Expert: Scott Valentine - 10/24/2008

Question
QUESTION: I've been using photoshop for years with windows, and just recently moved on using it with mac. It took me a while to notice this weird error which I'll try to explain as well as I can.

When I upload images I've done minor changes with photoshop (mainly brightness/contrast) to internet (i.e. photobucket, deviantart) they mysteriously either loose all these alterations or parts of them even though when opening the file in preview or in iPhoto the modifications are viewable. Why is this?

I've spent hours and hours reading through forums on this subject but cannot find an answer that works. I've tried re-saving the file with preview, trying .gif instead of .jpg, saved layers when locked/unlocked etc. etc. but by far nothing has help.

I use os x 10.5 and CS3 extended.


- Jenna

ANSWER: What an odd problem! My guess is that Photoshop might be saving your files to a different location than you expect, or the uploader you are using is grabbing the files from the wrong location.

The other possibility I can see is that only the preview embedded in the file is being updated, though I don't really know how that would happen.

Try this experiment; make a copy of one image that you can work on and save it to your desktop. Use Finder to do this. Open up that copy in Photoshop, and do something drastic to it, like adding type or big brush strokes across the image. Save the image using "Save As..." and choose JPG, High Quality, and maybe reduce the size if you like. When you click 'Save', it should ask you where you want to save it. Choose the desktop and do not change the file name - you will be asked to replace the current file.

At that point, when you close the file from Photoshop, it will ask you if you want save the changes. Tell it "no".

Now, go back to your photo on the desktop and preview it or open in iPhoto. If it looks as you expect it to, send it to your web service and check it again. Check to make sure you are uploading the copy, which should have exactly the same name as the original. If the image looks as expected on the web service, then my guess is that your uploader is selecting the wrong folder - check the file path to make sure you are grabbing the right version.

If that's the case, you can prevent the issue in the future by either deleting the original (I do NOT recommend this), or by saving the edited versions to a new folder and making sure you use that folder for your web uploads.

If this doesn't work, and the image doesn't get changed, you might have to reinstall Photoshop. Again, I'm not sure why changes would not be saved properly, though.

I hope this helps - if you have other questions or would like some clarification, please don't hesitate to ask!

-Scott

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi,

thank you for your answer. I did everything the way you adviced, but ended up with the same result as before. I have a scrnshot of the issue here: http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/norre/Picture3.png?t=1224839410

The first picture is the original one, second is the photoshop edition, and third is the result after uploading it to photobucket. Some modifications do show in it, but it's a lot lighter. The problem would be easier to understand if there would be no editions to be seen after uploading.

Yesterday I found someone with similar problem (pictures showed a bit darker in his browser than in his photoshop) from some forum and switched the 'gray' from color settings to gamma 2.2 - but this did not help. Could there be some other color settings wrong in either my firefox or photoshop that I'm not aware of?

Answer
Ah - I think I misunderstood your original question. It seems as though Photoshop is converting your color profile between your working space the web profile. Check your color space options. If you are outputting to web only, stick to sRGB. However, if you are working on images that will be primarily printed, use Adobe RGB or ProPhoto space.

If you are using "Save For Web", Photoshop tries to convert the color space to sRGB, but doesn't always do a good job. If you need good fidelity, make a copy of your flattened image, convert it to sRGB space, readjust to correct the colors and brightness, then use "Save for Web" to export your JPG images.

You can find more information about this by asking at any one of several online forums. I usually hang around http://photoshoptechniques.com/forum

If you are still having trouble, or need more detail, posting your image and situation there will get you world-class help from some amazing Photoshop users. And, they'll be able to give you more detailed and immediate feedback than I can here.

Sorry I didn't understand your situation at first - but please let me know if you need any other help!

-Scott