CS4 - sRGB isn't sRGB?

After I upgraded to CS4 I appear to be running into an issue with sRGB. I have my color settings to convert incoming files to sRGB which it is doing - at least it says it is. However, it really isn't. Here's is a quick vid demonstrating what I mean: http://screencast.com/​t/qqVi30R7Xp4

If it is sRGB, why is the color changing? And then on IE, Chrome, and Firefox it's another totally different color altogether. This did not happen with CS3 and my color settings are exactly the same except in CS3 I preserved the profile before opening and in CS4 I have it set to automatically convert before opening, which shouldn't be any different in terms of end result when I just manually converted the images once they opened anyway.

Screenshot of color settings attached.

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If you are converting to sRGB, why not just shoot in sRGB?

Has anything else about your system changed? New monitor, or anything like that?

Damo77 wrote in post #6910597
If you are converting to sRGB, why not just shoot in sRGB?

Has anything else about your system changed? New monitor, or anything like that?

I shoot in RAW and if I import via ACR it gets converted there (since in camera profile only matters if you shoot JPEG, though it's sRGB in the camera too). Other images that don't come through ACR and aren't in sRGB get converted automatically, or they are supposed to.

The monitor hasn't changed, but that wouldn't make a difference. Doesn't matter what monitor you are on you can see that sRGB and sRGB don't look the same.

The only thing that has changed is CS3->CS4, and I copied exactly my color settings from CS3 into CS4.

I finally got to watch your video ...

Well, I'll be damned, that's odd.

Does it do the same thing on a flattened image?

Good question as I didn't test that. But now that I have, yes it still does the same thing

... and it does it on both types of images? I'm talking about (a) Images that are converted to sRGB when being opened in Photoshop, and (b) images that are already sRGB, and therefore don't undergo conversion.

Yes. If, for example I open one of my raw files into photoshop through ACR it says it's in sRGB (as per my ACR settings) but it is not. Similarly, if I just open a file that was saved with sRGB embedded the same thing happens. I can tell Photoshop THINKS sRGB is embedded because it doesn't prompt me for conversion as it is set to do.

*Also, I've tried reinstalling Photoshop and that didn't help.

when ACR opens, the bottom has a hyperlink that says the photo's color space. click on that - is that set to sRGB?

I had this same problem when I upgraded to CS4 and it drove me nutty for a while until I changed this setting in there.

Yes it's sRGB

But it does it whether it's a RAW coming through ACR or just a normal JPEG being opened (without ACR).

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Your first attachment under Color managment policies. You have it set to Convert to working rgb...Isn't this supposed to be set to preserve embedded?

It's not "supposed to be" ... but most people do, and for good reason, IMO. Justin is in a minority with his settings, I think.

I always save Photoshop edits as a secondary file, so the original profiles aren't being harmed. Opening a file with the original profile, converting it manually to sRGB and saving as a second copy is no different than opening a file, having it automatically converted to the working space, and saving as a secondary copy. Is it? I've always found this to be a time saver...

What would it matter otherwise unless you are saving over your original, and who does that?

Edit: I am interested in hearing the argument for not doing it.

I hadn't put much thought into "Supposed to be"... Point taken damo.

As for then argument why...I'll leave that to somebody with a better argument for it than me. "Well everybody else does it" isn't a very convincing argument is it.

I wish I could be of more help on your original problem. But as as a token I'll just throw this out there. Have you restarted the computer since you installed the presets, just on the off chance it requires it for the settings to take effect?

I'm a huge advocate of sRGB, but I wouldn't suggest letting Photoshop indiscriminately convert everything to that profile.

Clearly Justin has decided that sRGB is the best profile for his workflow, and he has no need for a larger colour space. I respect that - I believe a lot of people adhere to unnecessarily large colour spaces because "somebody said so".

Therefore, if Justin shoots raw, he creates an sRGB image from the raw file. If he shoots jpeg, he probably has his camera set to that space. In either case, there is no need for conversion in Photoshop. However, there's no harm in setting "Convert" in Color Settings - it remains dormant.

But if there's a remote chance that Justin might need an Adobe RGB file once in a while - let's say he's shot a stunning photo which he's getting professional printed for framing, and the fine art process can handle the wider gamut of Adobe RGB. Fair enough, he creates an Adobe RGB image from his raw file, and what happens? Photoshop converts it. Bugger! Much better to preserve embedded profiles.

In my line of work, I am always editing other people's photos. Is it fair for me to automatically convert their files to sRGB? Not at all, it should be assessed on a client-by-client basis. Therefore, I set my Color Settings to "Preserve", and I make sure I have Show > Document Profile set in the bottom left hand corner of my image window. The first thing I do when I open an image is glance down at the profile to see what it is, and then make a decision about leave or convert.

Everything I do is purely for fun. The most I do is put stuff on the web to share with family. In the rare event that I do want something printed, as was the case with a recent poster I had made, I maintain the Adobe RGB profile. I dislike doing extensive edits and having the image change all of a sudden at the end when I convert it because you can never get it to look *exactly* the same.

However, one thing Damien - even if you have it set to automatically convert the profile, if you set Adobe RGB in ACR it will NOT change it to sRGB. So it's not inconvenient at all.