ACR to PS Color Change

[Alis]

For a few days now, and without consciously making any changes to my PS/ACR setting, I have noticed that when I import an image from ACR to PS, the color seems to change, the images becomes a bit flatter and colors less saturated. I have not printed anything to see if that changes will show on print.

I use PS CS5 and the color setting on ACR is Adobe RBG.

Any idea why this is happening?

[zack10]

For a few days now, and without consciously making any changes to my PS/ACR setting, I have noticed that when I import an image from ACR to PS, the color seems to change, the images becomes a bit flatter and colors less saturated. I have not printed anything to see if that changes will show on print.

I use PS CS5 and the color setting on ACR is Adobe RBG.

Any idea why this is happening?

Alis,
If you have the CS5 disc run it again or unistall the program and reload it. I have CS5 and had issues and this resolved them. The only pain is you will lose all your settings.
GT

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Ali,

I vaguely recall (I am at work and can't look it up in book) that there is a setting somewhere in ACR which either does, or does not, transfer the changes on the Detail tab into PS, something like "Preview only", Colin may remember, it was he that tipped me off about it - I just wonder whether it has somehow got changed and if so, whether it also encompasses Clarity and Vibrance, which may explain the flat images.

If not that, check colorspaces; is one set different to the other?

HTH,

[Colin Southern]

Hi Ali,

Sorry, I forgot to reply to you!

It almost sounds like a different colour profile is being attached to the image as it opens in Photoshop. To start with though, can you have a look at the hyperlink at the bottom of the screen when in ACR and tell me what it says?

Infact, if you don't mind, click it and tell me all the settings.

[Alis]

Alis,
If you have the CS5 disc run it again or unistall the program and reload it. I have CS5 and had issues and this resolved them. The only pain is you will lose all your settings.
GT

Hi GT,

Thanks for the tip. It is sort of an easy solution then although takes a bit of time. I will do that if I do not get any other easier answer here.

Cheers!

[Alis]

Hi Ali,

Sorry, I forgot to reply to you!

It almost sounds like a different colour profile is being attached to the image as it opens in Photoshop. To start with though, can you have a look at the hyperlink at the bottom of the screen when in ACR and tell me what it says?

Infact, if you don't mind, click it and tell me all the settings.

Thanks, Dave and Colin,

Here is the ACR setting (I have not changed these recently):

Adobe RGB 1998
16 Bit/Channel
6114 by 4096 (25.2 MP) + [highest resolution for 5D MKII]
Resolution: 240 pixel/Inch
Sharpen for: None
Open as smart object: Unchecked (I usually hold the shift and import as SO if I need to)

Thanks!

[Michael Bailey]

Could it be that your color management settings in Photoshop somehow got changed?

(Edit >> Color Settings...)

If Photoshop is set to automatically convert new files to a different color profile, the appearance might change slightly. Not a lot, but maybe just what you're describing.

MB

[Alis]

Could it be that your color management settings in Photoshop somehow got changed?

(Edit >> Color Settings...)

If Photoshop is set to automatically convert new files to a different color profile, the appearance might change slightly. Not a lot, but maybe just what you're describing.

MB

Thanks, Michael. I just checked and you guessed right. I was on sRBG in PS. Not sure if that was the cause. I am going to check a few pictures to see if that makes a difference. Aargh, you have no idea how many picture I have edited so far and I have to do them again

[Colin Southern]

Ali,

Just need to check something here ...

When things were working properly, did you always have to change from Adobe RGB to sRGB before saving something to so on the web? If not then you've probably always had sRGB as a colourspace - so if you change it to Adobe RGB now, you'll need to convert in future.

If all else fails, reset the preferences by holding down ctrl + alt + shift as PS starts (but you WILL loose all settings / customisations / actions etc).

To be honest, unless you're doing your own printing, you might just as well set ACR to open the images in sRGB - it'll probably fix the problem you have now - it'll mean you won't have to worry about conversion - and I'd bet my last dollar you won't notice any of the "missing colours" that you can neither display or print at the moment anyway!

[Alis]

Ali,

Just need to check something here ...

When things were working properly, did you always have to change from Adobe RGB to sRGB before saving something to so on the web? If not then you've probably always had sRGB as a colourspace - so if you change it to Adobe RGB now, you'll need to convert in future.

If all else fails, reset the preferences by holding down ctrl + alt + shift as PS starts (but you WILL loose all settings / customisations / actions etc).

To be honest, unless you're doing your own printing, you might just as well set ACR to open the images in sRGB - it'll probably fix the problem you have now - it'll mean you won't have to worry about conversion - and I'd bet my last dollar you won't notice any of the "missing colours" that you can neither display or print at the moment anyway!

Hi Colin,

No, I was not doing anything extra. I am guessing now that when I installed CS5 a couple of weeks ago, it was just on a different setting from my previous version and I am noticing it right now.

There is no sRBG on ACR, so are you saying I should change the setting back to sRBG in PS?

[Colin Southern]

Hi Colin,

No, I was not doing anything extra. I am guessing now that when I installed CS5 a couple of weeks ago, it was just on a different setting from my previous version and I am noticing it right now.

There is no sRBG on ACR, so are you saying I should change the setting back to sRBG in PS?

Hi Ali,

In ACR if you click that hyperlink at the bottom again you'll see sRGB as one of the options under SPACE. You may as well set PS to sRGB too, although by default it'll just keep the profile assigned by ACR.

Do those two things and I suspect that all your problems will go away. Just be aware though that if you HAVE saved any edits under Adobe RGB, you'll been to click on EDIT and then Convert to Profile (and then choose sRGB as the destination space) prior to uploading for web display, or they'll all look under-saturated on non-colour-managed browsers (ie "most of them!").

PS: IT's CONVERT to profile, not ASSIGN profile

[Alis]

Hi Ali,

In ACR if you click that hyperlink at the bottom again you'll see sRGB as one of the options under SPACE. You may as well set PS to sRGB too, although by default it'll just keep the profile assigned by ACR.

Do those two things and I suspect that all your problems will go away. Just be aware though that if you HAVE saved any edits under Adobe RGB, you'll been to click on EDIT and then Convert to Profile (and then choose sRGB as the destination space) prior to uploading for web display, or they'll all look under-saturated on non-colour-managed browsers (ie "most of them!").

PS: IT's CONVERT to profile, not ASSIGN profile

Hi Colin,

Thanks, that was actually the case. Now, in Photoshop, under Edit>color setting, under working space, I have all sorts of options, of course, but I noticed all the profiles that I made when periodically calibrated my monitor are also present. What are those doing there? Shouldn't my work space be one of those??

[revi]

Hi Colin,

Thanks, that was actually the case. Now, in Photoshop, under Edit>color setting, under working space, I have all sorts of options, of course, but I noticed all the profiles that I made when periodically calibrated my monitor are also present. What are those doing there? Shouldn't my work space be one of those??

Most certainly not!

Let's see if I can get out a clear explanation:
a working space defines how a given real life colour is represented with the red/green/blue values we use in our photos. This is absolutely independent of any device.

Now, to display an image, we need to tell the monitor what value to use for the red, green and blue pixels. Ideally, using the working space rgb values should give the correct colours, assuming the monitor uses the same colour space ('language' if you want). In real life, using the working space values gives slightly incorrect colours (all monitors have an accent ).

To correct that, you can measure what colour you get for a defined r/g/b triplet, and from there you can calculate how to correct the working space r/g/b values so that the monitor displays the correct colour for each pixel in your image.

So the monitor profile is nothing more than a correction applied to the working space values to allow for imperfections in your monitor.

[Colin Southern]

What are those doing there? Shouldn't my work space be one of those??

Hmmm - I thought you already had a copy of Real World Colour Management, 2nd Ed. by Fraser, Murphy, and Bunting?

[Alis]

Hmmm - I thought you already had a copy of Real World Colour Management, 2nd Ed. by Fraser, Murphy, and Bunting?

I promise I will start reading it but right now I have to meet a deadline. I am doing a photobook and if I do not place an order by the end of the week, Mpix will delete all my pictures. So do not tease me please

[Colin Southern]

I promise I will start reading it but right now I have to meet a deadline. I am doing a photobook and if I do not place an order by the end of the week, Mpix will delete all my pictures. So do not tease me please

OK no teasing

So short answers are ...

1. Use sRGB as your working space, and

2. Ensure that your display profile is loaded by the operating system (you can usually see it kick in just after the PC has booted) (you can tell the OS to use it directly, or often there's a program that comes with the colorimeter that loads it automatically for you).

[Alis]

OK no teasing

So short answers are ...

1. Use sRGB as your working space, and

2. Ensure that your display profile is loaded by the operating system (you can usually see it kick in just after the PC has booted) (you can tell the OS to use it directly, or often there's a program that comes with the colorimeter that loads it automatically for you).

Thanks, Colin! Now I feel better. You saved my (pictures') lif(v)e(s)

But you did not answer the question, what are they doing there if I am not supposed to use them. Everytime I do the profiling, I choose a name for it (the date I perfom it) and I see those profiles there in the drop down menu. What are they doing there in PS?

[Alis]

Most certainly not!

Let's see if I can get out a clear explanation:
a working space defines how a given real life colour is represented with the red/green/blue values we use in our photos. This is absolutely independent of any device.

Now, to display an image, we need to tell the monitor what value to use for the red, green and blue pixels. Ideally, using the working space rgb values should give the correct colours, assuming the monitor uses the same colour space ('language' if you want). In real life, using the working space values gives slightly incorrect colours (all monitors have an accent ).

To correct that, you can measure what colour you get for a defined r/g/b triplet, and from there you can calculate how to correct the working space r/g/b values so that the monitor displays the correct colour for each pixel in your image.

So the monitor profile is nothing more than a correction applied to the working space values to allow for imperfections in your monitor.

Thanks, Remco! Very helpful analogy. That was my guess, but still don't understand why the profile names get added to the drop down menu in PS, as if there is a use for them there!

[Colin Southern]

Thanks, Colin! Now I feel better. You saved my (pictures') lif(v)e(s)

But you did not answer the question, what are they doing there if I am not supposed to use them. Everytime I do the profiling, I choose a name for it (the date I perfom it) and I see those profiles there in the drop down menu. What are they doing there in PS?

Hi Ali,

For all intents and purposes, a profile is a profile is a profile - they're all different, but the system doesn't make - say - profiles for monitors disappear just because it's not what you need; and in fact it's possible (but unlikely) that you may want to use one to soft-proof a different monitor at some stage.

By the way, once you create a new monitor profile and are happy with it, you can safely delete ALL of the old monitor profiles that you've created, as they have no further use. Also, if you're working from an LCD screen and haven't messed with the controls, then personally, I don't get overly excited about reprofiling all that often - once or twice a year (or whenever I think something might have changed) is pretty much all I ever do.

Just wait until you get into printer profiles though ... 700+ patches I have to hand read everytime I reprofile - for each type of media - and as I'm in the process of changing from Epson to Lyson inks, that needs to be done with each cartridge change


PS: When can I buy an autographed copy of your photobook? (I like collecting personally autographed copies of books!).

[Alis]

Hi Ali,

For all intents and purposes, a profile is a profile is a profile - they're all different, but the system doesn't make - say - profiles for monitors disappear just because it's not what you need; and in fact it's possible (but unlikely) that you may want to use one to soft-proof a different monitor at some stage.

Thanks, Colin. I guess I was not clear. I understand why they are not deleted, I mean why are they "imported" into the PS, in other words, what is their use in PS, if they color space in PS is supposed to be sRBG or one of those standard profiles.

By the way, once you create a new monitor profile and are happy with it, you can safely delete ALL of the old monitor profiles that you've created, as they have no further use. Also, if you're working from an LCD screen and haven't messed with the controls, then personally, I don't get overly excited about reprofiling all that often - once or twice a year (or whenever I think something might have changed) is pretty much all I ever do.

Thanks for the tip! It reminds me after about a month to recalibrate and I always postpone it but I do them at least every two month, and when I postpone I always feel guilty and unhappy. So, now I am sure I am not using a corrupt profile

Just wait until you get into printer profiles though ... 700+ patches I have to hand read everytime I reprofile - for each type of media - and as I'm in the process of changing from Epson to Lyson inks, that needs to be done with each cartridge change

I guess that is the price to pay for having a printer like that at hand all the time. We have to upload them and then wait at least 4-5 days to get them and if there is anything wrong with them (and that happens a lot and is usually systemic in my case so it affects all of them) have to do them again, pay again and wait some more

PS: When can I buy an autographed copy of your photobook? (I like collecting personally autographed copies of books!).

Absolutely think you are joking but send me your postal address and I will be honored to send you a signed copy!

I usually print all the pictures once as proof. Then adjust the files based on the print to make sure none of them are out of whack in terms of color and exposure, etc, then put them together as a photobook (all the pictures from the past year) and print them.

These are all pictures of my son, and I mostly do them for his grandparents who do not live with us here