Color is showing strange JUST in Photoshop

CW
Posted By
Chase_Whiteside
Oct 22, 2007
Views
291
Replies
3
Status
Closed
I’m having a major issue with colors in Photoshop CS3.

It occurred to me when I pasted a screenshot of a website into PS and noticed the color was quit different than what I originally saw in the actual website. Then I went back and reopened a design I had just finished, and compared it to the .jpg version viewed in Windows Picture Viewer, and the two are again different.

Photoshop seems to be slightly dulling down things… kind of. In my opinon, most grays have a slight shade of blue (if I had to choose a hue). Yet in Photoshop, they appear yellowish. The design I created has many blues in it, but in Photoshop, they are more of a duller purple shade of blue.

I just installed PS a number of days ago and have not messed with too many settings. Just to be sure, I did the ctrl+alt+shift to reset the settings, and I’m still having the issue.

Here is an image that showes it. Taking a screenshot and saving it wouldn’t do much, as the actual documents are the correct colors… its just different when viewed in photoshop. So instead I took a screenshot, pasted it in photoshop, and then took a screenshot of that. You can also compare the green of the Start button with your own to see that’s brighter. And you cant see it in the image, but the blue of my XP theme shows a little more purple in PS.

<http://www.chasewgraphics.com/projects/pscs3wtf.jpg>

What is going on here? I’m set to RGB and everything… I don’t get it. And again, this is only when viewed in PS. Once I save the document, and view it in Windows Picture Viewer, or IE or what ever… it shows up fine.

Thanks
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C
chrisjbirchall
Oct 22, 2007
Photoshop is a colour managed application. You will need to calibrate your monitor using a third party software/hardware solution.

Also, make sure you convert your image files to sRGB when saving out a version for use on the web (or in a non colour managed application/browser etc). "Save for Web" can be set to automatically do this.

Hope this helps.

Chris.
C
ChaseW
Oct 23, 2007
Thanks for the reply!

Here is another image that I did as a test, that displays the color difference quite well. The left color is the real color, the right one is what it looks like when viewed in PS.

<http://www.chasewgraphics.com/projects/pscs3wtf2.jpg>

I’m a relatively experienced Photoshop user. I’ve been using it regularly since version 6. Aside from printing, I’ve never had to do any conversions or color management to get things to display correctly. I was running Adobe Gamma with CS2, and I see that it is no longer available. But I only started running Gamma about half way into my use of CS2, and even before that I’ve never seen such a juristic difference between what I see in Photoshop, and what the actual image looks like.

I also have access to another computer with a fresh install of Vista (I’m on XP) and a fresh install of CS3, and that computer IS displaying images properly. There is no difference of color between Photoshop, and Windows on that system. And that computer has no color management.

With a little digging, I found another thread in these forums where someone describes a similar issue, but they are on Vista. Its located here, actually you replied to that thread as well: WBuik, "Color shift on all images when docked in CS3 UI," #, 17 Oct 2007 8:20 pm </webx?14>

The poster says they resolved the issue by actually removing color management. I searched through that website you posted a bit and couldn’t really find the solution WBuik mentions (I’m not too familiar with color management. Like I said, I never really pay much attention to it, and never have had such obvious issues.) I found where the Windows color management files are located in System 32 that WBuik references (I think), but I have no idea what to do with them to fix my problem…

Any more ideas or thoughts?

Again, thanks for the help
RK
Rob_Keijzer
Oct 23, 2007
When two non-calibrated systems show differences in colours, then that doesn’t mean that the one that you like the most is telling the truth.

Photoshop is a colour managed application. That means it depends totally on accurate device descriptions (ICC profiles) to display colour correctly.

If a profile is corrupt, or missing, it could even look worse than a non-colour managed environment.

In a non colour managed environment the computer sends (for instance) 10% red to the monitor. The monitor doesn’t ask "10% of what?", so the way it will display depends completely on the character of the monitor.

You know how different monitors look when visiting a TV store.

By profiling the monitor a clear definition is created of the difference between what the monitor should display and what it actually displays.

Profiling actually incorporates a definition of what 100% would be.

With printers it’s more complex. The way colour is rendered changes with printer model, paper stock and ink.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that it sometimes looks good by coincident. That system seems right, but it only seems that way.

Calibrate and profile your monitor. that’s the only way you can judge, predict and repeat colour characteristics of your work.

Rob

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