Big Help needed with Photoshop CS3 colour

Hi all

I really could do with you guys help on a problem I am having with PS CS3

When I open my images in CS3 the skin tones are looking very red/pinkish but when I view the images in infraview or windows viewer they look fine almost the same as the LCD screen on the camera.

Here are the facts of my set up

1. My monitor is caliberated using GreataMacbeth eye one match and software. This generates a profile for the monitor

2. CS3 is using sRGB profile as its working colour space

3. The images where shot using sRGB in camera

4. When I open the images there is no mismatch warning.

The only way I can get CS3s colour to look like the images i see using infraview or windows viewer is to assign the eye one match profile generated as mentioned above within in CS3 itself. Then and only then do the colours like like all other viewers I use

Another thing is if I dont change the profile and leave it on sRGB looking red/pinkish the images still print ok like I see in the third party viewers. I let photoshop manage the colours and I have made sure I have ticked the box for " Disabled ICM required from the application software" in the printer settings the results. I do all my PP in photoshop but if it is misrepresenting what I see my hours of editing could be way out. But if as I have said I assign the eye one match profile generated for my monitor then clours like look like my prints.

My problem is if I am seeing red skin and make the appropriate ajustments in CS3 ie: Hue or saturation etc.. then is it best to assign the monitor profile before I start spending hours on the images.

Finally if I do this and convert to the assinged profile does that embed the colour details into the file so that when I send my prints away they will return the correct results.

I hope I have explained myself as it is a bit confusing to try and put into words.

Below is a screen shot of what I mean

the 2 images on the left are CS3 and Bridge using sRGB profile and the 2 on the right are viewd with infraview and windows viewer which I presume use the monitors profile ??? Although the ones on the left look red in CS3 they do print correct like the ones on the right.
Looking forward to your major help

Does this have anything to do with 'Pentax Digital SLRs'?

Perhaps I should have posted it in the troubleshooter forum

Anyway Matt will probably move it

Moved

Read this Pete: https://www.pentaxuser.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2533
And if you don't understand that, read this: https://www.pentaxuser.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2533


Bottom line - trust PS. NEVER, ever assign the monitor's profile to the image. That's a real "Doh!".
Assuming you've set up PS-CS3 as mentioned in the thread - you trust that. Anything else that's not color managed you ignore (Irfanview, smeggy Windows photo viewer etc) It's perfectly normal to have a mismatch between a colour managed app and non.

Likewise, when you use Photoshop's "Save for Web" - that is displayed without the color profile.

Any more advise and I'll have to charge you for it
Matt

Thanks Matt

This is driving me insane I have been trying to remedy it for 3 days. I understand how it works but somethings wrong. I cant understand why my prints are looking like the monitors profile and not photoshop profile (sRGB)

In other words the skin tones look red/pink in PS but the prints look pefect ie: nice toned skin colour. When I am editing I need to know the print will be close to how I see them on screen in CS3 otherwise my editing will be way out from the print

I have set PS to manage print colour. I have my printer ICM switched off and yet the prints are still coming out mismatched.

Pete

Pete, you must understand there is a huge difference between a monitor profile and the sRGB color space. A lot of people think it is the same, but these are two separate things.
The largest color space witch hold the most color data is Pro Photo RGB.
Followed by Adobe RGB. The last in row is sRGB. (mostly for web use)
A monitor profile can work in every color space you like. And should always show the the same colors on your monitor.( if you calibrated correctly)
Martin.

PS, I highly recommend this tutorial download. Probably the best bucks ever spend, if you want to know about profiling, soft proofing and printing.
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/videos/camera-print.shtml

"It's not a bug - it's a feature."

'cause everyone knows Pentax's jpegs just don't 'pop' like the other cameras do...

(Sorry - couldn't resist - hope you get it sorted...)

Malo1961

Just watched the Video in short but this does not explain why my images in CS3 do not match my printed ones

Thats the problem in a nut shell

If I cant match the image colour on screen in PS to the prints what on earth is the point of using PS in the first place ther has to be something wrong as I have done everything I can think of to get the settings correct

IE workspace, Printer caliberation etc..

Is there things I can check that you think I might need to do

Cheers again Pete

Sorry Pete, But watching the tutorial in short as you say, doesn,t work. If you take the time to see the whole tutorial you know were to look for in your own work flow. The problem of matching print color and screen color is explained in detail in the chapter soft proofing.( this is basically matching up screen colors and print colors within PS)
It starts with the decision to shoot in Raw. No point in going the color management route if you stick to jpeg. Than you must calibrate your monitor.( All your Photo editing programs will automatically use that profile) For the optimal print output you must work in the largest color space your printer can handle. Ideally that would be Pro Photo RGB with the possibility of making your own printer profiles. But as I said in the beginning, The answers to your problems are given in the Tutorial. Believe me, it is the best investment you can make.
Martin.

Dunno if it will help, but try Soft proof (CTRL-Y) and set to sRGB.
This will show you what things will look like when viewed with a non-color managed viewer such as IrfanView, web pages, etc...
It may even help to soft proof for your printing. I believe you'd set to use your printer profile. (not sure, I don't bother. If I need color correctness I'll probably send out for printing and hope/pray the color management actually works).

Honestly I don't know if this is how things are supposed to work, but it is the only way I can get images to look "consistent" between Photoshop and other programs.
Printing is close without soft proofing, but I find I still have to adjust a bit, even when using the printer's printing software, profiles and paper for which the profiles were created. (it "should" work but doesn't!!)

Anyway, try the links sent by Matt. They should get you as close to working as possible.
For me, I am still having discrepancies I cannot explain, but I think I have found acceptable workarounds for some issues.


One silly thing to ask... do you have a multi-monitor setup?
Windows, be default, cannot handle multi-monitor setup and profile both monitors independently. Infact it will pick a profile for one monitor at random and profile both the same. (bad if you have two different monitors).
Anyway, there is a Microsoft tool that fixes the problem. I'll send a link if you need it and cannot find it. (XRite/Manaco/GretagMcbeth, or whatever, did not know about this program and it is what? five years old? Argh!)

I know it should not make a difference, but some of my troubles with inconsistencies between software (on the same monitor) seemed to go away when I installed this program. Yeah doesn't make sense. But perhaps something else got fixed by coincidence at the same time???

If I may, I don't see any references to "Printer Calibration" if your letting Photoshop manage colours, what printer profile are you using, have you changed Inks, Paper blah blah blah? do you have printer profiles for all your different inks, paper combinations ???

Have you tried Google

Rule number 1 when setting up a complete CMS:
Don't use one of your own images!

How do you really know what it looks like??

Use a reference image created by someone else. For example, use the PhaseOne-CMS checker.tif file loaded with Capture One LE & Pro. It's in AdobeRGB - load it into PS and print it.

That'll sort out where your problems really lie

(And by the way, it's a big big subject! If you bought your stuff from Colour Confidence then you can phone them - they have a helpline)
Matt

Perhaps you ought to post your question on an Adobe Photoshop CS3 forum, that would seem to make more sense to me.

...............................or maybe a Nikon forum