Color settings...The million dollar question

OK Guys and Gals, this is probably a million dollar question... Here

goes: I have been using a nikon D70 and PSCS to convert RAW files. I

shoot only in RAW and do a lot of post processing. Recently I

downloaded Picassa version 2 and love it! The thing that I am

noticing though, is that almost without exception, my RAW files viewed

through the Picassa browser look better than the RAW files viewed

through PSCS RAW. Even when I try to match the color with PSCS I can

not seem to get it right!

 

I may be wrong but is the reason for the color change when viewed in

Picassa because the files are JPEG files?

 

If it is how can I do a batch conversion of my D70 RAW files to JPEG

so that the colors match?

 

If not then what settings can I use to improve my RAW files color?? If

I could match the color from Picassa I would be very happy.

 

Any help would be appreciated

The short answer is:

 

1) understanding color management

 

2) calibrated monitor (I mean with a hardware calibration device)

 

3) printer calibration (I mean with a custom profile for that printer, that ink, and that paper)

 

That will solve the problem. Anything else will just nip away at parts of it.

Let's start with;

what are your current photoshop settings for color space? The factory default for

Photoshop CS is sRGb as a workspace. if, when you are converting from NEF (RAW) to Aa

large color space like Adobe RGB (1998) then your colors will look more muted in

Photoshop. becasue the sRGB workspace, the default for Picasa as well as MIE, is smalelr

than Adobe RGB(1998) what is happenig is that the wide range of colro is being squeezed

down to fit the smaller color space which makes the colors that are squeezed appear

brighter and more intense. Try setting PsCS to Adobe RGB (189980 as the default

colorspace and see if that clears up the problem.

And as others hve pointed out: it really helps to work ona monitor that is accurately

calibrated and profiled.

Ellis, what are you drinking tonight man? Your posts are usually not so rife with typos. And can I have a swig, whatever it is?

I am using a monitor calibration system. Its the 99dollar version of the spyder by color vision. I am also already working in Adobe RGB 1998 for a color space in photoshop. Any other thoughts??

Wow! that was very bad! thanks paul. What i was drunk on was "lack of sleep, vintage

2005"

 

Let's start with;

 

What are your current photoshop settings for color space? The factory default for

Photoshop CS is sRGB as a workspace. if, when you are converting from NEF (RAW) to a

large color space like Adobe RGB (1998) then your colors will look more muted in

Photoshop as the sRGB workspace -- the default for Picasa as well as MIE -- is smaller

than Adobe RGB(1998) what is occurring is a wide range of color is being squeezed down

to fit the smaller color space making the colors that are squeezed appear brighter and

more intense. Try setting PsCS to Adobe RGB (1998) as the default colorspace and see if

that clears up the problem. And as others have pointed out: it really helps to work on a

monitor that is accurately calibrated and profiled.

 

Here is an ironic & instructive footnote:

 

This morning I started doing some editing work and immediately noticed that the colors in

my images were completely psychedelic: way, way over-saturated. What apparently

happened was that at some point the previous day my profile for my monitor just went

bad. After re-calibrating and re-profiling with the Colorvison OptiCAL device and software,

colors were back to normal.