Photoshop CS save for Web Color Issues

[Amandy]

I was trying to save some images for web placement, but I noticed a major color difference between the image on the save for web screen verses the editing screen. Does anyone have a color profile suggestion or what do my setting need to be to prevent the color from flattening out so badly. Also workin on a Mac

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v403/Amandy1226/savewebissue1.jpg

[tZ]

Have you tried just exporting/saving it as a jpeg.... rather then doing the whole- "save for web" thing?

[Amandy]

tried it still has a flat color to it. It would be fine if I was going for the desaturated look but really want the "spicy" orange to pop

[Amandy]

bump

[morea]

I've actually had similar issues saving for web from PS CS. The photo looks right in the document, and as soon as I click 'save for web' the color goes all funky.

[LeftBrain Artist]

Ummmm. I'm not really a web designer, mainly print, but doesn't web only use a pallette consisting of, like, 217 colors? So when you go from a CMYK or RGB color space (in photoshop) to a web color space, you lose like, millions of colors, which makes the image look flat. The whole point of using the limited palette is to keep the file size small so the image loads onto browsers as quickly as possible. I suppose you could do a save as jpg directly from photoshop and use a high quality setting to try to preserve the original color values - if you say that's not working, perhaps your compression settings are too intense? Still, a high quality jpg would be relatively large compared to the file generated by ImageReady or the SaveforWeb function - which kind of defeats the purpose of saving for Web.

Keep in mind, too, that the images you upload to the web will look different on other computers, depending on peoples personal monitor types and settings. I think you may have to choose between having images that are flat and lifeless and seen by many people, or images that look fantastic - but a good number of people don't see them because they can't wait 10 seconds for the image to load. 10 seconds may not seem that bad, but is a very long time for the average Joe who is used to getting that visual almost instantaneously. And if you're using the images to sell something, you'd be alienating your client from the customers with slower internet connections - a shrinking demographic, but significant nonetheless.

[morea]

I can't speak for Amandy, but when I save an image at work (PS v.7) it looks right, however if I save the same image at home from PS CS I get all sorts of issues with color.

Weird.

[Amandy]

Same for me Morea ...

Some files with only 3 web base colors even lose their quality, I can't figure it out. We even recalibrated(sp) the moniters but no luck. I know has to be something with the embedded colors.

I have more trouble with files that are RAW format and making the Jpegs than anything. We will see what solutions might arise.

[Broacher]

D'oh. Private messages. I forgot about those. Hi Morea.

Okay, here's my guess: it's all due to the fact that the only way to save a JPG out of Pshop now without attaching anything 'extra': color profiles, all that metadata, is through the 'SaveForWeb' routine. If you just save to a JPG without going through this, you'll see that the file size is bigger. And that's why you want to use the S4W route whenever possible.

So, how to work around the colour shift? Shut off colour managment before you edit for web graphics would be my first step. Actually, since you can preview your color management settings, it's easy to load up the image, and see what it will look like without management-- that is, like you would in a web browser. In fact, open up a browser with a good test image displayed, copy and paste as a new file into Pshop and tile the browser and Pshop on your monitor so you can compare. Then turn the CMS on and off and see the difference. And that (I think) is why things look different when exported through S4W.

Ow! Just sat on my profound wisdom again.

[morea]

sweet. Thanks Broacher... you're my hero. :p

[rockem]

It's giving you a color to be able to be put on web, find a color you like for the car to be, select it and do some selective color, curve, or what ever kind of adjustments you like.