Problem with "Color Management" tab when saving an image

[Lou_Salkind]

I ran into a related color management problem today.

Start with a 16 bit Tiff file in Adobe RGB space

Create thumb/preview with sRGB as the color space.

Work in offline mode (so you are using the preview image).

Mail yourself or open the image in Windows Photoviewer.

You will see the colors are off.

My guess is that an additional color space transformation of Adobe RGB to sRGB is performed on the preview image (which is already in sRGB space), because the metadata says the color space is Adobe RGB.

Hert, can you confirm this, or do you need some samples?

[Hert/IDimager]

Lou,

From how you describe this I think that the color conversion indeed takes place in offline/preview mode, while when a stored preview is used then the color conversion already took place.

I'll fix this

Hert

[giorgio321]

Hi Hert,

Concerning what Frank has reported, the problem is, for me, that the tag %xmp:photoshop:ICCProfile must be updated each time a colour conversion is done (when keeping metadata of course).

This is now fixed for the next update.

Thanks
Hert

In IDI v5.0.6.8 this problem is not solved : when using the "Transfer" function, the tag is not updated with the destination profile...

Giorgio

[klafollette]

In 5.0.6.9 I'm still seeing strange color management change issues, or I'm doing something wrong.

Working with Nikon NEFs as original source. In-camera setting is AdobeRGB
When working in Capture NX2, setting profile to ProPhotoRGB.
The IDImager thumbnail looks correct, showing as ProPhotoRGB. I can then transfer to SmugMug, using embedded JPG from NEF, with "Convert to sRGB color profile if needed" checked, and everything works well and colors look correct everywhere.

Now I work with an HDR set, I export TIFFs from NX2, embed color profile, so the TIFFs read as ProPhotoRGB. I import into PhotoMatix Pro, merge and generate 16bit TIFF. Bring TIFF into Capture NX2 for final cleanup and save as a NEF. Again still in ProPhotoRGB.

Now in IDImager, the thumbnail preview of the final HDR NEF looks correct, and indicates ProPhotoRGB. But if I transfer to SmugMug with "Convert to sRGB color profile if needed" checked, the colors go completely wrong in SmugMug (highly exaggerated). Also wrong if I have Convert to sRGB unchecked (very flat).

Now if I go back to the final HDR NEF in NX2 and convert profile to sRGB and save, the thumbnail preview looks same. If I try to transfer to SmugMug with the "Convert to sRGB color profile if needed" CHECKED, it doesn't transfer correctly, colors are highly exaggerated. Since it's already in sRGB, I would think it wouldn't try and convert it, but appears to be changing something. Now if I transfer to SmugMug with the "Convert to sRGB color profile if needed" UNCHECKED, it transfers correctly. That I would expect, but I'd like to avoid the extra step of converting in NX2, or having to uncheck the convert to sRGB setting only when I'm transferring one of these HDR images. I don't have to do that with 1st generation NEFs, but going from exported TIFF through PhotoMatx, then back to NEF seems to mess something up for IDImager. The preview is correct, but transfer function messes something up.

Any suggestions?

[Lou_Salkind]

I can no longer reproduce this problem in 5.0.7.0.

[giorgio321]

In IDI v5.0.6.8 this problem is not solved : when using the "Transfer" function, the tag is not updated with the destination profile...

Not solved in 5.0.7.0 too...
Has something been modified ?

Giorgio