Clone stamped image brighter than the original

[Cathryn-Jane16E5]

Hello everyone.
I thought I knew Photoshop fairly well, but I can't work this one out!
I have two images open. Both are 16 bit RGB. One was originally 16 bit and the other I converted to 16 bit in order to do the cloning operation. I want to clone stamp from the image I found on the Internet to my 3D rendered image of a cityscape to add some real world detail. However, when I try, the cloned image I'm stamping onto my 3D rendering is far brighter than the original. It's influriating. Does anyone have any idea what I'm doing wrong? Here's a video. I messed up the audio, but it should be clear what is happening. I can fix it after the clone operation with levels, but I shouldn't have to do that. Cloning between two images downloaded from the internet, there isn't a problem. I tried resetting the tool. It didn't help.
Thanks!

[gener7 · Accepted solution]

I notice there is a # sign in the file name which means both documents are not colored managed. That means they do not have a color profile like sRGB or Adobe RGB (mystery meat). What that means is that if the profiles are different, the RGB numbers from the source can be interpreted differently in the destination.

If you have no idea, I hope this will explain and show you how to set it up:

http://www.computer-darkroom.com/ps19_colour/ps19_1.htm

[Cathryn-Jane16E5]

Thanks for replying.
"I notice there is a # sign in the file name"
I can't see that in the video I uploaded. Where did you see it?
Also, is there a way of checking which colour profile an image has?
Thanks for any further help you can give me.

Update: I think I'm getting somewhere. My image is 'Generic HDR'. I can use Edit/Convert to Profile to change its profile to match the other image. Is that what you meant? I still don't know where the # in the file name is though.

[D Fosse · Accepted solution]

You check the color space here:

They need to be in the same color space. Cloning just duplicates the numbers, which will give different color and tone in different color spaces.

If one of them reads "untagged" you need to assign a profile (most likely sRGB will be the correct one in that case, as most untagged files come from the web). Once they both have a profile, convert one of them if they're different.

[Cathryn-Jane16E5]

Thank you Gener7 and D Fosse for the explanation. I hadn't some across this before and I appreciate your help. The tip about the colour space drop- down is going to be useful as well.

[D Fosse]

I have that notification area set permanently to show color space, and I would be completely lost without it. It tells me at a single glance everything I need to know about the file.

IMO this should be a default setting (rather than the useless document size) - simply because it makes people aware that there is such a thing as a color space. A lot of people don't, and get confused when things like this happen. And they do, all the time.

(It would also be a tremendous help for us answering questions, to see the profile up front so that we don't have to ask for it.)

[gener7]

Look at the Document Tab:

The # sign is inside the parenthesis: (RGB is the Color Mode/8 is 8 bits per channel and # means no Color Profile is assigned.

[michelew83603738 · Accepted solution]

If you clone onto a separate layer (as you should be) can't you then use curves or another adjustment layer to balance the brightness? Another step, but it shouldn't be too difficult.

[Cathryn-Jane16E5]

I could, but there shouldn't be a brightness shift created just by cloning.

[michelew83603738]

No, but as explained above, it is due to the lack of being color managed. I am just suggesting a way to help.

[Cathryn-Jane16E5]

• Thank you for your help. Yes, I can adjust the brightness through levels or some other way, it just annoyed me that I couldn't figure out the  cause of the problem.
  I understand now about the inconsistent colour management!
  I actually was cloning onto a separate layer as that is the way I add features when I'm compositing. thank you again for taking the time to reply. I appreciate it.