# Photoshop question: Color profile



## molested_cow (May 30, 2011)

I shoot in RAW in sRGB mode. When working in photoshop, the saturation looks fine. When I save it in jpeg, it looks desaturated. I am using CS3. How can I preserve the same color profile between RAW and jpeg?

Left shows the photo in photoshop. Right is the jpeg version.


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## mwcfarms (May 30, 2011)

You just using CS3 or do you start in Lightroom or Bridge etc.


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## molested_cow (May 30, 2011)

Just cs3. I have bridge as well.


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## mwcfarms (May 30, 2011)

I'm not sure but you might have to convert the color profile once your in PS, I know that I use Lightroom and had issues exactly like this when I was saving in CS5 and then when I converted them to sRGB it was fine. Just make sure to convert not assign as it was explained to me. 

Not sure if you need this at all or if this link will help anyone else but it helped break it down simply to me. 

The Info Palette: Assign profile vs Convert to profile


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## molested_cow (May 30, 2011)

Ok I used the covert to profile and selected sRGB. When I save it to jpeg, I selected sRGB profile as well, but the result is the same as before.


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## mwcfarms (May 30, 2011)

When then I am out of ideas for you. Wish I could be more help but color profiles are new and very strange to me. Hopefully one of the experts will chime in and help solve your frustrations.


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## Garbz (May 31, 2011)

mcwfarms: In Lightroom settings you can set photoshop to open sRGB files when you use the Lightroom -> Edit in Photoshop button.


cow: When you shoot RAW the colour settings in the camera are meaningless. There's something you're doing in the process of importing and saving, or there's a setting that is mangled.

Let's start with the assumption that your workflow is wrong. Unfortunately you cropped out just a tiny bit too much of the image above to make it useful. In the titlebar of the image in Photoshop does it show "Filename (RGB/8*)" or "Filename (RGB/8)". The * if outside the brackets indicates if the picture is saved or not, but if its inside the bracket it will indicate if you are not using sRGB. If this is the case then you need to use the convert to profiles feature (maybe you did something wrong last time). The likely source of the problem is in the Adobe CameraRAW dialogue on the bottom of the screen it will give you the choice of what colour space to open. Set this to sRGB.

If the picture really is sRGB (no *, or if you want to be really pedantic if you click edit -> assign profile it'll tell you the current profile of the image), but if it really IS sRGB then you have a windows colour management issue. Photoshop will import the display profile from windows if it is set, windows picture and fax viewer will not. You can check the colour profile by clicking edit -> colour settings, look for Working Spaces -> RGB, and click the down arrow. One of the options should be "Monitor RGB - <colour profile name>". Don't pick this, just look and cancel out of the dialogue. If you don't have a standard gamut monitor and no colour calibrator then this should be sRGB, and we must search further for the problem. If you do have a wide gamut monitor or you use a colour calibration device then this will have whatever profile it loaded from windows. 

But I find this later case to be unlikely since Photoshop shows a more saturated image than Picture Viewer.


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## Edsport (May 31, 2011)

In photoshop go to Edit, convert to profile, In the destination space choose sRGB IEC61966-2.1...


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## cnutco (May 31, 2011)

What is your flow after the RAW conversion?

RAW converter - saved to a folder.

Then what?


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## molested_cow (May 31, 2011)

i haven't tried Garbz's suggestion since I am at work.

Just FIY, I tried the same thing with CS5 at work and there is no issue with color changing between RAW in CS5 and saved jpegs. So it seems to be a CS3 setting issue.

Work flow wise, there is none. I simply open the RAW file with CS3, adjust the settings in the RAW converter and hit "open image". It brings me to photoshop CS3 work space where I do further post processing. I then go to save as to save it as jpeg.


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## KmH (May 31, 2011)

What color space is Camera Raw set to? (in blue at the bottom of the Camera Raw workspace)

I have my ACR set to ProPhoto RGB. I edit in CS5 in the ProPhotoRGB color space.

I save my .PSD files in the ProPhotoRGB color space, but before I upload on the web, in Photoshop I click on Edit > Convert to Profile and then select *sRGB IEC61966-2.1 *as the Profile the photo gets converted to.

If I don't, the photos look de-saturated, like what you posted.

In other words, it's a color space issue.


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## molested_cow (Jun 4, 2011)

I tried convert to profile but the final image still looks desaturated. Again, this is not a problem when I am using CS5.


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## mwcfarms (Jun 4, 2011)

Your assigning a profile not converting.

The last box says assign not convert.


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## mwcfarms (Jun 4, 2011)

Check out the link I put up above. I had this same issue.


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## Garbz (Jun 5, 2011)

molested_cow said:


> I tried convert to profile but the final image still looks desaturated. Again, this is not a problem when I am using CS5.]


 
Ok rather than start with what you've done lets start with where you're at.

What was the profile after "Monitor RGB" as I mentioned earlier?
NEVER Assign a profile unless you have the wrong one to begin with. The only time this will happen is if you open an image with a non standard profile and no ICC profile embedded, or you screenshot your monitor and have a funky monitor profile.
Is that " * " there in the title bar I was talking about earlier?


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## Ross Images (Jun 7, 2011)

Keep in mind what you want to do with the image for example i find that on cannon pixima printers the Adobe 1998 RGB colour space prints most accuratly to what you see on screen. 

www.rossimages.co.za


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## Garbz (Jun 8, 2011)

Ross Images said:


> Keep in mind what you want to do with the image for example i find that on cannon pixima printers the Adobe 1998 RGB colour space prints most accuratly to what you see on screen.



Either you have a PiXMA Pro printer (yummy  ) or it must be an incidental affect because even Canon's best of the standard and advanced range of  PiXMA printers have a colour space that is smaller than the sRGB gamut. Typically you'd want to use Adobe RGB once you progress to crazy 10 colour printers, or a chemical printer rather than an inkjet. Certainly you won't need AdobeRGB for any printer under about ... the $600 mark (actual figure quoted from a place the sun doesn't shine).

What printer do you have? If it's not one of the Pro series then your results could be indicative of a driver problem.

/EDIT: And to add to that for general info too, if you use a colour space wider than sRGB always keep the file in 16bit.


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## Edsport (Jun 8, 2011)

molested_cow said:


> I tried convert to profile but the final image still looks desaturated. Again, this is not a problem when I am using CS5.



Here's how my CS4 is set up. Also when i save the file i save it with the checkmark in ICC profile box.


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