Over-saturating when uploading to web

[Quitarita]

Can someone enlighten me...

When I upload my photos to my smugmug account (or anywhere else on the net), the photos seem to over-saturate. It looks fine in Lightroom and Photoshop but not when uploaded.

Here's a link to the photos I just posted. The gospel choir ones at the end are the ones that bother me the most.
http://rosaura.smugmug.com/gallery/7313624_jQHjK#470428066_xVZsa

Any tips? Is this a color space issue? I'm in AdobeRGB in editing but exporting as sRGB.

Thanks!

[MarkR]

Is the browser that you are using color-aware? AFAIK the only color aware browsers are Safari and Firefox 3 (off by default.)

[jfriend]

Without access to the original image, I can't look at colorspace information. But, aside from that, it looks like you're seeing a combination of two things here:

First, the image has a significant color cast to it. I added Cyan to the reds using a Selective Color adjustment layer in photoshop and it made the skin tones look a lot more natural.

Second, when looking at an image with a color cast in a non-color-managed browser on a modern wide gamut LCD display, the color cast will get exaggerated. If I compare your image in IE7 (not color managed) to Firefox 3 with color management enabled, it is a lot more oversaturated in IE7.

The best thing to do is to fix the color cast. There is nothing you can do about browsers that don't have color management other than make sure your original image is as close to what it should be before uploading.

Here's a version of your image that I did some color correction on:
http://jfriend.smugmug.com/photos/470614932_fnd9M-O.jpg

Compared to your original:
http://rosaura.smugmug.com/photos/470431272_jq9dn-L-2.jpg

[Quitarita]

Without access to the original image, I can't look at colorspace information. But, aside from that, it looks like you're seeing a combination of two things here:

First, the image has a significant color cast to it. I added Cyan to the reds using a Selective Color adjustment layer in photoshop and it made the skin tones look a lot more natural.

Second, when looking at an image with a color cast in a non-color-managed browser on a modern wide gamut LCD display, the color cast will get exaggerated. If I compare your image in IE7 (not color managed) to Firefox 3 with color management enabled, it is a lot more oversaturated in IE7.

The best thing to do is to fix the color cast. There is nothing you can do about browsers that don't have color management other than make sure your original image is as close to what it should be before uploading.

Here's a version of your image that I did some color correction on:
http://jfriend.smugmug.com/photos/470614932_fnd9M-O.jpg

Compared to your original:
http://rosaura.smugmug.com/photos/470431272_jq9dn-L-2.jpg

Wow, your image looks a lot better than mine. I'll give it a try to adjust some more and repost.

I will also enable the original.

I still have lots of questions about color space. What do you guys use for your Photoshop/Lightroom/camera settings?

Gracias!
~r

[jfriend]

Wow, your image looks a lot better than mine. I'll give it a try to adjust some more and repost.

I will also enable the original.

I still have lots of questions about color space. What do you guys use for your Photoshop/Lightroom/camera settings?

Gracias!
~r

An image uploaded to the web should be in the sRGB colorspace because that will show the least amount of color error in non-color-managed applications.

I personally shoot RAW (the colorspace setting in the camera doesn't matter when shooting RAW), import into Lightroom, then after adjusting there, I export as sRGB for upload to the web.

[arodney]

Its worth mentioning again, just posting in sRGB will not guarantee a match to Photoshop or Lightroom (or any ICC aware application) either on your machine or anyone else's machine.

[Quitarita]

Ok - I adjusted using Selective Color:
#1
http://rosaura.smugmug.com/photos/470784067_4Wjg8-L.jpg

Original:
http://rosaura.smugmug.com/photos/470431272_jq9dn-L-2.jpg
I've never used it before - super cool. I had to do it twice to get all the red out.

#2
I also did this one - had a hard time getting the yellow out of it. I did my best.
http://rosaura.smugmug.com/photos/470784371_sBPSi-L.jpg
Original:
http://rosaura.smugmug.com/photos/470431514_C9zoT-L-2.jpg

And this one #3:
http://rosaura.smugmug.com/photos/470784570_MxHPB-L.jpg

Original:
http://rosaura.smugmug.com/photos/470431909_PeScS-L-2.jpg

The reds were easier to take out than the yellows. Any tips? I have a Color wheel printed out on my monitor now to help me remember the corresponding colors. :)

I'm very grateful for your responses to my questions. I love dgrin!

[jfriend]

The reds were easier to take out than the yellows. Any tips? I have a Color wheel printed out on my monitor now to help me remember the corresponding colors. :)

I'm very grateful for your responses to my questions. I love dgrin!

I find it fairly easy to manipulate yellow by using a blue curve in a curve adjustment layer. Add blue (raise the blue curve) to remove yellow, remove blue (lower the blue curve) to add yellow.

[jjbong]

I find it fairly easy to manipulate yellow by using a blue curve in a curve adjustment layer. Add blue (raise the blue curve) to remove yellow, remove blue (lower the blue curve) to add yellow.

I'd second that and expand it. I find it easy to remove most casts using curves in RGB, often in Color mode (which preserves the detail if the cast is strong, so that the curves are significant).

[jfriend]

I'd second that and expand it. I find it easy to remove most casts using curves in RGB, often in Color mode (which preserves the detail if the cast is strong, so that the curves are significant). Indeed, this image cleans up pretty nicely by making a curves adjustment layer in color blend mode and then just pulling the red curve down at both the highlight end and the middle. It pulls the red cast right out.

[Quitarita]

Indeed, this image cleans up pretty nicely by making a curves adjustment layer in color blend mode and then just pulling the red curve down at both the highlight end and the middle. It pulls the red cast right out.

hi guys!

thanks for the replies. :)

i don't think i fully understand what you guys are saying cuz i tried more adjustments on #2 and i made things worse... :(

* raising curve means steepening the curve?
* blend mode - is that what is to the left of the opacity slider?

would love to see your take on #2 and, if possible, see captures of your adjustments?

gracias!

[Quitarita]

hi guys!

thanks for the replies. :)

i don't think i fully understand what you guys are saying cuz i tried more adjustments on #2 and i made things worse... :(

* raising curve means steepening the curve?
* blend mode - is that what is to the left of the opacity slider?

would love to see your take on #2 and, if possible, see captures of your adjustments?

gracias!


Ok, after a little break I tried this again. Went back to the original and did what you guys suggested via curves:

http://rosaura.smugmug.com/photos/471021178_726jB-L.jpg

via selective color:
http://rosaura.smugmug.com/photos/470784371_sBPSi-L.jpg

original:
http://rosaura.smugmug.com/photos/470431514_C9zoT-L-2.jpg

Please tell me if I'm getting closer. :)

[jjbong]

I suggest that jfriend post the corrections that he referenced in a recent post and the curves he used to get there. I think that would answer your question.

Selective Color is a pretty blunt tool. It has its uses, but in my view they're either pretty specialized (generating a mask for enhancing a sky) or doing some clean-up at the end of a workflow. Curves are much more precise.