correct colors?

[TheDigitalDog]

I do see the slight difference in contrast in darks between the two images you uploaded. 
Does it show with all images? 
What about a color reference image like:
http://www.digitaldog.net/files/2014PrinterTestFileFlat.tif.zip

This should not be happening.

[JoshRupisan]

Its not happening with the photo you sent me...

It may be from my photos. I'll try with other photos I've taken and let you know. For what it is worth, these pictures were edited in Lightroom first. So not sure if that plays a huge factor.

[TheDigitalDog]

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@JoshRupisan wrote:

Its not happening with the photo you sent me...

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OK so we now need to examine your image. But it is good to know that this isn't a SFW issue. 

When you say first edited in LR, that's kind of moot IF you exported a rendered image from LR before you even started all this in SFW. 

Can you provide the steps from (I assume) raw through LR to end up inside Photoshop? 

[Warren Heaton]

Since you're noticing the color shift when you flatten, it's possible that you have a combination of Adjustment Layers and/or Blending Modes that cannot be maintained when not layered.  Although, that's pretty rare.  If that's what's happening, you'll want to make a Duplicate (Image > Duplicate) and view it with the original side-by-side.  You can flatten while making the Duplicate or afterward.  Comparing the two, see if you can get a solid match by using Image Adjustments (Image > Adjustments) rather than Adjustment Layers (Layer > New Adjustment Layer).

Some other things to think about:

• What is the Color Profile of your display?
• What is the Color Profile of your document?
• When viewing the document in Photoshop, is Proof Color enabled, and if so what is Proof Setup set to?
• When using Save for Web: JPEG, is Embed Color Profile enabled or disabled?
• When using Save As, is Embed Color Profile enabled or disabled?