Colors are getting distorted when I save...

[Matthew Cannata]

Hey everyone -

Every time I try to save an image, the colors get distorted. They fade, and they come out like crap. I have no idea why it is doing this.

Also, I noticed, that when I look at my erasers and brushes for the blurry effect on the brushes, there is a purple shade around the black.

This purple is also there when I am choosing colors...all around the black no matter which color I go to....

Is it the settings? It is happening on .jpg AND .psd...

Thanks.

[YrbkMgr]

Matthew,

All due respect but the question is really unclear. It sounds like a color management issue but before you go down that path (and you should if you haven't), what is unclear is: How do you know the colors are distorted? Are you viewing them in another application outside of photoshop or are you saying that when you save them in photoshop with the image still open, they become distorted?

Are you saying that you save the files then re-open them in PS, then the colors are different?

Most "my colors don't come out right" related issues can be solved in about 15 minutes by reading Ian Lyons' most excellent web site <http://www.computer-darkroom.com/ps7-colour/ps7_1.htm>.

Peace,
Tony

[Matthew Cannata]

Hello Tony,

Thank you for your response. Unfortunately, I have tried that website and my own color settings, and it is still not coming out right. I also will mention that I noticed this problem starting a few days ago.

When I save the image in Photoshop, it looks great. When I close it and open it later, it is all distorted.

This is the same thing when it is uploaded to the web. Great in Photoshop, poor on the web.

Any more help would appreciated. Thanks.

[YrbkMgr]

Check your color management settings. What does it say to do when you encounter a profile mis-match? Take one of those images, open it in photoshop. Look at the Image Titlebar. It tells you what profile the image is using - any funny symbols like the "#" sign? Look in the lower left hand corner of the Photoshop status bar. Where it tells you Document Sizes. Click that and have it show Document Profile. What profile are you using?

I am reasonably certain that if you are using RGB mode for the images when you save them (except GIF's), that it's a color management issue. When you upload an image to the web, it is NOT color managed. So that one's easy - either use a Web Color Space in your color settings or turn off color management when editing images for the web.

When you re-open an image, specifically a PSD, in photoshop and the colors are wrong, it sounds like you have your color management settings set to "not color manage this image" and not display a dialog asking for such. I suspect what we're looking at is a profile mis-match.

Your solutions, in that case are to turn off color management completely (not usually recommended), or to have a sound appreciation for what happens when you have mis-matched profiles, which, again, would come from Ian's site.

Peace,
Tony

[Matthew Cannata]

Hey Tony,

In the titlebar, it says RGB*

I am not sure what that star means. I uninstalled Photoshop, then re-installed it. Now, when I save it, and open it in Photoshop, it looks great.

When I put it in another application, it is distorted. I tried turning color management off, but I dont think it did that.

Could it be my monitor, and is there anything else I can do?

Thanks.

[YrbkMgr]

You did not read Ian Lyons' site. You have a profile mismatch (the star).

What color is red - what are the exact RGB values for red? Can be just about anything right? Photoshop is a color managed application. It takes the color numbers you specifcy and embeds information (a profile) into the image so that when viewed in another color managed application that color information will "translated" so that the correct colors will be used, taking into consideration all of the variables that affect how color is displayed.

When you save for web, or view a color tagged image in an application that does not "see" the profile (non color managed), that translation is not performed and the information is ignored. That is why you see a difference for example, on the web.

There is no shortcut. 15 minutes reading and understanding the information that Ian has put up is my "standard" answer. Almost everyone who reads it and applys the information, ends up 'fixed'.

<shrug>

Peace,
Tony