Question on opening a jpg file from a MAC to PC

[missybear]

I own a photography business and use a PC. One of my photographers uses a MAC book. Whenever she gives me a disc with all her finished images, the color is de-saturated and looks muted. What can we do to fix this?

 

[pigoo3]

As far as I Know...a .jpeg file is a .jpeg file regardless of the computer that the file is stored on. If this photographer's photos always look desaturated...it's not the computer. It's either:

- the camera the photographer is using
- the camera settings the photographer is using
- or the photos are being modified before submitting them to you

The .jpeg issues are not computer related.

- Nick

 

[missybear]

Well its weird because when I first load the disc, they look fine. Then when I try to open them from a thumbnail or back them up to an Internet site (like shutterfly or snapfish), that's when I lose the color.

 

[MacInWin]

What are you doing to them on the PC? If the first load of the images is fine, the problem is NOT with the Mac or the disc, it's something in the PC.

 

[missybear]

So if I open them in Microsoft picture viewer they are in full color. When I upload them from the disc to Snapfish, the color is muted and de-saturated. If I open them in Picassa (free picture editing software) they are muted as well. If I copy and save them to my HD, they are still muted in color. I am not doing any editing to them.

 

[MacInWin]

And if you then open them in MS picture viewer again after Picasa what happens? Theoretically nothing you've described should change the image, unless Snapfish is doing something, or Picasa. I've not used either in a very long time, but I don't think they do editing or pruning. The way to see if the image is changed is to look at it from the disc (I'm presuming a CD or DVD, right?) and then after sending it up and receiving it back down. If they are different, the sending/receiving is doing something.

 

[missybear]

Thanks for your responses guys! I figured out it is Picassa that is the issue. I loaded from the CD to the HD and opened with Microsoft Picture viewer and they maintain their color. I'm going to have to figure out if it is a setting or something in Picassa that is doing that. It's weird because nothing I load from another PC has that issue in Picassa, only the pics I get from MAC users.

 

[pigoo3]

Congratulations finding the issue. The files themselves coming from the computers (Mac's) are fine...I was thinking that some sort of setting or preference is somehow modifying the files when they are opened (maybe some sort of auto-correction feature in the software).

If this is only happening from certain folks that submit photos to you...it could be the camera settings they are using...and then it is your computer apps that are modifying/adjusting the photos characteristics.

So it may only be coincidental that the photos you have issues with are coming from a photographer with a Mac computer...and the real issue is the camera settings...or auto-correction software settings.

Just a guess/thought.

- Nick

 

[DenAtTheDBM]

If the photographer shoots in Adobe RGB, the pictures will have a greater dynamic range than if they were shot in sRGB. This greater dynamic range is visible on your computer, but the web can only display things in sRGB. The standard webkit used by web browsers is just not able to display all of the color that is recorded in an Adobe RGB image.

Whatever software the photographer is using is likely embedding the Adobe RGB color space into the file when saving / exporting the file. Then, Picassa on your computer is converting them to the "sRGB IEC61966-2.1" colorspace when it imports them, but even if it didn't they would look desaturated once uploaded to web anyway.

So, if you convert the colorspace to sRGB before uploading them, you may be able to retain some of the color in the original images. One easy way to do this would be to install The GIMP or some other editing software on your computer (I mention The GIMP because I know it can do this but other software might be just as good), in The GIMP's preferences set the working colorspace to "sRGB IEC61966-2.1", then open any image and The GIMP should prompt you to change the ICC Color Profile, it will display the "Current Color Profile" and then offer a pull-down menu from which you can choose "sRGB IEC61966-2.1", save the file and you should have a nice looking jpg that won't desaturate when uploaded (or not as much at least).

I've used this process before with images that had been shot in Adobe RGB and found that The GIMP does a good job of creating an sRGB file that doesn't look too desaturated (at least compared to the desaturation you get when just uploading the Adobe RGB version).

Also, you could ask the photographers to save the files they submit to you with "sRGB" as the embedded colorspace to begin with. Then you won't have to do any of the above work. Some of them might not know how to do that or if it even can be done with the editing software they use. But, couldn't hurt to ask them anyway.

If it's Mac users only that have this issue, they may be using Aperture as it's an Apple product that doesn't have a Windows version. There is a way to set the color profile when exporting to jpg in Aperture, but it may not be obvious to many users.

In Aperture when you go to export a "Version", the dialog that comes up has a pull-down menu that usually defaults to "jpeg - Original Size" but you can click on it and choose from a bunch of other sizes. At the bottom of that pull-down menu is the option "Edit..." which if selected, brings up a dialog that has a bunch more options including the colorspace. You can select "sRGB IEC61966-2.1" and then click "OK" and then "Export Versions".