Colour Desat problem when Save for Web

[Meysha]

I've just noticed a strange thing that's happening when I select Save for Web in Photoshop. (CS2)

My pictures are becoming quite a bit desaturated. Now I've never noticed this before so I'm thinking it has something to do with the fact that I'm editing straight from the CR2 file (canon's 350D raw format). It happens even when I save the raw file as a tiff (i think... I can't really remember atm)

I tried to keep the file size roughly the same for both of these.
If I do the normal "Save As" command, the file looks exactly like it does while I'm editing it.

But if I do the "Save for Web" command, then it looks desaturated like this:

Has anyone else seen this problem and know how to fix it? Apart from having obscenely saturated photos before saving them for the web?

 

[ferny]

I think with Photoshop you can set it so that it displays images with a different setting to what your computer normally uses. So I'm assuming that's why you're noticing a difference.

Edit >>> Colour Settings

I think....

 

[Meysha]

hehehe ferny I was editing while you were writing. Ahhh i did see a little check box with ICC profile in it... maybe it was that.

Man the difference doesn't look that much once I put them in photobucket... but there's a really big difference between the files saved on my computer, not these stupid photobucket ones.

 

[Digital Matt]

If you are working in Adobe RGB, you should convert to SRGB before you save for web. Otherwise it will discard the Adobe RGB color profile, and you'll lose that color depth. If you convert it in Photoshop, it will match the colors to what your browser can see.

 

[Meysha]

Grrrr.
Even once the save for web window has popped up, you know how you can click on 'original' to see the original version... well it's all desaturated as well. It's not because I'm optimizing it that it's losing the colour - it must be because it's going through imageready that it's losing the colour. Grrrr. Why is this the first time I've seen it? :-(

I just checked and if I save the CR2 file as a TIFF there is no colour change. however, if I then use that same TIFF and go to Save for Web - I lose colour. :-(

 

[Meysha]

oops posting at same time there matt. hehe

ohh yeah I was in RGB... hmm strange it must've changed somehow. Hmmm I was mucking around in the preferences the other day. Ah well.

So When I convert it to sRGB, Do I need to pay attnetion to the "Intent".

What's the difference between 'perceptual', 'saturation' etc... or should I just not worry and leave it on the default "Relative colorimetric"?

 

[Digital Matt]

Before you save for web, image / mode / convert to profile - SRGB.

 

[Meysha]

strange... I don't have that command matt.

I had to go, edit -> Convert to Profile... -> then it popped up with a box with a bunch of options. (I'm using CS2)

But it worked!! YES!!! I have colour! YAY!

Thanks so much matt, you're a legend. It would have taken me forever and ever to figure that one out!

 

[Digital Matt]

They must have changed its location in CS2. I'm using CS1, and it's in the image menu, where it's been for all previous versions. Sometimes they change things for no good reason. Oh well. Glad you found it.