My pics lack colour when posted

[stubbsy]

When I post my pics the colours are not the same as they look locally. Generally they are a lot duller. eg the image below is a side by side screen shot showing the same image file being displayed from Pixspot and from the local copy on my PC. All I can confirm so far is it's NOT a pixspot problem since the same happens when I load the image to my ISP web storage area.

I've checked my colourspace and I'm using sRGB in the camera. Since first noticing this I've also tried to colour calibrate my monitor (using Quick Gamma) and this made no difference either.

Any ideas?

[Onyx]

You're shooting sRGB in camera - are you maintaining that in your workflow? ie. is Photoshop set to open the image in sRGB workspace, or if it's AdobeRGB (default), are you are converting into sRGB at the final save before uploading to web? If so, what engine and intent are you using for conversion? Adobe or Windows (assuming Win user); relative/absolute colorimetric, perceptual, saturation, etc. intent?!

It's a complicated issue...

[stubbsy]

Onyx

I have PS set to sRGB, I use relative colorimetric intent and ACE for conversion.

The shot I posted is of the same file - on the left when IE6 is displaying it from Pixspot, the right when Windows Image viewer is displaying it from my hard disk. This is a screen shot so both are being displayed simultaneously, but differently. Given it's the same file in both cases I don't think its a conversion issue. Very confusing

[Rusty W. Griswald]

I calibrated my LCD with Quick Gamma as well, but I use Firefox. So would this make any difference to the scheme of things.

When I have a look at Stubbsy's original it sure does have more colour that the pixspot one.

So when you use sRGB in the camera, should it be set for mode Ia(sRGB) or IIIa(sRGB)?

Mine is set for IIIa, but I have no idea WHY it is set for that.

Rusty.

[Greg B]

Stubbsy, I have exactly the same problem.

I have elected to use Adobe colour space, I PP in PS CS, it all seems to be in order.

But when I post on Pixspot (or elsewhere) the colours are considerably subdued. The photo I did of the Garden Orb Spider is a case in point - the red on the spider's legs is very striking in the flesh and on PS, but in the posted image it is much duller.

I have investigated a number of things, but so far no clarification. (I have been looking at colour space and related issues in PS referring to the excellent Photoshop CS Bible)

This is on my list of mysteries to be solved - I have just been a bit busy with other things over the last couple of weeks and haven't had a chance to get back to it.

[dooda]

Yep, me too.

I gladly await any answer as my pics get posted slightly on the dull side as well. Most recently was the post of my wife's family. It looked great in PSCS and then posted it and it looked a little washed out for some reason.

[dooda]

Yep, me too.

I gladly await any answer as my pics get posted slightly on the dull side as well. Most recently was the post of my wife's family. It looked great in PSCS and then posted it and it looked a little washed out for some reason.

[gooseberry]

If you're shooting in AdobeRGB (Color mode II on the D70) - you need to convert the image to sRGB once you finally save for the web, otrherwise your pictures will appear to have duller colours on a web browser - web browsers don't understand AdobeRGB and the wider gammut of AdobeRGB makes your images appear dull.

[stubbsy]

*** PROBLEM SOLVED ***

Edit: Updated to include solution for both Nikon Capture and Adobe Photoshop users

Gooseberry thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

It is a problem with web browsers and wide gamut, but in my case it was an NC problem, rather than a camera problem (camera was set to sRGB). (See further down for the Photoshop workaround).

Specifically I had NC colour profile NKWide.icm set as default colour space in tools/options/color management. To fix the problem I changed this to NKsRGB.icm color profile and checked the box marked 'use this instead of an embedded profile'.

See below. The first 2 images are the same pic saved from NC with different profiles in effect.

Image 1 - NKWide.icm



Image 2 - NKsRGB.icm



For Adobe Photoshop users
You need to specify your colour space as sRGB in PS. Best way is to choose Edit/Color Management and make sRGB IEC61966-2.1 is set as your colour profile.


For comparison - Image 3 from PSCS with sRGBIEC61966-2.1 profile


Edit: Another 2 examples. Left image is with NKWide, right image is with NKsrRGB For large versions see my Pixspot Central Coast gallery



Phew

[Onyx]

Stubbsy & others - just one more thing to check. Open up your Photoshop, press Shift+Ctrl+K for Color Settings menu. In the Color Management Policies section, ensure the options in Profile Mismatches are ticked - ie. Ask when Opening and Ask when Pasting. Also tick for Missing Profiles section. This way, when you import images from NC or other programs and the colour profile is inadvertantly not what you thought you had it set to, it will pop up a dialog box to alert you to this fact.

NB: if you're intending to work heavily with images in PS after importing from NC, it's best to bring over a 16bit file with a wide gamut and leave the colour conversion to last (just like applying USM).

[Greg B]

*** PROBLEM SOLVED ***

Edit: Updated to include solution for both Nikon Capture and Adobe Photoshop users

Gooseberry thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

..............................snip...................

Phew

Stubbsy, Gooseberry, other contributors, thanks a lot. I don't have time to sort it out right now, and I won't be back til Saturday night, but I am assuming this is the answer, so well done.

[dooda]

I second that. Thanks all, I appreciate it.