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Confused about color profile

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John Yu

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I took a photo in NEF in adobeRGB. I transferred it from NC to PS, and PS opened it using the embedded color profile (Nikon adobeRGB). I did my editing. I wanted to publish it on web. So, I converted the color profile to sRGB (Image/Mode/Convert to profile...) and then save as JPG.

But the color of the image displayed in the browser looked very different from the one shown in PS. The color in the browser looked unnaturally saturated.

Out of curiosity, I saved the same image without converting the color profile. This time, the color looked ok in the browser.

I'm confused. I must have done something wrong.

first image = color profile converted to sRGB.
2nd image = color profile stays as adobeRGB



 
After conversion in PS the PS image display should stay the same, no perceivable difference should be in its appearance.

Couple of things that can go wrong:
  • check if the image you brought to PS is really Adobe RGB, not sRGB;
  • accidental "preserve numbers" in "Convert" dialog?
John Yu said:
I took a photo in NEF in adobeRGB. I transferred it from NC to PS,
and PS opened it using the embedded color profile (Nikon adobeRGB).
I did my editing. I wanted to publish it on web. So, I converted
the color profile to sRGB (Image/Mode/Convert to profile...) and
then save as JPG.

But the color of the image displayed in the browser looked very
different from the one shown in PS. The color in the browser looked
unnaturally saturated.

Out of curiosity, I saved the same image without converting the
color profile. This time, the color looked ok in the browser.

I'm confused. I must have done something wrong.

first image = color profile converted to sRGB.
2nd image = color profile stays as adobeRGB



Click to expand...
--
no text
 
I like the saturated picture on top better.... I guess it is a matter of taste..
Iliah Borg said:
Couple of things that can go wrong:
  • check if the image you brought to PS is really Adobe RGB, not sRGB;
  • accidental "preserve numbers" in "Convert" dialog?
John Yu said:
I took a photo in NEF in adobeRGB. I transferred it from NC to PS,
and PS opened it using the embedded color profile (Nikon adobeRGB).
I did my editing. I wanted to publish it on web. So, I converted
the color profile to sRGB (Image/Mode/Convert to profile...) and
then save as JPG.

But the color of the image displayed in the browser looked very
different from the one shown in PS. The color in the browser looked
unnaturally saturated.

Out of curiosity, I saved the same image without converting the
color profile. This time, the color looked ok in the browser.

I'm confused. I must have done something wrong.

first image = color profile converted to sRGB.
2nd image = color profile stays as adobeRGB



Click to expand...
--
no text
Click to expand...
 
Iliah Borg said:
After conversion in PS the PS image display should stay the same,
no perceivable difference should be in its appearance.
Click to expand...
Yup, the image displayed in PS stayed the same after the conversion.
Iliah Borg said:
  • check if the image you brought to PS is really Adobe RGB, not sRGB;
Click to expand...
I checked. It was Nikon AdobeRGB before conversion.
Iliah Borg said:
  • accidental "preserve numbers" in "Convert" dialog?
Click to expand...
I didn't see "preserve numbers" in the Convert dialog. I think Preserve Number is only present in Proof Setup?
--
John
 
John Yu said:
John Yu said:
After conversion in PS the PS image display should stay the same,
no perceivable difference should be in its appearance.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
John Yu said:
Yup, the image displayed in PS stayed the same after the conversion.
Click to expand...
So, that part is right.
John Yu said:
John Yu said:
  • check if the image you brought to PS is really Adobe RGB, not sRGB;
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
John Yu said:
I checked. It was Nikon AdobeRGB before conversion.
Click to expand...
You checked the tag or the actual colour space?
John Yu said:
John Yu said:
  • accidental "preserve numbers" in "Convert" dialog?
Click to expand...
I didn't see "preserve numbers" in the Convert dialog.
Click to expand...
Means you have proper PS version :)

If you do not like how a properly converted image looks in browser, probably your monitor calibration/profile is off.

--
no text
 
isnt one colour space gamat far smaller than the other? That would mean the colours would clip a little, giving you a more saturated image, whereas the other would show a larger variety of colour, therefore reducing saturation and showing more natural colour.

Now lets remember that web colour space is even narrower, so images shown in PS might vary when you upload them onto a server and then viewed in a browser, thats if you have a moniter that shows millions of colours. There might not be a diference between all the images viewed if you save high quality jpegs though.

Are you also coverting from NEF to JPEG?Dho, both images ARE DISPLAYING in the browser..........so forget what i just said..Im going back to bed.........
--
http://www.pbase.com/ez_c
What fool hath bringeth a drop of water to the mighty ocean?
 
Iliah Borg said:
Iliah Borg said:
Iliah Borg said:
  • check if the image you brought to PS is really Adobe RGB, not sRGB;
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Iliah Borg said:
I checked. It was Nikon AdobeRGB before conversion.
Click to expand...
You checked the tag or the actual colour space?
Click to expand...
What do you mean by the actual color space?
In the Conversion dialog, it showed "Source: Nikon adobeRGB...".
Iliah Borg said:
If you do not like how a properly converted image looks in browser,
probably your monitor calibration/profile is off.
Click to expand...
But both the PS and the browser are displayed on the same monitor. If the monitor calibration is off, doesn't it affect both equally and I should see no net effect?

hmm... hang on, or is it that PS respects the monitor profile and does another layer of profile compensation?
--
John
 
Iliah Borg said:
Iliah Borg said:
What do you mean by the actual color space?
In the Conversion dialog, it showed "Source: Nikon adobeRGB...".
Click to expand...
It can say whatever. Sometimes images are invalidly tagged. Just a
bug.
Click to expand...
That's moving sand.... :-(
Iliah Borg said:
Iliah Borg said:
hmm... hang on, or is it that PS respects the monitor profile and
does another layer of profile compensation?
Click to expand...
right.
Click to expand...
Yet more moving sand.... :-(
I'm not sure I can accurately calibrate my old LCD... :-(

Thanks Iliah.
--
John
 
Even more confusing to me, is Nikon adobeRGB really Adobe(1998)rgb ?

I noticed some differences between Nikon sRGB and sRGB last night. Someone tell me I am wrong, because it was about 2:00am and my brain may have been slower than normal.
Iliah Borg said:
After conversion in PS the PS image display should stay the same,
no perceivable difference should be in its appearance.

Couple of things that can go wrong:
  • check if the image you brought to PS is really Adobe RGB, not sRGB;
  • accidental "preserve numbers" in "Convert" dialog?
Click to expand...
--
http://stakeman.smugmug.com
 
John Yu said:
I took a photo in NEF in adobeRGB. I transferred it from NC to PS,
and PS opened it using the embedded color profile (Nikon adobeRGB).
I did my editing. I wanted to publish it on web. So, I converted
the color profile to sRGB (Image/Mode/Convert to profile...) and
then save as JPG.

But the color of the image displayed in the browser looked very
different from the one shown in PS. The color in the browser looked
unnaturally saturated.

Out of curiosity, I saved the same image without converting the
color profile. This time, the color looked ok in the browser.

I'm confused. I must have done something wrong.

first image = color profile converted to sRGB.
2nd image = color profile stays as adobeRGB



Click to expand...
 
Really?

I have a couple of hypothesis:
  • browser on Mac respects color profile tag in JPG, or
  • I mis-calibrated my monitor as a Mac
hmm... still very confused...
--
John
 
I got some cases, but haven't figured out under what combinations. Mostly as a result of change in "Optimize" settings.

Anyway, IMHO the most probable reason is your monitor :(

--
no text
 
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