color differences between adobe bridge & Zoombrowser & windows XP

this is a problem that i have been having for a long time. the colors between these 3 programs are always different:
adobe bridge
Zoombrowser
windows XP(windows picture and fax viewer)

its probably the most annoying thing about digital photography. i usually upload my photos off the CF using a card reader and then use Adobe bridge to view the RAW files and then Photoshop CS2 to edit and then save them as jpegs.

if i open a RAW file using CS2 and then save it immediatly as a jpeg, the colors are still slightly different even when both are in Adobe bridge. i have attached 2 screenshots to show the difference below. and then if i view the photos in Zoombrowser, the colors are different if you compare the 2. AND THEN if i open the jpegs using Windows Picture and Fax Viewer....they are different!!! its driving me crazy cause i never know which one is correct.

although i do think Adobe Bridge/photoshop CS2 is the most correct because i usually dont do any major adjustments to the colors except minor curves, exposure settings using RAW format.

i use a Dell inspiron e1505 laptop and when i bought this laptop a few months ago i got the best display/monitor you could buy from Dell. 15.4 Inch UltraSharp TrueLife Wide-screen WSXGA+


i tried the Adobe Gamma in the control panel today but it didnt do much really. maybe i did it wrong. im not sure. my monitor is great at showing colors and usually shows colors the same or better than most monitors but its just the programs that are so very different.

maybe its time to get one of those monitor calibration systems. but im at college and the light source isnt always the same in my room.

all screenshots:

ZoomBrowser in RAW format

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What I wrote in this thread is a workaround... However, investing in something like the Spyder2 Suite to calibrate your monitor and apps will help fix the problem.

BTW, using DPP is much smarter.

Things it's possible you're doing wrong:
- color spaces (read the real world color mangement book)
- auto adjustments turned on (look at your settings)
- uncalibrated monitor (buy a hardware device like monaco or spyder)

I should add that if you calibrate your system, make sure you choose the "Monitor" color settings in DPP and PS/CS2.

tim wrote in post #2033161
Things it's possible you're doing wrong:
- auto adjustments turned on (look at your settings)

where is this??

amonline wrote in post #2033145
What I wrote in this thread is a workaround... However, investing in something like the Spyder2 Suite to calibrate your monitor and apps will help fix the problem.

BTW, using DPP is much smarter.

i changed the color settings in CS2 from sRGB IEC61966-2.1 to Adobe RGB 1998. should that help?

If you use DPP and CS2, yes... following what I said in that thread will help get you a lot closer... you'll still need to get a calibration system. I recommend the Spyder2 Suite... it'll help out with that laptop a lot. Then just choose the monitor profile that you make with the software for all your programs. They should be dead on at that point.

amonline wrote in post #2033314
If you use DPP and CS2, yes... following what I said in that thread will help get you a lot closer... you'll still need to get a calibration system. I recommend the Spyder2 Suite... it'll help out with that laptop a lot. Then just choose the monitor profile that you make with the software for all your programs. They should be dead on at that point.

i just used DPP and tried it out. its totally messing with my workflow. i remember i tried DPP when i got my camera but the workflow didnt work with me.

is there any way to use Bridge and CS2??

spyder 2 suite is about $150. i dont know if its worth it for my hobby. (im a poor college student)

The only way you'll get it syncing much closer is with calibration. IMO, DPP is much more powerful, efficient and accurate than ACR; but if you're set on using ACR then expect to invest in a calibration device. The bottom line is I just don't like what ACR does to my images. It deadens them and makes them lifeless. This produces way too much PP needs. DPP brings them to life. I probably should take a second to mention that I shoot RAW only. So what if there's one additional step to 'sending it to PS'? It's incredibly worth the one extra click IMO and the difference between the image looking like a million bucks and ten cents... but this is just an opinion.

May I ask what problem it possessed with your workflow?

I went back and read your OP to see why you'd be having workflow problems. In reality, DPP will batch process all your RAWs to jpgs like you're doing now... not to mention you have control over size and resolution, (although I always suggest going through PS for size/res change and USM) along with your RAW adjustments. Using DPP with the settings I mentioned should bring your colors much closer.

Since you shoot in RAW, you generally have all the same features in DPP as ACR. For true post processing, here's my workflow to achieve what you are doing...

Dump CF and open DPP
Adjust WB and saturation on all images... (other adjustments as needed)
Use trimming tool to set crops...
* Batch process send all RAWs to jpgs at original size... (I hardly ever have a reason to do this)

* If you want to edit for the web then...
Tools > Transfer to PS (Alt+P)...
Change your image size
Unsharp Mask (this produces the best result)
Save for the web

The first part's basically identical to what you are doing now.

this problem has been mentioned before, and i found that the colour setting in cs2 was not what i wanted, so i changed it. Forget offhand what i set it too, but it now resembles the other colours in the other programmes. i.e. zoombrowser and windows viewfinder.

Brodog2525 wrote in post #2033234
where is this??

When you open an image in CS2 ACR turn off the auto checkboxes, hit the triangle above and to the right of exposure, hit save defaults.

amonline wrote in post #2033516
May I ask what problem it possessed with your workflow?

ok so last night i was in a bad mood and didnt want to learn another program. but today i watched nearly all the tutorials on the canon website about DPP. i understand it a lot more after watching the tutorials. so right now my color managment is set to AdobeRGB1998 in both DPP and photoshop CS2.

1 question:
in DPP when i go to Adjustments then to Work Color Space should I choose Adobe RGB? and is the work color space different from color managment?

and amonline, thanks for all this help. color managment is hard to figure out without any help. im gonna use DPP unless i totally hate it but after watching the tutorials, i feel more confident!

Glad to hear you're going to give it a shot... I hope it comes easy as I'm sure you'll see the power and color accuracy very quickly. (I'm talking accuracy within the shot as it's supposed to be seen)

To answer your question, set the workspace to sRGB, but set your COLOR MATCHING to sRGB or your monitor profile while CS2 is still set to Adobe98. This will give you a better true view between the two programs for now. Ultimately, you'll still want to get a Spyder2 (or whatever you decide) to get all the programs dead on and reacting correctly. (but this workaround will suffice for now)

Good luck and keep us posted!