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Problems with Photoshop/darkness

divamumdivamum Registered Users Posts: 9,021 Major grins
edited July 16, 2009 in Finishing School
Howdy y'all.

Out of nowhere, I'm suddenly having marked problems between PS and Picasa (which I use as a catalog, and to upload my photos). I also have LR. There's always been a slight difference between the Adobe products and Picasa, but never like this before; it's now significant.... and a problem.

In any case, when I save an edited photo in PS as a jpg and then view it in Picasa it is markedly darker and contrastier than it was in PS. Basically, stuff is looking terrific in PS and then like garbage everywhere else (online feedback in the Challenges gallery suggests that the image in Picasa is closer to what everybody else is seeing via their own browsers)

I have made NO conscious changes to Picasa or PS. The only recent change I did make to my computer was to switch firefox colour management when I read that it was possible to do so, but I hated the way it looked and switched it right back (via the about:config selections). Moral there: if it ain't broke, don't fix it....

Any ideas? It's really frustrating - I'm currently working on a complex composite image with a lot of PS, and I think I've nailed it... only to look at it in the other program and be horribly disappointed because it looks terrible - too dark, and all sorts of artifacts and BLECH that didn't appear in PS.

All suggestions welcomed (particularly any settings I should check in PS to see if I inadvertently changed something unawares).

Computer is Dell Studio laptop running Vista and PS CS3. FF browser = v3.0.11 (in case that change did somehow have an effect). Edited to add: I also have a Huey for calibration...
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    MarkRMarkR Registered Users Posts: 2,099 Major grins
    edited July 14, 2009
    divamum wrote:
    Howdy y'all.

    Out of nowhere, I'm suddenly having marked problems between PS and Picasa (which I use as a catalog, and to upload my photos). I also have LR. There's always been a slight difference between the Adobe products and Picasa, but never like this before; it's now significant.... and a problem.

    In any case, when I save an edited photo in PS as a jpg and then view it in Picasa it is markedly darker and contrastier than it was in PS. Basically, stuff is looking terrific in PS and then like garbage everywhere else (online feedback in the Challenges gallery suggests that the image in Picasa is closer to what everybody else is seeing via their own browsers)

    I have made NO conscious changes to Picasa or PS. The only recent change I did make to my computer was to switch firefox colour management when I read that it was possible to do so, but I hated the way it looked and switched it right back (via the about:config selections). Moral there: if it ain't broke, don't fix it....

    Any ideas? It's really frustrating - I'm currently working on a complex composite image with a lot of PS, and I think I've nailed it... only to look at it in the other program and be horribly disappointed because it looks terrible - too dark, and all sorts of artifacts and BLECH that didn't appear in PS.

    All suggestions welcomed (particularly any settings I should check in PS to see if I inadvertently changed something unawares).

    Computer is Dell Studio laptop running Vista and PS CS3. FF browser = v3.0.11 (in case that change did somehow have an effect). Edited to add: I also have a Huey for calibration...

    Picasa ignores ICC profiles (sRGB, Adobe, Pro-). I don't know if this datum helps you or not.
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    divamumdivamum Registered Users Posts: 9,021 Major grins
    edited July 14, 2009
    MarkR wrote:
    Picasa ignores ICC profiles (sRGB, Adobe, Pro-). I don't know if this datum helps you or not.

    Thanks Mark. As I say, in the past I have noticed a difference, but nothing like as significant as now, where I feel like I can trust nothing I'm seeing in any program! Grrr. :bash
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    NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited July 15, 2009
    dm, just a suggestion - go thru everything and set color space and color profile to sRGB - everywhere, including your display (+browser)!

    And start from there...
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
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    divamumdivamum Registered Users Posts: 9,021 Major grins
    edited July 15, 2009
    NeilL wrote:
    dm, just a suggestion - go thru everything and set color space and color profile to sRGB - everywhere, including your display (+browser)!

    And start from there...

    Any ideas where that is in PS? that's one of the things I'm trying to figure out..... I only know where that is in the printing section, and I'm not sure if that affects the program globally....
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    NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited July 15, 2009
    divamum wrote:
    Any ideas where that is in PS? that's one of the things I'm trying to figure out..... I only know where that is in the printing section, and I'm not sure if that affects the program globally....

    Edit -> Color Settings
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
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    divamumdivamum Registered Users Posts: 9,021 Major grins
    edited July 15, 2009
    NeilL wrote:
    Edit -> Color Settings

    THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been groping around "preferences" and, of course, nada.... It's actually on srgb so no change, but nice to know where it is at last!! thumb.gif
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    NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited July 15, 2009
    After you have set every color space and color profile in every nook and cranny absolutely everywhere to sRGB, I suggest checking your gamma setting.

    It might be worth contacting dogdots (Mary). Recently she had problems which might be similar to yours with a new Dell comp and a hardware display calibrator.
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
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    NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited July 15, 2009
    Maybe also post your problems in Digital Darkroom Gear - spread the joymwink.gifD!
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
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    pathfinderpathfinder Super Moderators Posts: 14,698 moderator
    edited July 16, 2009
    You do NOT want your monitor profile set to sRGB, but to the profile created with your colorimeter to calibrate your monitor.
    Pathfinder - www.pathfinder.smugmug.com

    Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
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    NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited July 16, 2009
    pathfinder wrote:
    You do NOT want your monitor profile set to sRGB, but to the profile created with your colorimeter to calibrate your monitor.

    Yes, in the best of all possible worlds, but possibly not when you are beginning the process of troubleshooting - my point.
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
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