recent Mac convert- brown tones in B&W?

Hi- I'm amped on having finally switched from my old Dell to a Macbook Pro, but I've been researching screen calibration and color profiles because B&W tones on my Macbook seem to have an overall subtle brown hue to them that I've never noticed on PCs. I've spoken to friends w/Macbook Pros and they cite the same tones.

Anyone have anyting to say to this?

(I have tried viewing images w/Preview, Aperture and CS3- same deal)

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

d4800 said:

Anyone have anyting to say to this?

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First of all, make sure your display is calibrated.
Secondly, it could be the images themselves. If they were not converted properly, then it is possible that the RGB color mode is still present and the images are not an actual Grayscale. If by "CS3" (which is an entire suite of several very different applications) you meant Photoshop, then you can check the color profiles of the images using that.

D3v1L80Y said:

First of all, make sure your display is calibrated.
Secondly, it could be the images themselves. If they were not converted properly, then it is possible that the RGB color mode is still present and the images are not an actual Grayscale. If by "CS3" (which is an entire suite of several very different applications) you meant Photoshop, then you can check the color profiles of the images using that.

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Thanks. Yes, I meant Photoshop. I convert any images I edit in PS to "sRGB" before saving, but this doesn't solve the Firefox/Safari recognition of color profiles issue. I love Safari, but most people viewing my photos (on flickr for example) are using a PC and the colors look so much more muted and washed out on IE and Firefox.

I don't know anything about calibrating my monitor, but I'll continue to do research to this end when I have time.

Also, I use Aperture for minor editing and convert to sRGB there as well. I'm not sure if that's what you were referring to when you suggested that they might not have been converted "properly." Thanks again.

d4800 said:

I convert any images I edit in PS to "sRGB" before saving, but this doesn't solve the Firefox/Safari recognition of color profiles issue. I love Safari, but most people viewing my photos (on flickr for example) are using a PC and the colors look so much more muted and washed out on IE and Firefox.

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This is because out of those three browsers (IE, Firefox, Safari), only Safari actually supports embedded sRGB color profiles.

This post of mine has a link to some information that explains it in more detail.

As far as what I meant by the images not being converted properly, if they are in any color mode other than grayscale, then they will retain color information and are not a true "B&W" image.
Here's an easy way to tell:
Take your image (one of your sRGB "B&W" ones) into Photoshop
Go to Image>Adjustments
If you see anything there about color or saturation, then the image isn't true B&W. It does hold some color to it.
Depending on a person's monitor calibration or the browser or viewer they are using, it could show some reddish, brownish tint.

If it were actually Grayscale, then those items would not be accessible in the Adjustments menu.
This image shouldn't show as having any hue or tint to it, no matter what you viewed it with... unless your monitor's calibration was way off.

Here is the same photo, saved two different ways:

In an RGB mode:


...and again in Grayscale mode:



You will see that the first photo has a faint reddish, pinkish tint to it.
The second seems a bit sharper and darker.

I have done nothing to either photo to enhance contrast, brightness or sharpness. I haven't added blurring or smudging either. The difference is in the color profiles of the images themselves.

D3v1L80Y said:

If it were actually Grayscale, then those items would not be accessible in the Adjustments menu.

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Thanks for the thorough explanation. I was talking about photos that were shot in B&W (either on B&W film or digitally in-camera) but in terms of future conversion, I will heed that warning. Good of you to break it down for me. Best,
D

Like DB says, it's best you let software convert images to grayscale than tell the camera to do it and here's a very detailed explanation on the process: Why In-camera Black and White is a Bad Idea.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for that. Lately, I've been shooting w/B&W film, but w/digital I converted afterward 90% of the time, but this article knocked out that 10%. Appreciated, MHC.

Glad I could help, d!