JPEGS look drastically different in photoshop when saved

here is a picture i have been working on. the left version is as displayed in photoshop this is the look i want to achieve - but when i save it the jpeg on the right appears; the jpeg is darker and more contrasty and overall not as pleasing to look at.

am i doing something wrong?

here is another example - notice the loss of detail in his hair and the palm tree due to contrast being bumped in jpeg. also the whole look of the image is lost.

A few questions:

• What image format was used for the image before you saved it to jpeg?
  
• What color space was the image opened in Photoshop using?
  
• What color space did you specify for the jpeg that you created?
  
• What program were you viewing the image you call "jpeg" with when you snipped it for the above comparison?
  
• What kind of monitor are you using ... standard gamut or wide gamut?
  

Bob_A wrote in post #14770369
A few questions:

• What image format was used for the image before you saved it to jpeg?
  RAW
  
  
• What color space was the image opened in Photoshop using?
  sRGB
  
  
• What color space did you specify for the jpeg that you created?
  sRGB
  
  
• What program were you viewing the image you call "jpeg" with when you snipped it for the above comparison?
  Viwed in standard windows photo viewer
  
  
• What kind of monitor are you using ... standard gamut or wide gamut?
  Monitor is nothin fancy standard gamut.
  
  

I'm viewing the application and Jpeg on the same monitor so any differences can't be attributed to the monitor

No, what software are you viewing "the jpeg" with. Obviously not Photoshop, but what?

How about opening the JPEG in Photoshop and then doing the comparison with the original RAW edit before you saved it as a JPEG? The mismatch you're seeing might be due to the Windows photo viewer.

oceanbeast wrote in post #14771801
I'm viewing the application and Jpeg on the same monitor so any differences can't be attributed to the monitor

Photoshop is color managed, most other applications are not, or don't color manage as well as Photoshop (slight differences). If your monitor is wide gamut and you save as sRGB then images viewed in Photoshop will look perfect but the same image viewed on the same monitor with a non-color managed application will look "drastically different". Contrast would be way too high and colors, especially red, will be over-saturated.

If you have a normal gamut monitor and you save as sRGB then the image will look pretty similar between Photoshop and the other application you view the jpeg with.

If you have a normal gamut monitor and save as aRGB then the image will look fine in Photoshop but look dull and the colors will look off in a non color managed application.


For a lot of people the easiest approach is to ensure that you stick to the sRGB color space for your entire workflow and don't use a wide gamut monitor. If you shoot jpeg from your camera make sure the camera is set to sRGB. If you shoot RAW then make sure your Raw converter creates sRGB jpegs.

On the other hand if you use a wide gamut monitor things get a bit complicated. You need to use the correct applications to view your images and pay close attention to the color space tagged to the images and understand how each application handles untagged images.

There's your answer. Not worth the bytes it's written with.

Elie,

I read it but did not absorb it, my fault! So that answer explains it.

Yea, my shots often look way different in MS photo viewer. Darker and more contrasty if I remember. Not sure what on earth is does, but probably MS trying to compensate for iPhone shots. Totally different than a whole host of other applications.

One possibility that hasn't been raised (or sorry if I missed it !): Do you have soft-proofing turned on in Photoshop ? That's a long shot but would likely be the answer if you've gone through the very good troubleshooting advice given above.

it was the windows viewer - i opened the jpeg in PS and it looks identical to the working copy. thanks guys

oceanbeast wrote in post #14774712
it was the windows viewer - i opened the jpeg in PS and it looks identical to the working copy. thanks guys

As you've seen, all image viewers are not created equal. For instance, Windoze Explorer isn't color managed, & some browsers aren't either.
WEB BROWSER CHECK - Test Page - ICC profiles and Photoshop Color Management

Christopher Steven b wrote in post #14774362
One possibility that hasn't been raised (or sorry if I missed it !): Do you have soft-proofing turned on in Photoshop ? That's a long shot but would likely be the answer if you've gone through the very good troubleshooting advice given above.

That was a good thought. Fortunately "Proof Colors" is only specific to the image you want to soft proof and it's not remembered by the program if the image is closed then reopened.

PhotosGuy wrote in post #14776716
As you've seen, all image viewers are not created equal. For instance, Windoze Explorer isn't color managed, & some browsers aren't either.
WEB BROWSER CHECK - Test Page - ICC profiles and Photoshop Color Management

And some browsers don't do a good job of color management, particularly if images are untagged. Even Firefox requires a tweak (either manually or by using an add-in) if you use a wide gamut monitor to ensure it handles untagged images correctly.