Help with settings in Photoshop..so that output is same as edited imag

[vintageb3]

Hi There…

I’m new here...so excuse the fist usual lame post. I simply need some help with the following problem…so I can get on with my photo editing.

Background to this? I was a keen photographer in my teens. I gave it up when I started work. Then I started a business about 15 years ago in the music business and while I was at gigs…started taking some snaps. About 5 years ago I started touring with a band….so I got myself a digital Sony brick that took floppies. I took pics of the band while they were on stage…and at one sound check when I didn’t have much to do…I was editing some of my snaps on my PC laptop. They were just for me…and my own pleasure. Unknown to me, a member of the band was looking over my shoulder. She had studied photography at college. She shouted in my ear ”WHO TOOK THOSE PHOTOGRAPHS!” Oh boy! I thought I was in trouble for taking the pictures! I kinda muttered “Me” She then went on…”Those pics are better than the pics we are paying for!”

So anyway, I got myself a better digital camera and started taking pics for the band. I was handed a photo pass at every gig and was allowed to shoot stills and video at any time throughout the gig.

Two years ago, I bought a Cannon 10D with a couple of good 2.8 lenses. I was working on Windows PC with Photoshop CS. I had an old 19” monitor…and blamed my unsatisfactory results on that. I kinda just kept taking pics…but have not edited anything.

This year I bought an Apple 12” Powerbook…and a 20” cinema display. I really want to get the best out of all this equipment…but I keep coming across a problem that I have been having since Photoshop 6.

I edit an image in Photoshop…export it to a folder…then when I look at it with anything other than Photoshop…it doesn’t match the edited image.

I think it has something to do with proof set up and proof colours.

I work in RAW…edit the image and save as TIFF. I keep the original RAW and TIFF. I then make a jpeg copy for distribution (email or CD/DVD) That way I have an original to work from if the band like a picture.

But all is not well.

If I save a jpeg image with “Save for Web” and view the new jpeg in the “Save for Web” against the open original TIFF in the main Photoshop window…it does not look the same…it can look too bright and watered out…or on some images too dark.

I have noticed that if I play about with the proof setup or proof colours I can get the output jpeg to match the original. Only problem is that if I change the proof set up at that point…I then get a poor looking image in the main window…and although my output jpg is now matched to that of the main window…its not the edit of the image that I previously edited and was happy with! (Does that make sense?)

Can someone with the same kind of equipment as I have…tell me what they have as settings for Proof setup and colour setup. I then can get on with editing all my pictures.

Also…on the Canon 10D what should I have the “Space” set to Adobe RGB (1998) or Standard? What about depth 8 bits or 16 bits?

I’m sorry for long drawn out mail…but I’m finding it difficult to find this information on the net. I think if someone has all this sorted out…and can just tell me what the settings are…it could save me a headache…and time.

Thanks so much in advance.

mark

 

[kiddpete]

I'm not sure, but I think you need equipment which will allow you to calibrate your monitor. That will give you a standard set of colors to be dsiplayed.

The Adobe 1998 color gamut is considered superior to the 'standard' which is Microsoft RGB. Clout makes it Adobe's default setting.

16 bits gives you a lot more colors, but takes a lot of space to do it. Do you need a greater color range?

 

[duncdude]

a colleague of mine tells me he had the same problem - he turned off the colour management in Photoshop and it was fine (and the same on the PC)


Kind Regards
Duncan

 

[rickwells]

( I then make a jpeg copy for distribution (email or CD/DVD) That way I have an original to work from if the band like a picture.)

Yes but what are you going to do with the edited tiffs - will they be used for publicity, posters, brochures etc or websites and dvds.
If you intent to use these for print then you need tp be converting them to CMYK. You will find that they will not look as vibrant as in RGB ( in most cases ).
When you supply jpegs to your clients for reference, they will probably look different on their monitors. Apart from the different settings on each pc, a picture saved on a mac will generally look darker when viewed on a pc.
Do you view your files in page layout progs? They generate their own previews which won't match your photoshop file.

 

[vintageb3]

Hi Guys...Thanks to all of you...and you’re input.

Maybe I gave too much…or wrong information in my first post.

I understand that a image edited on a Mac maybe darker viewed on a PC.

But I’m talking about this:

1. If I edit an image on a PC in Photoshop to my liking save it as a Tiff, and then go to save the Tiff image as a jpeg in the “save for web”( I think this is an Imageready plug-in ?)…the image looks different.

2. If I edit an image on a Mac in Photoshop to my liking save it as a Tiff, and then go to save the Tiff image as a jpeg in the “save for web” (I think this is an Imageready plug-in ?)…the image looks different.

It is the same result on both machines.

This leads me to think that the profile setting is wrong. What does everyone else use as a standard? I do realize that there may be different profiles for different uses…but on a Mac…should I be using a) Macintosh RGB?, b) Windows RGB?, or Monitor RGB?

To show what I mean I have done the following. I have taken an unedited pic straight from RAW and brought it into Photoshop and saved it as a TIFF. I have then used the “save for web” option…and then adjusted the two windows so that they can both be seen. I have saved the desktop to an image (Apple/Up/3) so that all three images can be seen…a) the original image in photoshop b) the original Image in “Save for web” c) the jpeg copy about to be saved in “save to web” The original looks the same as the copy in “save for web”…but the both are much lighter than the original image in Photoshop.


Thanks again

mark

 

[KenWright]

Don't know if it helps but was reading a similar sounding thread in the newsgroups the other day, so have posted those here in case it's of any use.

> I use Photoshop CS to retouch photos. I am a professional photographer and
> use it everyday. Today, I brought home a LCD monitor and hooked it up to my
> machine. I had been using a CRT monitor. For some reason, my images in
> photoshop all have a greenish hue to them. It only has that in photoshop. If
> I view the same images in anything else, the color is perfect. What is going
> on?

What is going on is that your color management settings are
incorrect--most likely, you are using the wrong color profile for your monitor.



> The strange thing is, outside of photoshop, they are
> perfect. Is there a setting that needs to be adjusted?

Programs outside Adobe Photoshop do not use color management. Adobe Photoshop DOES use color management. Hence, Photoshop changes the color you see on your screen in accordance with your Photoshop color management settings; other programs do not.

You might find it helpful to read the chapter on color management in your Photoshop manual. If you want Photoshop to show you color the same way that other programs do, you'll have to turn off Photoshop's color management.


> The strange thing is, outside of photoshop, they are
> perfect. Is there a setting that needs to be adjusted?

your PSCS colour settings are not the same as your monitor settings

in photoshop go to 'edit/colour settings' and you'll find a setting for your monitor there - if all else fails and you've not got a setting from your monitor (ie. it didn't come with an install disc) then select Adobe RGB settings , they usually correct this kind or problem.

Rich

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It's easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission
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[duncdude]

These are my settings - i don't have any problems with these:-

Kind Regards
Duncan

 

[vintageb3]

Thanks for this duncdude

I will give this a go and see what happnes...and get back to you.

Thanks again for all the help you guys...

mark

 

[vintageb3]

Hi again guys..

OK I tried these settings...it makes no difference to my problem. But I have taken a note of them…and will try them out on my future editing….Thanks!

I have found something out though…and with that information maybe someone can point out what wrong?

I browsed the RAW image I wanted to edit…and brought it into Photoshop.

I then took the choice of editing that imported RAW image in ImageReady.

As soon as the image came into ImageReady…it was all washed out looking not like the nice full image in Photoshop.

“Save for Web” is an ImageReady plug in…so this explains where the problem could lie.

Is there any other way to convert to a jpeg without using that ImageReady plug in?

Thanks in advance

mark

 

[MarcusStringer]

Yes, In Photoshop simply "save as" then choose jpeg.
I think, and correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the colour gamet of web different to that of RGB which is different to that of CMYK, so that's why there is a colour shift. For example the CMYK colour Gamet is less then that of RGB, so when pics are converted from RGB to CMYK the images looked washed out.

Maybe that's the same in this instance.

Marcus

http://www.midlandtypesetters.com.au

 

[GraphicsTutor]

This all may be happening simply because of the JPG format. It is a lossy compression. It throws away (loses) data to make the compression, unlike the TIF-LZW compression, which is loss-less compression. Anytime you are tossing data, I would think there could be significant color shifts. JPG was never meant for color accuracy, it was meant for small size.

 

[vintageb3]

Hi Guys...

My problems are all solved...only got back to solving this last night.

The winning answer was "Save as" by Marcus Stringer.

I did notice that “Save for web” is an Imageready plug in…and that’s where the thin pasty images were coming from. Then I read Marcus’s post…and it backed up my thoughts. When I tried it last night…I jumped through hoops! Now I can get on with editing a years worth of images

I’m now getting the same images I’m editing as Tiff’s exported out to Jpeg…with little loss for my needs.

I’m also using DuncDude’s setting at present re colour Settings…but I may revisit using colour management at a later date.

Thanks to one and all for replying to these posts of mine and others.