Processed images darker than originals

Richard Matzinger

• June 17, 2014 21:39

I just did a table-top shoot against a white background and adjusted all the originals with exposure and color corrections, cropping, etc. using Capture One. I "processed" the images and the JPEG files in the Output folder are all noticeably darker than the originals causing the white background to be grey and the subject similarly darkened. It doesn't seem to matter if I convert to jpeg or tiff, same result. The images are being viewed on the same screen. Is there a bug in version 7.15? Is there some configuration item I am missing or that might be mis-configured? I have never had Photoshop change images when converting to JPEG other than sometimes the color is very very slightly different. The problem I am having with Capture One is dramatically different and my client needs these images ASAP. What do I do? Must I convert everything to PSD or TIFF and re-process them one by one in Photoshop? Don't ask me to upload images -- I don't have time for that. They are simply darker than the originals and looking at them won't provide any better information than that.

Thanks for your help.
--Richard

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  Paul Steunebrink

  • June 18, 2014 09:18

  As you pointed out, a Tiif gives the same result as Jpeg. I don't think is has to do with the file format.
  
  A few suggestions
  - open the output folder with processed images on CO7 and compare the results; if it is the same as the raw file, the issue is perhaps in Photoshop
  - in Photoshop and CO7 check the output profile settings; are you working in the same color space?
  - in Photoshop check hardware acceleration settings like OpenGL
  - make sure you view the images against the same neutral background in both applications; a darker or lighter background has great effect on how we see an image

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  SFA

  • June 18, 2014 10:44

  As an extension to Paul's suggestions ... something that may be worth double checking.
  
  When you edit the files you may have a Proof Profile set that is different to the profile set for the output recipe. Often this may make little or no difference to the end result because the results are much the same anyway or perhaps because the resulting output is being sent for further processing anyway. But sometime the selected profiles can be very different or the profile used during edit is simply not available when output - although one might expect this to have more of an effect the detail on colour output rather then making a truly white background look noticeably darker.
  
  One additional question. When you look at the output files are you doing so in Capture One or through, say, Windows Explorer? Or maybe Photoshop?
  
  There are so many potential points of 'adjustment' for how things are viewed these days that It occurs to me that we may all, unwittingly, be comparing things that are not being consistently presented on screen by different applications even in a colour managed workflow. These things can be easy to overlook or indeed we may not be aware that they are there and having an influence.
  
  
  HTH.
  
  
  Grant

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