Image Upload Problem - Colour Distortion

[JamieM]

I am having a problem with certain photographed images. When uploaded to Google Merchant Centre for example, the colour red is being distorted to a horrible brown.

This is the original image:

After uploading to Google it shows like this:

The same thing also happens with the uploader in my ecommerce software. Other colours are affected but red is probably the worst. Any ideas why this might be happening?

 

[KM-Tiger]

One possibility is that the image has been saved with a colour space other than 'sRGB'.

So it's not Google or your ecommerce software that is causing the problem, but that the browser doesn't understand the colour space for the image it is displaying.

I believe that Safari on a Mac is better with colour spaces, so that might be a quick test of whether colour space is the problem.

 

[Trust Malcolm]

Hi,
Try saving without a colour profile... When you are in Photoshop use the option "Save for Web" and then upload the file. Colour profiles take up an enormous amount of space...please let us know what happens!
Hope it works!
Malcolm

 

[JamieM]

One possibility is that the image has been saved with a colour space other than 'sRGB'.

So it's not Google or your ecommerce software that is causing the problem, but that the browser doesn't understand the colour space for the image it is displaying.

I believe that Safari on a Mac is better with colour spaces, so that might be a quick test of whether colour space is the problem.

Thanks. I'm on a Mac with Safari but I'm not sure how I would do that test?

Hi,
Try saving without a colour profile... When you are in Photoshop use the option "Save for Web" and then upload the file. Colour profiles take up an enormous amount of space...please let us know what happens!
Hope it works!
Malcolm

Thanks. I don't have Photoshop but I'll ask my web designer if he can try this. I tried having a look to see if there was anything I could do in Pixlr Editor but even when I opened the image in there it was brown.

 

[KM-Tiger]

Thanks. I'm on a Mac with Safari but I'm not sure how I would do that test?

In effect you have done the test already. What I meant was if it rendered OK in Safari on a Mac, but not in Firefox on a PC, then that would definitely point to a colour space problem.

 

[bgravenell]

the most common cause is that the image is not saved as true RGB

 

[Nala]

It's almost certainly in aRGB (adobe RGB) which is a wider colour gamut for print use.

As said change in Photoshop. It just needs convert to profile sRGB which is better for web, save to web will do the same. It's actually a slightly smaller colour space, but doesn't throw up browser problems which can't recognize it.

 

[Deleted member 59730]

OPen in PS and use View>gamut warning and you will see that almost the entire image is out of gamut.

Never ever ever us 'Save for web'. It wipes the metadata which according to an IPO spokesperson is illegal. (But no photographer can find the penalties).

 

[Deleted member 59730]

It's almost certainly in aRGB (adobe RGB) which is a wider colour gamut for print use.

Its actually in one of the widest colour spaces ProPhoto RGB.

 

[Nala]

Its actually in one of the widest colour spaces ProPhoto RGB.

Yeah, I didn't check it

And you're right about save to web as well, but since some software out there seems to strip the info out anyway I've long given up bothering to try and bang my head against the brick wall that is ignorance - you'd have thought adobe would take it out!

 

[JamieM]

Thanks for all the input on this everyone and particularly bargainmania who helped me by PM. I used Gimp to convert the images to an RGM workspace colour profile which seems to have done the trick.

Thanks again all!

 

[deadgoodundies]

Talking about photo editing.
Just in case anyone hasn't heard. Adobe are now giving Photoshop CS2 away for free so as long as you don't need all the latest bells and whistles it's worth the download

https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/entitlement/index.cfm?pid=4485850&e=cs2_downloads

 

[Lens Flair Photographic]

Bear in mind CS2 may have issues running on operating systems newer than XP and particularly 64 bit systems. Compatibility mode may help.

 

[deadgoodundies]

Not to worry it works fine on windows 7 pro 64 bit (no need for compatibility mode). got it running on one of the pc's in the office

 

[Lens Flair Photographic]

That's fine then

The other thing to bear in mind (when buying software) is that for 90% of photographers is that Photoshop is unnecessary. Elements can do most things as well.

Lightroom is also a great stand alone program if you are not a great PPer and is superb for workflow. It even builds on line galleries to publish.

 

[deadgoodundies]

Yes I second lightroom.
My general workflow is shoot tethered to lightroom and do basic adjustments within lightroom and then for any major editing it gets finished in Photoshop (I know I can do most of what I need in raw import of PS but I prefer lightroom).
Elements is a good program if you are on a budget but as CS2 is free can't get cheaper than that