Finally figured out why all my images are looking "grey-ish" on my blog.
A month or so back, someone recommended to me that I change the color space setting on my camera to Adobe RGB to capture a better range of colors in my photos and so I did.
Well...it turns out that the internet uses (for the most part) an sRGB color space and that when a photo with an Adobe RGB color space is posted on the web (which again, uses an sRGB color space), that the file because desaturated - especially the red tones (which would explain why all the skin tones in my photos have been grey-ish).
So, I can continue to shoot in Adobe RGB, but before I upload anything to my blog, I have to make sure to change it to sRGB (in Photoshop CS3 you go to Edit-Convert to profile-sRGB).
Took me half the day to figure that one out.
I posted this photo a few weeks back.
The first one is my Adobe RGB file (which looks fine when I edit it in Adobe Photoshop, but looks "grey-ish" and desaturated when I post it on the internet).
And this is the same photo after I converted it to sRGB.
Hoping that since I wasted half a day of my life trying to figure this out, that this will save someone half a day of their life by reading it.
Dang, what a difference! You can see the rosiness of her cheeks much better now.
Posted by: Ann | November 27, 2007 at 09:01 PM
I am a huge fan of your blog and your tips. How do you make all the edges all around your photos darker? I have Adobe PS 4.0. Any tips would be helpful! Thanks!!!
Christy... [email protected]
Posted by: christy | November 27, 2007 at 09:30 PM
I just love all your photography tips. You explain things very well. Do you have any photography classes lined up to teach?
Posted by: Brenda Walker | November 27, 2007 at 10:12 PM
Gosh, what a difference.
Posted by: Heather | November 28, 2007 at 12:34 AM
thanks!
Posted by: Amy | November 28, 2007 at 06:26 AM
Well that does look much better! Stupid internet trying to mess everything up. I am so glad that you got it figured out and shared it with us.
Posted by: Sam | November 28, 2007 at 07:34 AM
Thanks for the heads up....I'm off to check what settings are on my camera. I often feel my photos have an over all grayish look.
Posted by: Janet | November 28, 2007 at 07:54 AM
okay, i don't see a difference. is there something wrong with my eyes? or is my mac baby sick?
Posted by: jenwcom | November 28, 2007 at 08:12 AM
dang that yannie is a cutie pie! huge difference btw...awesome awesome! :)
Posted by: Tanya Webster | November 28, 2007 at 08:23 AM
I am so glad you shared that. I also noticed the same thing on my blog photos that I uploaded and was blaming my Mac publishing software (iWeb) for it. Thank you sooo much for that info!
Posted by: Renee | November 28, 2007 at 08:28 AM
What a difference, I always keep my camera and settings on sRGB, --wondering if it made a difference to your pictures when printing to have changed to Adobe RGB?? in which case, does that mean you are keeping it in Adobe RGB when working in PS and when printing? or do you convert afterwards?
Posted by: Amanda V. | November 28, 2007 at 08:40 AM
Karen,
Thanks for the valuable information. I convert my colors whenever I use PS but they never look great when I post on my blog - I think you have found the answer :-) Thank you!
It's an Etsy - glitter me!
http://www.etsy.com/your_shop.php
Posted by: Angie | November 28, 2007 at 08:42 AM
Karen,
I ALWAYS read your blog!
Posted by: dmatthews | November 28, 2007 at 09:53 AM
Boy, that really is a difference! Thanks.
And like Christy asked, how do you get the dark corners in your photos? There is an option for that in iPhoto, but it's a little drastic.
[email protected]
Posted by: Leslie M | November 28, 2007 at 11:13 AM
big difference, but truthfully never noticed. Annie is the cutest (grey or not).
Posted by: michelle tabb | November 28, 2007 at 11:37 AM
Wow -what an amazing difference! Thanks for sharing that tip!
Posted by: Betsey Cline | November 28, 2007 at 12:09 PM
WOW! What a difference!! Thanks!
Posted by: Jenny Savage | November 28, 2007 at 02:40 PM
Cool to know that! Thanks!
Posted by: Loni | November 28, 2007 at 02:49 PM
Hi karen.....I'm so excited - my new lens ( canon 50mm fixed f/1.4 ) has just arrived ( thank you for your recomeendations and for having such fab photos on your blog to show my hubby! ). I've been playing in the dark, and hope to get chance in the daylight tomorrow. Just wondering if the effects you achieved in the lovely photos of Annie dressed up for Hallowe'en ( as a pumpkin) with all the blurring about the edges are purely using the lens, or have you edited them in any way?
Posted by: Kathy (kathyb) | November 28, 2007 at 02:51 PM
At first I thought "what grey tones?" when I would read your blog. But now I see the difference.
I've got a 20 month old (Kennedy) and I just got her bangs cut and I thought after I did it that she looked a lot like your daughter.
By the way, Kennedy also hits me (or her brother or her older sister) and she has a "time out" spot in the kitchen. She just sits there until I come to talk to her. Then she gives hugs and kisses. Makes it all better. :)
Posted by: Sally | November 28, 2007 at 05:28 PM
LOL Karen I when you first posted that your skin colors were looking funny I was thinking wow they look great to me but now that I have seen the difference in the two photo's it all makes sence. Thanks for sharing the info if I ever get that far I will try and remember it.
Posted by: Deneen | November 28, 2007 at 05:34 PM
i hated it when i didnt' know that either. used to drive me nuts. :)
love the before and after edits. :) neat to see.
Posted by: jamie | November 29, 2007 at 10:09 PM
What a difference this little change has made. Must try this immediately. I shoot in Adobe RBG RAW too, but don't save my web photos to sRBG.
For your blog photos, do you save at 72 dpi resolution? I've tried posting at both OOC res (plus cropping) and 72. Only diff I see is that it takes seconds for 72 res to upload to blog, while OOC takes longer. I don't see any diff in photo quality on the blog. What do you think?
Posted by: Penny | November 30, 2007 at 06:50 AM
I love reading your photography comments even though I don't understand most of them. One thing that struck me about Annie's photos is how her dress looks like a Christmas tree because of the opening in her sweater. At first, I though she was wearing a Christmas shirt. She's a cutie!
Posted by: Linda | December 01, 2007 at 06:45 AM
I read your blog every day but I haven't posted before but I have recently really got into photography so I read all your recomendations. I purchased the Canon 50mm 1.4 and also the 85mm.I LOVE them both and I Thank-You for shareing your knowledge. You really need to get your photography classes going. I have been to some of your scrapbook classes in Roseburg and enjoyed them very much.I am also trying to learn photoshop. I wanted to try some actions but I have a question for you. After you download them where in photo shop do you find them?
Posted by: Flo Raines | December 06, 2007 at 08:51 AM
I wish this were a Q&A where I could see your answers because you DON'T know me and I'm totally lurking so if you don't have time to respond, I understand. But like a couple of people have asked, I was wondering how you get that darker effect around the edges of your pictures? [email protected]
Thanks!
Posted by: lillie | January 07, 2008 at 04:07 PM
Okay... I've been complaining about this for awhile, but I thought it was an issue with Typepad because it's been fine in the past! A friend sent me this link to your blog, and now I feel like pounding my head against the wall! I never would have put the two together... but once I read the title of your post it DAWNED on me! I had just set my camera to Adobe RGB at the same time I noticed my pictures looking desaturated! I guess I just didn't remember setting my camera.. because I forgot all about it until just now!
Thanks!
Posted by: Amy Hummel | April 25, 2009 at 08:26 AM