Color Mismatch when working with Windows PC screen shots on a Mac

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Posted By
Ann_Dupuis
Oct 3, 2006
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255
Replies
4
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Closed
I’m working on some tech documentation that requires Windows XP screen shots while I update the documentation layout files on a Macintosh.

When I open the Windows-created screenshots in Photoshop CS for the Mac, the colors are quite a bit off from where they should be. Instead of showing the standard bluish grey background for dialog boxes, etc., (that I see in the screen shots when viewing in Windows) I’m seeing brownish/beige/tan colors when opening these images in Photoshop or Word.

It’s not a screen calibration issue (I’m using sRGB IEC61966-2.1 for both my screen color calibration and the Photoshop color profile). I’m trying to match earlier Windows PC screen shots (which maintained their correct colors when ported to the Mac)….

Any suggestions on what might be causing the color shift when I open the Windows screen shot files on my Mac? (in Photoshop CS or Word)

Interestingly enough, the colors look fine in Preview. Whassup?

Ann
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CS
Carl_Stawicki
Oct 3, 2006
First, you can’t use sRGB as your monitor profile because you need a custom profile for that.

Second, in order to truly get accurate color on a screen shot from any platform, you would have to assign the originating monitor’s profile. This is assuming said profile was done correctly an accurate. I’ll go with the odds a guess the original PC didn’t have a monitor profile.

That leaves you stuck doing manual corrections. First, decide on an RGB working space, which sRGB is fine for. Then you should be able to perform the same correction on each image, because the RGB numbers themselves will be the same throughout (assuming no conversion took place). Once you get the correction worked out, you can create an Action to make life easier.
CS
Carl_Stawicki
Oct 3, 2006
ps….Give another point to OSX for creating color-managed screen captures.
NR
Niles_Ridgeman
Oct 4, 2006
And then there’s the old PC gamma 1.8 instead of mac 2.2 thang…
AS
Ann_Shelbourne
Oct 4, 2006
And then there’s the old PC gamma 1.8 instead of mac 2.2 thang… >

Actually it was the other way round.
But it is indeed "old" because Macs are also usually calibrated for 2.2 gamma these days.

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