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.