Having compression issues... need help

[WesVFX]

Hey guys... I'm new at the portrait stuff but giving it a shot. Having some issues when saving my files as I'm losing a lot of color information and the photos look sort of washed out. You can see in the screenshot below the Left is the original RAW edited file in Photoshop. The Right is a high quality JPG.

I've tried saving in many different formats (TIFF, JPG, BITMAP, PNG) always coming to the same result. It's been MONTHS since I've touched any of my editing software or my camera for that matter and I feel like there is a setting or something I might be forgetting. I know RAW is the best quality and all the others are compressed, but there's got to be a way to save this and not lose all that information. I mean how are all the fantastic photography photos on the net that I see doing it?

Thanks in advance for your help!

This is a JPG Screenshot from MSPaint so don't judge the image quality LOL

 

[tirediron]

When you say 'high quality' .jpg what do you mean? Is this saved at the lowest possible compression (highest file size)? Are you editing the .jpgs in any way? All of your editing should be done with images as either RAW, .tif, or .dng. Unlike these, .jpg is a lossy format, and each time you open it, edit it and save, you lose data. What software are you using, and what is your workflow?

 

[Rephargotohp]

Make sure that the Color space of the RAW Converter (Adobe Camera RAW) is the same as your working space. In other words make sure one is not Adobe RGB and the other sRGB. If they are also make sure that your warnings are set in your Photoshop preferences to tell you so and ask you what to do.

Make sure that if your working space in Photoshop is one that you are either, saving in that space or properly converting before saving.

Make sure when you do save the file, you embed the Color profile in the file so other software recognizes it.

Make sure that you are viewing both images in the same Software or at least two that are both Color Managed. Windows Picture and fax viewer are NOT color managed and I don't think MS Paint is either so images that are not sRGB will look different in them than photoshop

Murrieta? Geez, I could throw a stone at you from the Vineyard

 

[Ysarex]

Make sure that the Color space of the RAW Converter (Adobe Camera RAW) is the same as your working space. In other words make sure one is not Adobe RGB and the other sRGB. If they are also make sure that your warnings are set in your Photoshop preferences to tell you so and ask you what to do.

Make sure that if your working space in Photoshop is one that you are either, saving in that space or properly converting before saving.

Make sure when you do save the file, you embed the Color profile in the file so other software recognizes it.

Make sure that you are viewing both images in the same Software or at least two that are both Color Managed. Windows Picture and fax viewer are NOT color managed and I don't think MS Paint is either so images that are not sRGB will look different in them than photoshop

Murrieta? Geez, I could throw a stone at you from the Vineyard

I agree that looks very much like a color space problem. Windows Picture Viewer does correctly read ICC profiles. Don't know about MS Paint and IE does not.

Joe

 

[WesVFX]

When you say 'high quality' .jpg what do you mean? Is this saved at the lowest possible compression (highest file size)? Are you editing the .jpgs in any way? All of your editing should be done with images as either RAW, .tif, or .dng. Unlike these, .jpg is a lossy format, and each time you open it, edit it and save, you lose data. What software are you using, and what is your workflow?

Not editing the JPG's in any way... just doing a "Save As" once all my editing is done in Camera RAW. When I say high quality JPG i mean just that... I select high quality which is #12 on the "save as" dialog.

Workflow = Canon T1i > Raw > Adobe Bridge (basic editing) > Photoshop CS4 (more tuned editing) > Finished Product

Make sure that the Color space of the RAW Converter (Adobe Camera RAW) is the same as your working space. In other words make sure one is not Adobe RGB and the other sRGB. If they are also make sure that your warnings are set in your Photoshop preferences to tell you so and ask you what to do.

Make sure that if your working space in Photoshop is one that you are either, saving in that space or properly converting before saving.

Make sure when you do save the file, you embed the Color profile in the file so other software recognizes it.

Ok I'll admit most of what you just mentioned is a little intimidating/over my big ass head LOL

But I'll try and answer best I can...

Ok the color settings (I think) your talking about...

Looks like they say synchronized at the top so I imagine that means all is good?

Make sure that you are viewing both images in the same Software or at least two that are both Color Managed. Windows Picture and fax viewer are NOT color managed and I don't think MS Paint is either so images that are not sRGB will look different in them than photoshop

Murrieta? Geez, I could throw a stone at you from the Vineyard ;-)

Ok this makes me think it might be my problem... so maybe Picasa (which is the photo viewer on the right photo) is giving me false information of the actual photo image? What I did was just take a "screenshot" of the Picasa photo opened up next to the Photoshop photo and then pasted them into MSPaint where I then saved it as a JPG and posted here....

You must be in Temecula?! Lived there for 7 years... I'm actually in Hemet (Hellmet) now. I gotta change that lol...

 

[WesVFX]

Ok so I think that was the problem... simply opening a photo up in Picasa and comparing it to a Photoshop image is apparently apples to oranges... Learn something new everyday!

Here's the image saved as a JPG in photoshop... then opened back up in Photoshop as that JPG (on the left) next to the original RAW image (on the right) in Photoshop... They seem to look pretty darn similar! Am I wrong?

 

[WesVFX]

Now my only worry is when I send the JPG to the client they might think it looks like crap depending on what they use to open it up with. No doubt it will be Windows Photo Viewer or something of the like...

 

[Rephargotohp]

Yep,I think you are on the right track. You are using sRGB which is the most compatible with the most applications. The Old windows pictures and fax viewer was not color managed the new Picture Viewer with 7 is.

Sometimes it is good to include a file with the images for you custimer or one if you use an online Proof gallery. That "These images were edited with a calibrated monitor to a specific standard, There are many difference in monitors so the color and brightness may look different on your uncalibrated monitor" or something to that effect"

Yep, T town

 

[KmH]

Are you aware of how to set the working color space of Camera Raw?

 

[WesVFX]

Thanks very much for your help guys!

No KmH I wasn't aware of that but will check it out. Thanks for the tip!

 

[WesVFX]

Here's a few of the finished shots if you guys care to see them... Again thanks for your help!

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...ery/264665-c-c-new-portraits.html#post2410451