Brightness/Contrast Advice Sought

[graeme_hutton]

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A brief hiatus to get a new pc has left me with Adobe Elements 8 to master after being accustomed to PS 3 and I have a problem whereby a B&W processed image looks perfect on screen viewed in Elements in terms of brightness and contrast but the looks slightly flat when uploaded to the forum or LFI gallery.

 

Could someone advise please?

 

Many thanks

 

Graeme

[adan]

Most likely suspect - are you converting the image to sRGB color space before uploading to the Web?

 

Most web browsers don't acknowledge embedded color profiles, but simply assume the color values (say, R205, G198, B65) are sRGB values.

 

Take a moderately intense color. In a big color space like Adobe 1998 or Pro Photo, it will still have fairly low RGB color values, since - while intense - they are still nowhere near the limits of the color space (which would be 256). In a smaller color space like sRGB, those same RGB numbers define a much duller color. Converting the image to sRGB runs math on the colors to make them brighter WITHIN the sRGB range so that they LOOK LIKE the original numbers/colors in the big color space.

 

It is not really a contrast increase per se, but a saturation increase, which means a contrast increase within each color channel, so that, for example, the blue channel is darker in yellows and the red/green channels are darkened in blue areas, making for more intense yellows (no blue contamination) and blues (less red/green contamination).

 

(BTW - Adobe 1998 not only a bigger space than sRGB, but also a different shape, which is why blues especially are not only duller but also more purple if not converted - 1998 has more space for reproducing cyan-blues).

 

As to why a difference between Elements 8 and PS3 - Adobe has made changes over the years in where and how one can do the conversion to sRGB. I assume you are using Photoshop Creative Suite 3 (which is actually Photoshop "10") and not PhotoShop 3 (which dates to 1994!). In any case, Elements 8 is at least 2 years further along in development than even PSCS3 - 2009 vs. 2007

[adan]

Duh oops - just noticed the reference to "B&W images" in the original post. Sheesh! Still it was good explanation of the wrong problem, so I'll leave it.

 

For B&W images (pure gray-scale, not monochrome RGB) the analogy to color space would be image GAMMA. Usually G2.2 or G1.8 - G2.2 being more common. An image processed under one gamma but displayed/viewed under a different gamma (as determined by settings in Elements and, separately, in your basic OS display controls) may pick up or lose apparent contrast.

 

I.E., Elements, being profile-savvy, may display images differently than they will look outside of PSE (i.e. throghh your browser or other software.

[graeme_hutton]

Many thanks for such a thoughtful reply Andy.....A bit beyond my skill level I fear. Is there a setting I can adjust in Elements 8 to adjust this anomaly?

 

Thanks,

 

Graeme

[adan]

I don't use Elements much in detail, but the first place to look would be the PREFERENCES, under color space or something like that. You probably should also figure out what your basic monitor(screen) gamma is - usually there is a setting somewhere in the overall system preferences for your computer for "Displays."