Colour changes

ProDigi

I've just joined smugmug after many years on pbase and I'm experiencing a problem that I can't work out: I shoot RAW, do my processing etc and upload JPG files to smugmug (and pbase).
All my images are embedded with the Adobe RGB colour profile. On pbase they appear exactly the way they do on my computer, so the result is predictable. However, on smugmug my images appear highly saturated. It's pleasing to the eye, but not colour accurate.
I downloaded one of my own (highly saturated) images off smugmug and when I opened it in Photoshop on my usual computer it was back to its own self (not so highly saturated). The same image on pbase was colour accurate. I'm a little stumped. Anybody know what's going on and willing to explain it - or tell me I'm a bleeding idiot and doing something wrong? (No I haven't used any of the colour correction facilities on smugmug).

SteveM

ProDigi wrote:

I've just joined smugmug after many years on pbase and I'm experiencing a problem that I can't work out: I shoot RAW, do my processing etc and upload JPG files to smugmug (and pbase).
All my images are embedded with the Adobe RGB colour profile. On pbase they appear exactly the way they do on my computer, so the result is predictable. However, on smugmug my images appear highly saturated. It's pleasing to the eye, but not colour accurate.
I downloaded one of my own (highly saturated) images off smugmug and when I opened it in Photoshop on my usual computer it was back to its own self (not so highly saturated). The same image on pbase was colour accurate. I'm a little stumped. Anybody know what's going on and willing to explain it - or tell me I'm a bleeding idiot and doing something wrong? (No I haven't used any of the colour correction facilities on smugmug).

Hi ProDigi,

For a great explanation, check out http://blogs.smugmug.com/great-prints/2005/06/25/smugmug-alters-my-colors/

The main reason you're seeing this shift is because you're working in aRGB, then when you upload to SmugMug, we convert to sRGB. Here's why: http://www.smugmug.com/help/srgb-versus-adobe-rgb-1998

Let us know if this doesn't clear things up for you.

ProDigi

Brilliant Steve - many thanks for those references.
Chris