Color Calibration Problem on Mac and PC?

Question

A friend's sister got married about a year and a half ago. She had created her own album using Picaboo (similar to Shutterfly), but didn't like where she was going with it and asked me if I could help her out.

I used Adobe Lightroom3 and Photoshop CS5 to edit the photos. They're saved as jpgs. I sent her some of the finished photos to see if I had to go-ahead to design the album. So far, so good. However last week when I started creating the album, I uploaded some of the pictures to Picaboo...and when I went to drag the photo into the album page, the picture color immediately became dull and muted.

I have no idea why this is happening. I've never had a problem editing/uploading pictures onto Facebook or sending them to other people via email. I do photography on a PC, and thought maybe that was the problem, so I put the edited photos to a flash drive and then put them on my Macbook...but the same problem happened.

Then today I noticed that this problem also happened when I added one of my photos from Flickr onto Pinterest.

Does anyone know if it's a problem with my color calibration? The only reason why I'm thinking this isn't the case is because it's happened on my PC and Mac. But I really have no other idea was to what the problem is.

Any insight would be beyond appreciated.

Answer 1

Since the same effect happened both on the monitor where the pix were created and a separate monitor of a different platform, I am suspecting color space mismatch. What color space are you using on the jpgs? What color space does Picaboo use? If your images are being converted to another color space, the dullness and muting you are seeing are a distinct possibility. Jpgs usually are in sRGB and in playing around with Photoshop real quick I just saw that if I take an sRGB jpg and convert it to Color Match RGB it goes flat, lightens and the color mutes out. Hmmmm.... I think you might be on to something here.

Answer 2

I would agree with ^ and add that Picaboo might have a built-in color converter changing your RGB (the viewing standard) photos to CMYK (the printing standard). My experience with such a conversion usually sees the CMYK looking a touch duller in comparison to what you see on the screen but it's the difference between additive and subtractive colors. This may help: http://www.printernational.org/rgb-versus-cmyk.php



Hope that helps.

Answer 3

the two above me hit a great variety of the information admirably. the only issues i will recommend previous that (and attempt theirs first) are: a million)Run a hardware diagnostic. to try this, locate the disks that initially got here along with your device in case you have them. that's those that got here with it, no longer in basic terms any set up disks. those that got here with the device have device particular hardware assessments. between the CD's would desire to be labeled hardware attempt, so positioned that for the time of and boot off of it (reboot at the same time as preserving c), and you will desire to be provided with the flexibility to run an prolonged hardware attempt. this would desire to attempt, between different issues, your video card. it is going to say bypass or fail for that. If it fails, then there is your subject, and you will ought to interchange it. 2) attempt yet another show screen. that's often conceivable that the show screen is borked. Alternately, attempt your show screen with a various pc and notice if it works. If it would not, then the show screen is hosed and you will ought to interchange it to get colour. 3) attempt yet another video port. maximum, if no longer all, of the G4 towers (i'm assuming this would properly be a working laptop or pc) have 2 video inputs, which variety reckoning on your variety. attempt to locate/borrow/scouse borrow a show screen, or an adapter on your present day show screen, so as which you will plug it in to the different video enter (whichever one you're no longer at the instant attempting). If I bear in mind properly, a great variety of the G4 towers have ADV (ovalish connector) and the two VGA(trapazoidal) or DVI(oblong) inputs. once you're at the instant making use of the ADC one, looking a VGA show screen or DVI show screen is tremendously easy. once you're making use of a non-ADC show screen, and the different enter is ADC, properly- ADC video show gadgets are tremendously uncommon at the instant. besides, if the different port works wonderful with colour, then that's in all probability a borked port, that are replaced, in spite of the undeniable fact that that's in all probability greater handy just to purchase an adapter and use the stable port. ----- those are issues to objective if the before pronounced solutions do no longer artwork, nonetheless I strongly suspect which you in basic terms have the colors inverted, as replace into before pronounced. stable success with this. :)