White is not 'White', it is YELLOW!

[TopGun904]

I have a problem with the white color in Photoshop CS6, and I know it's not my computer or monitor. Anything white colored or anything for that matter, has a yellow tint to it. What should be white, is yellow. I even tried pasting a image of white on to the canvas, but that also turned yellow. I don't think it's my color settings. I also have Photoshop CS5, but that's fine. White is white. I pasted a screen shot of my computer onto both programs. CS5 is fine, but CS6 is still yellow. I cross referenced my color settings with CS5, making sure they're the same. One thing was different from CS5. The CYMK working space is "U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2". I tried switching it to Photoshop 5 Default CMYK if that could change it to the CS5 default, but nothing changed. Even the color pickers have yellow instead of white. Gradients and Black to Yellow. It's not my computer or monitor. I want to use CS6 for my photo editing needs, but I'll need to use CS5 to do anything that needs normal color. Please help, I want to use CS6, CS6 is so cool, but I don't want yellow, I want white.

[Noel Carboni]

You're welcome, glad I could help. 

-Noel

[asadvasdbakjds]

Thanks a lot. Your advice for the white background was marvelous.

[luojaUK]

Hi,

Just a quick reply to say that over 2 years later, your answer (and steps) are the perfect solution to this issue. Have a BenQ monitor which made all whites in Photoshop a horrible yellow/tan colour and I followed your steps to the letter and the issue was resolved instantly!

Thank you

Matt

[D Fosse]

For the record and future reference: Using sRGB as display profile is just a diagnostic or temporary fix. For non-critical use it may be close enough, however.

The purpose of the display profile in the color management chain is to be an accurate description of the display's response. Only a measurement by a calibrator can give you that. sRGB is a generic profile that just happens to be close enough to most monitors' native response that it works.

In the cases above replacing a broken display profile with sRGB is obviously an improvement. For some it's good enough. But a full fix it isn't.

[Noel Carboni]

To this day I'm amazed at how manufacturers can possibly deliver such terrible, bogus profiles for their monitors.  As referenced by the above posters, it would be better if they delivered none at all and just allowed the system to default.

And, if the monitor can actually be made to accurately display the sRGB color space - and some monitors do offer a factory sRGB preset - then indeed it can be a good solution that also leads to consistency with other applications that assume sRGB.

But twenty_one is right on the money - if you want true accuracy, your monitor profile needs to describe your monitor's color response, and you need to use color-managed applications (with the understanding that not all of them - possibly not even a majority of them - do proper color-management).  Photoshop is one such application that strives to get it right, though even Photoshop has its little quirks.

-Noel

[NB, colourmanagement net]

My 2C -even displays that offer an sRGB preset are not accurately matching the sRGB colourspace. Yes, setting sRGB may be an improvement over a corrupted profile, but, as Noel wrote, there's no substitute for a monitor screen display profile actually made for that specific display (I mean for the actual one on your desk, not something downloaded), this calibration and profile can be made using a sensor such as the i1Display Pro

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

[codeIMperfect]

9 Years😂😂

[kosdaisy]

Thanks Noel! Problem solved!

[Trevor.Dennis]

kosdaisy wrote:

Thanks Noel! Problem solved!

If only Noel was here to see your thanks.  He gave up on the forum a long while ago because of issues with the forum code and his preferred browser IE11.  I miss his contributions and have twice tried to persuade him back, but he has a new obsession now upsetting the Microsoft engineers on the Windows 10 development forum.  Next time I write to him, I'll tell him he is still getting thankyous here.

[weeki584]

Thank you this is very helpful for me!!

[AmeliaJC]

Thank you. Worked perfectly! 

[Quirk-of-Nature]

Noel, that worked a treat for me, thank you! And I'm on Windows 10!!

[barrykooda]

I had this problem three years after this solution was posted and it still worked great! I could have a browser open to a white background but everything that was supposed to be white in PhotoShop was sort of very light beige tinted. Now it looks fine.
Thanks, Noel!

[CerenadeMe]

Thank you, Noel!

[maximilianj32446989]

Thanks! It helped! I'm using a DELL U2711, Windows 10 and Photoshop CS6.

[D Fosse]

maximilianj32446989 wrote:

Thanks! It helped! I'm using a DELL U2711, Windows 10 and Photoshop CS6.

The Dell U2711 is a wide gamut model, so you cannot use sRGB as monitor profile. Everything will be grossly oversaturated - which it will in any case with applications that aren't fully color managed. There's nothing to be done about that.

Wide gamut monitors will only work as intended in a fully color managed environment! It will never display correctly in non-color managed applications. And you really need an accurate monitor profile, which only a calibrator will give you.

Dell should really start informing their customers better. You just cannot use these monitors the same way as any other monitor.

[NB, colourmanagement net]

Yep, absolutely right

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

[ricksprintshop]

brilliant tip Noel - thanks - just sorted out my problem

[3co]

Thanks! That worked for me!

[smithyohheight]

I've tried to figure this problem out for the past 3 years with no luck and this solution had it fixed in 5 minutes! I can't thank you enough for posting this awesome solution!!

[anthonygirdler]

Thanks Noel.

I had the same issue and this fixed it perfectly.

[shehabyasser]

Thank you

[golborne]

YOU ABSOLUTE STAR!  It has been driving me mad and no other bugger could help!

THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!

[Guest]

Thank you! This fixed the problem straight away. Having moved OSs, I was looking in the wrong place for colour management. Your steps were nice and clear.

[sangyi]

ok