Color management problem

Okay, I just got a new 20" Imac and I'm using PS CS4 (downloaded the trial version and will probably buy it). My images that I've uploaded to my pbase page look washed out compared to the original file (as I see it on the screen). DPP is set to SRGB. In color settings in PS where it says RGB, it is set at sRGB. What else am I missing? I know there are a million threads on this topic, and I read some and tried most of what I found and still can't seem to solve the problem. I'm using either Safari 3.2.1 or Firefox 3.0.11. Do you need me to upload an image to see what's going on? Any help would be immensely appreciated. Thanks!

Are the four checkboxes in color management checked? Attach an image to your post, and also a screenshot of the PS color settings.

How is your monitor calibrated? Also, it's not enough just to be running Firefox, you need to manually enable colour management - have you done that?

Oh, and have you downloaded one of your Pbase images to see if the profile is still embedded?

Thanks for replying! Here is the unedited image. I just sized it, saved to web and changed from gif to jpg. Not sure how else to do it or how to get the unaltered photo up here. The original looks quite dark compared to this one. Also, here is a screen shot. I haven't set Firefox's color management, so any tips on how to do so would be awesome. I mainly use Firefox when uploading photos to the web. If you need anything else, please let me know. I'm impatient and an idiot when it comes to this stuff.

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Well you have color management turned off, and it's on by default, so you've turned it off somehow. Turn color management on, and tick all those boxes.

I'm not on a color managed machine, and I don't have access to photoshop, but the color looks fine to me. Too dark though.

Thank you SOOO much, got it all looking the way it should now. Color managed Firefox and did what you suggested and all looks to be exactly the way I want it. Thank goodness for this forum!

If turning on color management in firefox fixed the problem then it hasn't actually fixed the problem, it's disguised it. Everyone else on the internet still sees it the old way. It means your image is in the wrong color space - it MUST be sRgb for the web.

Look at your website/image in Internet Explorer.

I don't have IE. I'll have to check at work tomorrow. I checked on Safari and Firefox. I THINK it's set to sRGB. Are these the right settings? I checked all the boxes as you mentioned and I think the RGB/CMYK/Gray are set the right way, am I wrong? Thanks again.

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The flower shot look like it might be dark, which is a typical response if your monitor is not properly calibrated/adjusted for brightness. Typically, monitors need to be brought down in brightness from their factory settings if you want your shots to not come out somewhat dark in prints or in displays that are calibrated.

Color management will also come into play when dealing with color spaces across displays and viewing software. It sounds like you may have somehow gotten something like an aRGB file that PS has not converted. If you view it in Photoshop or a color-managed browser like the color-managed Firefox, it will look pretty much the same. But try opening your jpeg in Internet Explorer (or a generic Windows viewer). If you see the same problem of wierd differences, you probably have an aRGB file.

In Photoshop, turn all your color management options on, especially the RGB option, and make sure that after you turn that option on the option to convert to your working space is turned on (not assign to your working space).

Also, you can check DPPs Export color space and make sure it is sRGB (it could be set to aRGB).

Once you get everthing set for sRGB, your pictures should look reasonable in any viewer.

I did turn the brightness down on the monitor...it was giving me eye strain big time. When you say turn color management options on, what should they be set for-Preserve embedded files? I don't see anything that says 'on' for color mgmt. And in the convert working space part, I changed RGB to sRGB. Where it says Source Space at the top (in the convert to profile advanced window), it says sRGB. Does that sound right? The flower picture should look darkish...it's unedited and underexposed a bit. Thanks for the help!

ngannet wrote in post #8123465
I don't have IE. I'll have to check at work tomorrow. I checked on Safari and Firefox. I THINK it's set to sRGB. Are these the right settings? I checked all the boxes as you mentioned and I think the RGB/CMYK/Gray are set the right way, am I wrong? Thanks again.

They look correct now.

Yay! Finally got it...I hope. Thanks so much everyone!

Just set your RGB Color Management Policies to Convert to Working RGB. The three checkboxes mean that you will be prompted if you are loading another Color Space (such as aRGB). But the important thing is that you won't load a file with the wrong space by accident but will automatically convert it to RGB. An off setting or a Preserve Imbedded Profile setting means that you can end up with anything and you will have to manually convert each file to sRGB before saving for the Web.

tonylong wrote in post #8123644
Just set your RGB Color Management Policies to Convert to Working RGB.

I don't know what that means.

tim wrote in post #8123652
I don't know what that means.

Well this is what I would consider the "no-brainer" way of ensuring sRGB in PS, but with reminders turned on (although I consider that optional and a bit of a hassle) -- the part marked in red is what you were wondering about: