Colors – Light in PS CS, Dark everywhere else! Grrrr!>_<

J
Posted By
josieroetman
Sep 28, 2006
Views
512
Replies
17
Status
Closed
Well… I did a search with no helpful results. That isn’t to say much as I am down right tired from staring at a computer screen all day. I am a graphic designer, lost my system the other day, had to do a recovery and then reinstall PS CS and walla… my colors are funked (Appearing very light in photoshop and then VERY dark outside, ie., the web) and I can’t remember for the life of me how to set the monitor vs. the program so that what I make in my work space is exactly what shows and prints off in a CMYK (Or whatever) JPG, etc., I honestly don’t ever remember having this problem… wah >_>

I know it’s simple… please help me, I want to rip my hair out. I had no idea it was wonky and spent all day on a set of four HUGE wall banners that are now… to dark *slumps*

Windows X, Photoshop CS… Has to be PRINT READY… I need to SEE exactly what is going to be sent to the printers as a JPG… hum >_>;;
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B
Bernie
Sep 28, 2006
PS is colour managed, the other softwares are not.

Check your colour settings in PS

You may also want ot make a new monitor profile (the old one may be corrupted)
J
josieroetman
Sep 28, 2006
Right now it is set on the default settings, any settings you like better? Also, any hints on creating a new profile for the monitor?
RK
Rob_Keijzer
Sep 28, 2006
Run "Adobe Gamma" from the Control panel. But first update your video driver, because that may be the reason your monitor is dark when you’re outside a colour managed environment.

Rob
J
josieroetman
Sep 28, 2006
Okay, thanks. Just to clear things up though, the monitor views things just fine (And just the way I remember them from before I recovered) but now I view things in PS, but when they are saved for viewing outside of PS, it’s completely different.

Just FYI in case it helps 🙂
RK
Rob_Keijzer
Sep 28, 2006
Again, run Adobe Gamma. This will do two things. It calibrates your monitor’s gamma in the three RGB cannels, and it creates a profile (.icc file) that tells a colour managed application (Photoshop) how that monitor behaves.

Rob
J
josieroetman
Sep 28, 2006
Done, but now we’re having trouble figuring out the Video Driver. We went into Control Panel > System > Device Manager > Display Adapters, but it says it is working properly. Am I even in the right spot?

Sorry, very frustrated… I just don’t have time for this to be broken. Why it went off it’s rocker, I still don’t understand… *sigh*
J
josieroetman
Sep 28, 2006
PLEASE, someone try and help me out here… I feel like the fix for this is ridiculously simple and yet no answers. I remember at one point in the past having to set the program to ‘256’ colors or some nonsence like that…

I have a deadline and the fact that the program has gone looney is just driving me insane… Why does it view very light and then when saved for the web or JPG (Or anything else) DARK DARK DARK… what the hell?
B
Bernie
Sep 28, 2006
Did you run Adobe Gamma?
JJ
John Joslin
Sep 28, 2006
When you ran Adobe Gamma did you save the result under a new name?

Then restart everything to make sure it took?

In Display > Settings (from Control Panel) set the highest colour quality.
J
josieroetman
Sep 28, 2006
The image is very ‘filmy/soft/light’ right up until I save or select ‘save for the web’ then WALLA… dark as all get out. Even if I leave the image at CMYK and ask to save as a JPG… WAY to intense… I’ve never had this problem before, it has always translated properly….
J
josieroetman
Sep 28, 2006
I did make a profile and restart, but there were two whole columns worth of settings saved. Do I have to tell it to select said new profile? And not to be rude, but an you elaborate on what the monitor settings have to do with PS? I think I vaguely get it, but it views everything just fine until I save…
L
LenHewitt
Sep 28, 2006
but an you elaborate on what the monitor settings have to do with PS?<<

If it helps you in any way here is my short "idiot’s guide to CM" <g>

The numbers in an image file do not represent specific colours. For example, 255R, 0G, 0B just means "make the brightest, most saturated red you can". It doesn’t mean a specific SHADE of red, and the red that will result will depend upon the capabilities of the device the data is being sent to (usually either a monitor or printer of some sort).

Only when coupled with an ICC profile that describes the ‘colour space’ do those numbers represent a specific shade.

There is data in a file. That data doesn’t represent specific colours UNTIL the colour space is stated (embedded profile or assign profile).

The working profile sets up the colour space you are working in, and the embedded profile allows the CM engine to convert the file data values to your working space values so those values still represent the same colour as originally indicated by the file data and embedded profile.

The monitor profile alters that data from your working space on the fly to allow the monitor to display the colours represented by the data within the working space profile.

When you print, the output profile alters the data to allow the printer to reproduce the colours represented by the data and the image profile.

The monitor profile effectively drops out of the equation when you print.

Provided the ‘translation’ from working space to monitor is correct AND the translation from working space to output device is correct, the print will match the monitor.

However, only if the translation from embedded profile to working space is also correct will the monitor and print also match the original file intentions.

For a fuller explanation, spend some 15 minutes or so over at http://www.computer-darkroom.com
J
josieroetman
Sep 28, 2006
Thank you 🙂 I followed the color management tutorial and… it made things worse 🙁
RK
Rob_Keijzer
Sep 28, 2006
I followed the color management tutorial and… it made things worse

Then why don’t you tell us in what way it got worse?

What are the steps you took in "following the tutorial"?

Rob
J
josieroetman
Sep 28, 2006
Hi Rob,

I followed the CS2 color management totuorial (I only have CS, but CS 2 was the only option) It went through the process of setting the Adobe Gamma and then going into photoshop to set the Color Settings. I did what it instructed, but the view in photoshop just became dingier (A very dirty sort of low contrast/brightness sort of look)

Like I said before, I really have no idea what is going on or why it is now displaying oddly and because of that I have no idea what half of this stuff means (Your instructions) So I am trying to cram it all in and understand and learn it all at once.

I installed a new memory stick and slave drive two days ago, from there we did an HP Recovery, reinstalled everything (Both EPSON and Lexmark printers) PS CS and other basic programs like WS FTP and Stuffit. Otherwise nothing has changed. I thought this might be helpful in some way. Maybe my printers were controlling PS in the past and telling it how to view??…
DG
Dana_Gartenlaub
Sep 29, 2006
When you display an image outside of Photoshop, you’re best off converting to sRGB. I use Pro Photo RGB in Photoshop, and if I Save for Web, I get terrible color. If I convert to sRGB before saving for Web, the colors look right on my (calibrated) monitors in the browsers.

I’ve made it a habbit to convert to sRGB before exporting to another application. If I don’t, I get a nasty reminder when I see the colors in the Save For Web dialogue.

It’s not so obvious with Adobe RGB, it’s close enough that you can get away with it (usually). But if you want to be percise, go with sRGB for external viewers that may or may not be color managed.

So what profile are your images tagged with when you export them? Non-color-managed viewers can’t realy handle images that look right in Photoshop with an extreme profile.
J
josieroetman
Sep 29, 2006
Thanks Dana 🙂 Any idea why my computer suddenly decided to miscommunicate though? I just can’t get over the fact that everything was fine and with one little recovery… BOOM… Waah 🙁

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