Saving for the web: 'Save for web and devices' in CS5

<p>Hi,<br>

I use a Datacolor Spyder4Pro to calibrate my desktop and laptop monitors.<br>

I saved a few images for the web but when I viewed them on a friend's laptop (uncalibrated), they appeared dull and faded.<br>

<em>My workflow is</em>: Work on my raw images (all major adjustments such as exposure, contrast, sharpening, etc) in Adobe ACR in CS5 (RGB workspace), then save as TIFF, further adjustments (spot removals, lens correction, etc) in Photoshop and then save @ 72 dpi for the web.<br>

I haven't used the "<em>Save for web and devices</em>" option yet in CS5. I really need to have my images appear as they do on my monitors - they will definetely appear differently on uncalibrated monitors but they should not lose contrast and colour.<br>

Appreciate any help. Thanks.</p>

<p>You can't compensate for every other display in the world. So you can't accomplish the goal of "I really need to have my images appear as they do on my monitors". If you are using a calibrated monitor, and are confident that your results are what you expect/desire, then let it go. Or (learn to) push your colors and contrast further before saving for the web.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>when I viewed them on a friend's laptop (uncalibrated), they appeared dull and faded.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>That's a rude awaking in how you <strong>can't</strong> view images on a uncalibrated display OR in a non ICC aware application (many web browser). <br>

http://www.color.org/version4html.xalter</p>

<p>What color space (gamut) are you using? Be sure to save the image in the sRGB space, not Adobe RGB or one of the other extended gamut spaces.</p>

<p>Saving in sRGB will make the results ugly or off, but without an ICC aware browser and profiled display, there's no guarantee sRGB will preview even remotely correct. Non ICC aware app's don't know what sRGB is, don't know the conditions of any display. They simply send the RGB values to the display. Incorrectly I'll add. </p>

<p>When I wrote "save in sRGB", I meant convert to sRGB and then save.</p>

<p>I usually, flatten image, convert in 16-bit mode, change to 8-bit mode, and then save as a JPEG. Before I get that far I have soft proofed the image in the target color space with gamut warning enabled (VIEW > PROOF COLORS and VIEW > GAMUT WARNING) to see how the colors will look in the targeted color space and made corrections if necessary. </p>

<p>As Andrew wrote, there is no guarantee the colors will be correct on a non-profiled display that has not been calibrated. However the original poster's discription of the image appearing as "dull and faded" is a symptom of using a wider gamut on a sRGB display.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Before I get that far I have soft proofed the image in the target color space with gamut warning enabled (VIEW > PROOF COLORS and VIEW > GAMUT WARNING)</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Do you realize that the OOG (Out Of Gamut) overlay is buggy, incorrect and not very useful? True in Photoshop and Lightroom. Open an sRGB document, turn on the OOG warning for sRGB and in many cases, you'll see the OOG overlay. <strong>That's not supposed to be!</strong> Further, the OOG overlay predates Photoshop 5 in 1998 which introduced ICC color management and soft proofing which is vastly more useful to see what the conversion to <strong>any</strong> color space will produce. Seeing an ugly (and wrong) overlay, which treats 1% and 100% OOG the same isn't useful. Either soft proof or convert, look at the image.<br>

Example: http://digitaldog.net/files/LR4_softproof2.mov</p>