Color difference-processed on computer vs. walmart/walgreens prints

Can anyone tell me why my photos look different when they are printed at Walgreens or Walmart, for example, vs my lab.
HOW can I fix it?

A little more information would help.
Are you using a color managed application?
Is your monitor hardware calibrated?
What color space is your images in?
Are you letting Walgreen, Walmart and "my lab" do enhancements?
What is "my lab"?

Many photo printing services have automatic color adjustment applied. You need to tell your processor to NOT ADJUST color, but print the file exactly as provided to them.

And, what specifically do you mean by "different"? Are you saying one is "better" or just "different", and how?

oK,
On my system i am using pS3 extended version.
I have never calibrated my monitor.
I use WHCC for my lab prints, however, I do have a CD session which allows customers to have the disk and make their own prints.
When the prints come back from other place than WHCC, they look washed out, BLAH.
I sent some photos to Walgreens yesterday for my niece and did be sure they weren't color corrected, however, still have that washed out, grey look to them.
I have made a couple of changes over the past weeks to my photoshop to try to recover the fabulous colors i had previously.

I switched to Canon from Nikon back in july, would that have made a differene??

I don't even know how to calibrate......like I mentioned earlier, the prints from WHCC seem just like i sent.........
SO, i am open for suggestions.
I don't mind offereing the disk to families, it keeps them coming back (in my area anyways) so to discontinue that would be bad for business.
I do warn people that the colors may vary from printer to printer, but just want to make sure i am doing all i can do on my end.
THANK you in advance for all your information and time!

Washed out prints from a print lab that doesn't use a color space aware workflow usually means that the images were sent to them in a space other than sRGB. I think WHCC does read the embedded color space profile and adjust accordingly. So, next question is in what space are you outputting the images.

I don't think it would, but maybe you don't have the new camera set up the same way - like having it set to output AdobeRGB jpgs.

The color space on my camera is set at Adobe RGB.

My Color Settings are as such: (due to recent changes)
Settings: Custom
Working Spaces; Adobe RGB (1998)
CMYK: US Web Coated (SWOP)v2
Gray: Dot Gain 20%

Color Management Policies
RGB
CMYK
GRAY
All set at preserve embedded profiles
(none of the boxes below this are ticked)

Conversion Options
Engine: Adobe (ACE)
Intent: Perpetual
both boxes below are ticked

Advanced controls
Neither box is ticked


Once a photo is opened:
I can then access the
'Assign Profile" settings.
They are as such:
(options)
don't color manage this document
working RGB: adobe RGB (1998)
Profile (this is ticked) Nikon Adobe RGB 4.0.0.3000
( think this is where my problem lies, i think i need to change this to
sRBB IEC61966-2.1

LASTLY,
the Convert to Profile settings are as such:
Source Space:
Profile: Nikon Adobe RGB 4.0.0.3000
Destination Space
Profile: sRGB IEC1966-2.1

Concersion Options:
Engine: Adobe (ACE)
Intent: Perceptual

Use black point compensation and Use Dither both ticked.

Does that help at all?

The "safe" color space is sRGB -- this is likely a big part of your problem. Some printer software knows how to handle aRGB, some does not, so will give not-so-good results. So, you want to either convert your images to sRGB as you are preparing to send them to an outside print lab/shop or for posting on the Web or sharing with people who don't have an app like Photoshop that is "color managed" or, alternatively, you can set up your camera and apps to use sRGB exclusively -- save yourself the conversion task.

So that is going to be in that first section of settings where i am set to Adobe RGB.....correct?

When i switched that setting to sRGB then it automatically switched my assign profile to
working RGB
instead of the profile that was ticked.
that is correct right?

sorry, i don't mean to sound like i don't know what i am doing, some of this stuff is foreign to me, so i am trying to learn as much as i can about it to make sure my prints are consistant.

in my color settings i still have it set to custom, should that be set to north american general or pre-press instead?

ok, i have switched my color space on my camera to sRGB as well.

So, i have a couple sessions on my computer that will still have the RGB settings from my camera,
I will have to manually change each one to sRGB desitnation correct?

One last question, is there a way to batch process those sessions to have their destination as sRBG? or do in need to adjust manually everyone?
THANKS!!!!!!!! for all the help!! it has been very much appreciated!

What I would do is first uncheck the assign profile option -- that can mess you up if you don't know what you are dealing wil. Check the Convert to working profile and if you want check the option to be alerted so you get a heads up.

So, yes, the RGB working space should be sRGB. If you have the Convert to working profile checked, like I said it should automatically convert the files that are currently in aRGB when you open them. You can check by using the Convert to Profile menu function -- it should tell you what the "source" color space is and if it's not in sRGB then go ahead and convert it, but it should be sRGB if you set the convert option in your color preferences.