Or
Why do images look differently on different devices or in different browsers?
Because my site is a photography site, I have a vested interest in having the images displayed here being viewed with the correct colors. I do not claim to be an expert on color management. I do however know that the intent of an image can be ruined when seen in the wrong color profile.
Two Methods….
1.
Color manage your monitor + use only the
correct browsers + tweak the browsers
2.
Use only the correct browsers + tweak the
browsers
As expected this method requires the most changes and
costs money to achieve. It also
requires continued re-calibration every few months.
Buy and Use Monitor Calibration Hardware/Software---
-Consists of software installed on the computer (Non-iOS devices) and a piece of hardware that sits on the front of the monitor during calibration. The software runs the computer monitor through many different display colors and brightness’s. Need to re-calibrate every few months.
-Monitor Calibration
systems cost between $78 and $349 depending on vigorousness of the system.
I
use such a system because in photography it is important that color
rendition is correct!
-Safari- Install it and you are done! Yes, Apple’s Safari web browser can easily be installed on a PC. Safari (Apple) is the only browser developer that actually cares enough about color management to build it into the browser by default.
-Firefox- Firefox web browser does NOT have color management turned on by default, but it is there for anyone who desires to make use of it.
-Instructions for activating color management in
Firefox can be found here:
http://cameratico.com/guides/firefox-color-management/
-Caution!
Be careful not to make other changes while in about:config.
It can fowl up the browser……
Use Only Safari or Firefox Web Browsers--
-Safari- Install it and you are done! Yes, Apple’s Safari web browser can easily be installed on a PC. Safari (Apple) is the only browser developer that actually cares enough about color management to build it into the browser by default.
-Firefox- Firefox web browser does NOT have color management turned on by default, but it is there for anyone who desires to make use of it.
-Instructions for activating color management in
Firefox can be found here:
http://cameratico.com/guides/firefox-color-management/
-Caution!
Be careful not to make other changes while in about:config.
It can fowl up the browser……
Safari functions very well on a PC
Firefox changes are not hard. Instruction just need to be followed to the letter
All the browsers base display of that image upon any embedded profile in that image. That works to a point. However, remember the "#TheDress" controversy? This is the thing that we are trying to avoid…….
Safari and Firefox base display on monitor embedded profile + monitor calibration.
The others: IE, Chrome and Opera, do not even take calibrated monitors into consideration. They rely solely on Microsoft color management system.
iOS devices to not allow color management. However they do seem to have perfected the method they use very well as colors are displayed acceptably.
The above will not fix web images that have no color
profile embedded. But more and
more all digital images have some profile embedded.
Even standard cell phone images now use standard sRGB profiles.
Test your browser to see how it handles color gamut: http://cameratico.com/tools/web-browser-color-management-test/ This does not mean you will see all colors correctly, just that your browser can handle the color range. Chrome seems for me to be the one that does not pass this test….
Tim Grey on color management: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u42B__sfae4
