losing saturation and quality after saving my file as a jpeg

kapalua

Help!
I am working my raw files in ACR, then doing some final sharpening in CS2. On my screen in CS2 my image is looking great - just where I want it. Then I hit file/save-for-the-web. (I use this saving method because the "save for the web" screen allows me to resize my image and also save as a jpeg. The regular "save as" button won't allow me to save as a jpeg because I have been using the 16bit mode in ACR)

Here is the problem. As soon as I am in the "save for the web" screen my image immediately is dramatically de-saturated. It is as if half the color has drained from my image. I save it as a jpeg and the jpeg is just awful.

How do I get from my final image in photoshop to a jpeg without changing its appearance? I am saving the jpeg as the maximum quality image. I suppose I could save the image as a tif then convert the tif to a jpeg but I would rather not go through this extra step. Any insight would be appreciated thans.

DavidTO

Most likely you're using aRGB instead of sRGB. You're not converting the profile, you're just dumping it unceremoniously when you save for web. Without the profile, the app you're using makes it's best guess, and it's getting it wrong.

You have a few options:

1) Convert to 8bit before saving as jpeg, thereby retaining your color profile.

2) Convert to sRGB before saving for web, to allow for maximum compatibility.

3) Dump aRGB and stick with sRGB, which for most smugmug customers is the way to go, IMO.

Read Baldy's take on it here.

pathfinder

What is the color space you are working in in PS? Adobe RGB perhaps?

When you save for the web, are the images profiles converted to sRGB first?

If you load images profiled in the AdobeRGB color space and then send them to the web without converting them to sRGB, they will look quite desaturated. FIles on the web need to be tagged sRGB before uploading them.

Baldy has a blog about this here - http://blogs.smugmug.com/great-prints/

It is about the third or fourth paragraph down, titled why ICC profiles don't fly on the Internet.

Edit in whatever color space you desire in Photoshop - it is color space aware - but convert them to sRGB before sending them to the web. The desaturation blues will be gone:):

pathfinder

Bah - Dave, ya beat me by a heartbeat!!:D

kapalua

thanks Dave and Pathfinder!
changing my colorspace to sRGB while working in ACR did the trick! no more de-saturation blues!

thanks guys!!


One final question: I just read Bruce Fraser's book on Camera Raw - he is a big proponent of working in prophotoRGB. I'm not quite sure I understand why, but it had something to do with prophotoRGB having fewer colors outside its color gamut than either AdobeRGB or sRGB. By sticking with sRGB am I leaving something on the table that I could be taking advantage of? or is this such a slight advantage that it would not be noticeable on a web image or 8x10 print? thanks

DavidTO

pathfinder wrote:

Bah - Dave, ya beat me by a heartbeat!!:D

You must have a slow heartbeat!

DavidTO

kapalua wrote:

changing my colorspace to sRGB while working in ACR did the trick! no more de-saturation blues!

thanks guys!!


One final question: I just read Bruce Fraser's book on Camera Raw - he is a big proponent of working in prophotoRGB. I'm not quite sure I understand why, but it had something to do with prophotoRGB having fewer colors outside its color gamut than either AdobeRGB or sRGB. By sticking with sRGB am I leaving something on the table that I could be taking advantage of? or is this such a slight advantage that it would not be noticeable on a web image or 8x10 print? thanks

My take is that if you don't know why to use prophotoRGB, then don't. If you're shooting RAW and you decide later that you really need to, you can always reconvert specific shots. Other than that, it's just more trouble than it's worth--IMO.

kapalua

thanks. sound advice.

flyingdutchie

DavidTO wrote:

My take is that if you don't know why to use prophotoRGB, then don't. If you're shooting RAW and you decide later that you really need to, you can always reconvert specific shots. Other than that, it's just more trouble than it's worth--IMO.

I second that!

I assume you shoot RAW. Then, first figure out what your usual 'target device' is, i.e. where do you images wind up mostly:

• If most of the time you put them online: Use sRGB.
  Browsers ignore color-profiles embedded in RGB files (JPEGs/TIFFs) and assume sRGB.
• If most of the time you print them through online services or 1-hour-waiting services: Use sRGB
  Most of these print-services (online: ezprints, mpix; 1-hour-wait: cvs, costco, walmart) ignore color-profiles embedded in RGB files and assume sRGB.
• However, if you mostly print your images on your inkjet printer that supports adobeRGB: use adobeRGB.

If you shoot mostly JPEGs/TIFFs, then you may want to use the profile with the widest gamut (e.g. adobeRGB or even prophotoRGB).