My photos become very pale and unsaturated when viewed by CS3

[shakyhand]

Hi,

I don't know what I have done. Have been happy using photoshop for quite some times. Now, whenever I open my files ( jpeg or RAW in CS3 or Bridge), the color of the photo become very unsaturated and pale..... If I view using other applications like zoombrowser or window default program, I have no problem.....

So now I cannot edit my photo due to the color is very inaccurate in PS..... pls help.

Thanks

[SloNeZ600]

Using edit menu; choose color setting and make sure you are set to
"North america general purpose 2"; Unless you have soome reason for using another this is usually the default.

[René Damkot]

Or look in the link from my sig for color settings...

[shakyhand]

Or look in the link from my sig for color settings...

I've gone through the sticky color management pages.... my camera is set for sRGB so does my Photoshop color setting. However, on top of color setting tabs there is a warning that says something like my color management is not synchronized. I've gone through Adobe help page and to synchronize color setting I must open Adobe Bridge>Edit>Advanced>Synchronize Creative suite....

But this is nowhere in my Adobe bridge. I saw some answers in Adobe forum that I need Adobe creative suite installed to have this option.... (scratched head)

PS: My photo appears washed out even in Adobe Bridge....

[René Damkot]

Click (http://photoshopnews.com/2005/06/28/unable-to-synchronize-color-settings-with-bridge-illustrator-cs2-indesign-cs2-photoshop-cs2/).

What I find strange though, is that the colors appear 'washed out' in PS, not in other programs... Usually, if CM is off, it's the other way around...
Maybe your monitor profile isn't right?

Some screenshots might definately help. (Also of the image in different software)

[shakyhand]

Finally got time to do some screenshots.... Trying out all kind of setting and finally I give up... this is driving me nuts....

This is RAW file viewed using zoombrowser.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1288/1169261176_bd0368c196_b.jpg

This is viewed by Adobe bridge... compare the red color. The red becomes orange.....
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1123/1169259564_f91e66df28_b.jpg

This is my monitor profile. I calibrated it using pantone huey....
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1054/1169267288_459333839c_b.jpg

This is the color setting in photoshop set to sRGB....
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1437/1169263410_244dc37b91_b.jpg

[shakyhand]

bump...

[qtaran111]

Have you tried switching the RGB Color Management Policy back to "Preserve Embedded Profile"? Perhaps the convert in PS is causing the problem?

Although that is a bit odd as the colour space in the image you posted is showing as sRGB so there shouldn't be any problem...

[colincapurso]

Just checking, is your HSL settings in Camera Raw set to 0 for everything?

[shakyhand]

Have you tried switching the RGB Color Management Policy back to "Preserve Embedded Profile"? Perhaps the convert in PS is causing the problem?

Although that is a bit odd as the colour space in the image you posted is showing as sRGB so there shouldn't be any problem...

Done it... problem still there:(:(

[shakyhand]

Just checking, is your HSL settings in Camera Raw set to 0 for everything?

All are 0's..... This is really de-motivating me to shoot photo...:(:(

[Robf]

I've gone through the sticky color management pages.... my camera is set for sRGB so does my Photoshop color setting. However, on top of color setting tabs there is a warning that says something like my color management is not synchronized. I've gone through Adobe help page and to synchronize color setting I must open Adobe Bridge>Edit>Advanced>Synchronize Creative suite....

But this is nowhere in my Adobe bridge. I saw some answers in Adobe forum that I need Adobe creative suite installed to have this option.... (scratched head)

PS: My photo appears washed out even in Adobe Bridge....

i'm using CS3 and have dumped CS2, so the menu might have moved...but anyway, in CS3 its under the edit menu right at the bottom.

if your seeing shift in colour, then your profiles are not setup or preferenced correctly, or your making the wrong choice when opening.

on another point, the orange in raw is your highlight clip warning.

but back OT...

PS colour settings...mine are different because I use different profiles, but here's the theory :

Working spaces :

dont use your monitor profile (BAD unless you know exactly why not to and then you will know when to use this)...pick one of the device independent working spaces to use ; Apple RGB, Adobe RGB, Colourmatch RGB, sRGB or Prophoto is you have it...my recommendation is that is your not too au fait with Colour Management (CM) and dont do much PP then pick sRGB and set your camera to use that...if you are a bit more savvy with CM then pick a better one like AdobeRGB if your camera can shoot in that and use that.

CYMK : If you dont know the profile for your CMYK output device, or dont do any conversions to CMYK, then leave this as is. Likewise, with greyscale and spot.

CM policies :

Set all to 'preserve' and 'ask' on all the mismatches

Engine to Adobe ACE and i use relative colourmetric for conversion.

Black point and dither are checked.

Rest leave unless you know why not to.



Ok...so you have your calibrated monitor profile, and your system shows its using that by your gfx card settings...and now you have PS working in most likely sRGB or Adobe RGB...so set your camera to use the same.

Now, Raw should be set the same as well...

If all is well, you shouldnt get a warning when you open a file, and your colours should look consistant.

Looking at the title bar of an image in PS, you should see nothing after the RGB/8 (or 16)....if you see * afterwards, it means your actually working in a different colour space...if you see # afterwards it means that you have either told PS to strip the profile as you opened the file or the file had no profile...in this case PS then ASSUMES the file is using your working space even if that doesnt match the profile the image was shot in...which is why its good CM to keep embedded profiles.

so...assuming all is well so far, you might have some images without profiles, or with different profiles. Having images with different profiles is not a problem, PS will switch and work in this profile space and give you a good preview as you work...without profiles PS is guessing...so its best to try and fix that if you can guess what it was shot in...

to give a file without a profile a profile, use Assign profile...try sRGB (a lot of common images are shot in this or use this) or try another like Adobe RGB and see if it visually seems to work.

if you want to change a profile, you have 2 choices, but neither are good, which is why keeping consistant profiles and CM is the best route. If you can keep and work in your current profile without hitting it's limits, then this can be sometimes a better choice.

1: Convert, this trys to keep the colour looking the same and changes the numbers accordingly to the new profile in order to do so...as this involves a colour conversion, many conversions, or even just one can damage sensitive colour areas such as grads etc, but sometimes its the only choice...

2: Assign, this keeps the numbers the same in the new profile, but because the new profile has a different gamut you will probably see colour shift. It doesnt hurt the file, it just hurts the look...rarely used, unless your trying to tag a new profile on a file thats missing one.

Wherever possible, keep profiles attached when saving...this enables you and anyone else and PS to make judgements when the files are later opened. PS uses the profile info to do all its conversions...without it, you and PS are guessing.

The only time you may want to strip a profile is to save for the web to save the nth amount of data space a profile takes up. I prefer to convert to sRGB and then save for web, which defaults to strip the profile. sRGB is the default space of many peripherals and windows machines which aren't calibrated, so its relatively safer if you've converted to sRGB beforehand because other people's applications will do a temporary assign of sRGB when they view them (or their monitor profile)...there are colour savvy browsers out there, so you can judge wether you want to keep the profile you originally used or save the data and convert to sRGB beforehand. For most web stuff i strip.

You may see a slight shift in non CM savvy browsers because they will use your monitor profile for display, and not sRGB...but if your calibration gamma is based upon 2.2 then you shouldnt see much noticable shift.

You can debate that converting to your monitor profile space before stripping on save to web will mean you will see no shift, correct, but everyone else wont see it the same.

All this hinges on a good calibration profile...whilst the mk1 eyeball is ok, its easily fooled...hardware calibrators are better, even better are hardware calibrators that adjust your monitor and use the profile as a soft filler to plug the gap.

Often people will say that it works ok if they use sRGB as their monitor profile and turn CM off in PS...and to a certain extent thats true, however, as this is normally the route taken by the people not familiar with CM its all to easy for them to break the CM and although they may get away with it, one day they will break it, or someone elses colour.

Hope that helps...its a bit of head screw when you bite the bullet, but becomes a bit easier when you trust your monitor profile and let it work.

Calibration + device independent working space + source profile = a good start.

[René Damkot]

The only time you may want to strip a profile is to save for the web to save the nth amount of data space a profile takes up. I prefer to convert to sRGB and then save for web, which defaults to strip the profile. sRGB is the default space of many peripherals and windows machines which aren't calibrated, so its relatively safer if you've converted to sRGB beforehand because other people's applications will do a temporary assign of sRGB when they view them (or their monitor profile)...there are colour savvy browsers out there, so you can judge wether you want to keep the profile you originally used or save the data and convert to sRGB beforehand. For most web stuff i strip.

You may see a slight shift in non CM savvy browsers because they will use your monitor profile for display, and not sRGB...but if your calibration gamma is based upon 2.2 then you shouldnt see much noticable shift.

However, if you don't include an sRGB profile, the only CMed browser out there (Safari) will assume monitor profile under OSX (10.4; 10.3 could be set :()

[SIZE=2]Finally got time to do some screenshots.... Trying out all kind of setting and finally I give up... this is driving me nuts....

Don't see any images...