Re: Save to Web Color Handling

I was surprised to find that the "Save for Web" command in CS2 forces an
assignment of sRGB even if your image is tagged otherwise.

No, it doesn't.

Checking the profile Checkbox will embed the right profile for JPEGs.
Any other formats are saved without any profile.
24 bit PNGs are opened afterwards without asking with the PS RGB-workingspace.

JPEGs with profile are shown in browsers except Safari with the display profile attached, AKA no CM at all.
In Safari they're shown correct, as in PS.

JPEGS without a profile show the same behaviour in all other brothers.
In Safari they are also shown unmanaged.

So you will see the same picture in PS as shown in the browser, if you use the preview as follows:
Device: your display profile
Checked 'keep RGB Values'.

All good points Thomas. Personally I think Adobe is missing the point, in regards to color, with their implementation of the "Save for Web" feature. Embedding profiles into every image and increasing file sizes is not something that web designers are interested in. Jeff's point, which I think is a great one, is that it would be much more useful if its default behavior was to convert images to sRGB. Adobe's default "Uncompensated Color" viewing condition is a good default, IMO, because it simulates the poor color management behavior that most browsers will exhibit with an image. If Adobe converted images to sRGB as a default (but left the ability for us to change this) then the color matching would surely be more reliable for the masses.

I witness way too many people saving their AdobeRGB and ProPhotoRGB images with "Save for Web" thinking that Adobe is taking care of their needs and then are frustrated with the poor match in their browser. When I teach them to convert to sRGB and soft proof prior to saving they are happy with the results but are frustrated with how clumsy and un-intuitively Photoshop handles this.

As a side note, the Image Processor's "Convert Profile to sRGB" checkbox demonstrates that they understand the importance of this so it's just odd that they aren't bringing this same thinking to the "Save for Web" feature. As another side note I really wish the Image Processor had a "Convert Profile to SWOP" or profile pop-up menu under the "Save for TIFF" section. Wouldn't that be nice?

I think this is all a matter of predicting the needs of the masses and implementing smart application defaults that allow those masses to get what they want with a minimum amount of effort. Adobe hasn't done a great job in this respect with its "Save for Web" defaults, it's application color settings (until recently), and it's PDF presets. That's my .02

References:
	>Re: Save to Web Color Handling (From: Thomas Richard <email@hidden>)