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[Helen]

Hello! I am sneaking back in after a long absence with a question about colour balance and colour profiles.

I updated drivers and BIOS on my computer last week in order to get an application to work (which it now does), but since then I've had problems with colours in Photoshop. I adjust colour balance in PS, save, and when I view the image in Explorer or upload to Flickr/Photobucket, they look rubbish again. See example below:



Left hand side is image opened in PS 7 (yes, yes, I know, I know), and right hand side is image in Explorer. The right hand side image is what I get everywhere but in Photoshop, and as these images are to be used on the web, it's not ideal.

I've Googled a bit and found some info about colour profiles, but I'm been messing about with this for about an hour and frankly, my head hurts.  Advice in simple sentences would be appreciated muchly. 

[Fen]

The version you are saving to put online, have you converted it to sRGB beforehand?

[Helen]

I was using 'save for web', so I adjusted the image again and used the 'save as' option, and ticked the colour profile box to make sure it saved as sRGB, but the result was the same. 

[Peter_Hartland]

Check View Proof Setup and ensure it is set either for your monitor RGB or a paper you are using.  Often after an upgrade this can switch to some strange profile. 

[Fen]

I was using 'save for web', so I adjusted the image again and used the 'save as' option, and ticked the colour profile box to make sure it saved as sRGB, but the result was the same. 

You need to change the profile before doing a 'Save for web'.

'Save for web' will force a sRGB profile onto a image rather tan converting it. This can sometimes cause colour problems.

[Helen]

Check View Proof Setup and ensure it is set either for your monitor RGB or a paper you are using.  Often after an upgrade this can switch to some strange profile. 

I checked this, it was already set up for monitor RGB.

You need to change the profile before doing a 'Save for web'.

'Save for web' will force a sRGB profile onto a image rather tan converting it. This can sometimes cause colour problems.

I tried this too, still no joy. 

[Clive]

Looking at the metalwork of the earrings, it looks to me that the left image is more correct ie not bluey. If you go to levels in photoshop and choose the middle sampler and click on something you know should be black or white or colourless (grey) it should give a more correct colour balance. You can always fade the levels to achieve a more correct balance, but I don't think PS7 has that facility if I remember correctly.

[Helen]

Looking at the metalwork of the earrings, it looks to me that the left image is more correct ie not bluey. If you go to levels in photoshop and choose the middle sampler and click on something you know should be black or white or colourless (grey) it should give a more correct colour balance. You can always fade the levels to achieve a more correct balance, but I don't think PS7 has that facility if I remember correctly.

The left image is the same as the right image though - I mean, it's the same file. The left shows what it looks like in Photoshop, the right is the view in Windows Explorer. If I open the image in Photoshop, it looks great - it's just every other application that shows the blue-ish image, and that's the problem.

[GlennH]

If you open a file in any application which isn't colour managed you risk a significant colour shift - and the further away your monitor is in gamut from the sRGB space the more pronounced the colour shift will be.

Monitor RGB is a simulation of non-colour management.

[Helen]

But why would it suddenly be a problem? I've used this camera with Photoshop to take dozens of photos to be used online, and it's only in the last week that there has been a problem.

I think I may have to do a system restore to before I updated drivers and the bios - I need this to work, I have pics I need to upload.

[GlennH]

Is the monitor calibrated and profiled?

If the monitor profile being used by PS is poor, or corrupted, then your colour adjustments will be skewed.

You can check which profile PS is using in Colour Settings>Working Spaces>RGB>Monitor RGB. The profile next to 'Monitor RGB' is the one being accessed by PS.

A couple of things you could try: with a file open, click on proof setup>monitor RGB and then back on 'proof colours'. This should show you what the picture will look like in Internet Explorer and the like, and you could edit accordingly.

As an emergency measure, you could also use sRGB as your monitor profile. That's generally not good advice - but as long as your monitor is close to sRGB in gamut it's likely to give you better results than a duff display profile.

[suvverngit]

Try right clicking in the monitor screen/ then click properties/ settings/advanced/colour management and check what profile you are using.. maybe reset it to the default colour setting .

[Helen]

Well, I did a system restore to before I updated the drivers, and the problem is solved. I'm not sure what the problem was exactly. Thank you for all the advice - from your posts, I have been able to verify that I have the colour profile settings all correct in PS. 

[Peter_Hartland]

Glad you got it fixed Helen