Snow Leopard color problems

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Level 2

160 points

Snow Leopard color problems

Anyone else having trouble with the colors in Snow Leopard. it seems like my other macs running tiger and leopard look consistent, but this new Imac with SL colors everything with a weird red and sometimes yellowish tint. I especially notice it when dealing with flash video..... though its not limited to that. This is very frustrating when you're working with video. I can't be the only one with the issue?

Dan

PM G5 dual 2 17 inch PB 1.67 I mac I7 White Macbook, Mac OS X (10.4)

Posted on Apr 14, 2010 5:40 PM

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Answer 1

Dan Blanzy Author

Level 2

160 points

Apr 14, 2010 8:04 PM in response to Dan Blanzy

I just want to add that when I use the color sync utility I get...
Searching for profiles...
Checking 65 profiles...
/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Color/Profiles/DCDM_X'Y'Z'.icc
Tag 'A2B1': Required tag is not present.
Tag 'B2A1': Required tag is not present.
Tag 'A2B2': Required tag is not present.
Tag 'B2A2': Required tag is not present.
Tag 'gamt': Required tag is not present.
The file is locked. Could not be fixed.
/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Color/Profiles/DCI_P3.icc
Tag 'A2B1': Required tag is not present.
Tag 'B2A1': Required tag is not present.
Tag 'A2B2': Required tag is not present.
Tag 'B2A2': Required tag is not present.
Tag 'gamt': Required tag is not present.
The file is locked. Could not be fixed.
Repair done - 0 out of 2 profiles fixed.

If anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate it.

Thanks

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Answer 2

-g

Level 4

3,449 points

Apr 14, 2010 9:00 PM in response to Dan Blanzy

If you are using a Calibrated custom monitor profile, try going to System Preferences> Displays> Color> Display Profile and highlight your OEM profile or sRGB.

If it doesn't clear there you have a bad system, a conflict or bad hardware.

I would rule out the System by booting off the OSX Install DVD, and/or boot off another drive boot system (not a clone of the suspect system, but a clone from another similar Mac should suffice, I keep a FireWire handy for that).

Also, try New User (to rule out User settings and corruption), Disk Utility> Repair Disk> Cocktail (Con Scripts)...

PS

DCDM_X'Y'Z'.icc and DCI_P3.icc (check your other machines to see if they have these odd profiles, my 10.4 Intel doesn't have them) try dragging them on the desktop for now...

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Answer 3

Dan Blanzy Author

Level 2

160 points

Apr 15, 2010 10:46 AM in response to -g

Thanks for your reply.

I found that the issue has to do with the 2.2 default Gamma setting on SL.
I put it back to 1.8 and it looks better...... 1.6 looks like it did in Leopard.

thanks,

Dan

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Answer 4

-g

Level 4

3,449 points

Apr 15, 2010 11:32 AM in response to Dan Blanzy

the 2.2 default Gamma setting on SL. I put it back to 1.8 and it looks better

I am glad you are back to work, but switching back to 1.8 monitor gamma is not good advice for most people to follow.

There are very good reasons Snow Leopard 10.6 default monitor RGB switched to 2.2 gamma — mostly because the Internet is based on sRGB 2.2 gamma and how the Mac OS applies its default monitor profile to untagged-unmanaged Web color.

So what that means (at the very least) is the OP is back to viewing 99% of the Internet through washed out Web browsers.

Moreover, since the problem cleared using a new (1.8) profile, the problem was likely tied to the previous (2.2) monitor profile because a good profile would not display "everything with a weird red and sometimes yellowish tint."

I recommend all Mac users System 9-10.6 profile their monitors to 2.2 gamma, D65/6500 (or native White point).

Here is an Apple article that supports this advice
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2026?viewlocale=en_US

Here is a working example of profiles and gammas in action
http://www.gballard.net/psd/golive_pageprofile/embeddedJPEGprofiles.html

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Answer 5

Dan Blanzy Author

Level 2

160 points

Apr 15, 2010 3:39 PM in response to -g

Thanks for the reply.

There is no previous monitor..... this is an Imac. Im comparing it to other computers. (power book on tiger.... mac book on leopard).

and actually I went to the mac store.... and every single one displayed this problem. The genius at the store was surprised and said he thought it could be a snow leopard issue.

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Answer 6

Dan Blanzy Author

Level 2

160 points

Apr 15, 2010 4:05 PM in response to -g

btw, I AM the OP.... and no the colors are not washed out. I just compared to my friends PC (2.2 gamma right?)..... and my Imac matched it much closer with the 1.8 setting.

Thanks

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Answer 7

-g

Level 4

3,449 points

Apr 15, 2010 6:56 PM in response to Dan Blanzy

Hi, I am just trying to understand what the problem was and trying not to confuse you or anyone else anyone in the process.

Your post is interesting because every single one at the mac store displayed the problem and it corrected itself on your machine when you set up a 1.8 gamma monitor profile (if I understand what you wrote).

If you were checking the same content on the mac store monitors (and not known good files), then I would be inclined to suspect the content you were looking at is off, but I don't know that or how accurate your friend's PC is profiled, or how you got you display 'Calibrated'.

I can tell you for sure:

If the Mac OS sets up a 1.8 gamma profile in System Preferences> Displays> Color> Display Profile,

Then untagged sRGB (a 2.2 gamma space, aka "Windows RGB") will show a lightness shift when the Mac OS displays it through its default 1.8 gamma profile in Apple applications like Safari, Preview, Finder, QuickTime, BECAUSE the Mac OS applies its default Monitor RGB to untagged and unmanaged color.

And again, that means your 1.8 gamma 'Mac RGB' monitor is shifting 99% of the Internet color light — this is likely the number one reason Apple switched to 2.2 gamma — so it may be interesting to find out what's going on before going backwards to 1.8.

Just my 2 cents 🙂

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Answer 8

Dan Blanzy Author

Level 2

160 points

Apr 16, 2010 8:18 AM in response to -g

I understand all that, but it doesn't solve the issue.

thanks anyway.

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Answer 9

AJ

Level 5

7,075 points

Apr 16, 2010 8:39 AM in response to Dan Blanzy

Try recalibrating your color profile

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Answer 10

Apr 16, 2010 11:05 AM in response to Dan Blanzy

I also lost my profiles: /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Color/Profiles/DCDM_X'Y'Z'.icc and /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Color/Profiles/DCI_P3.icc
When I did an update of the following:
Mac OS X update 10.6.3
iTunes 9.1
Prokit Update 5.1
Java for Mac OSX 10.6 Update 1 1.0
Airport Client Update 2009-002 1.0
Airport Base Station Update 2010-001 5.5.1
iLife Support 9.0.4
Safari 4.0.5
Pro Application Update 2010-01 1.0

Could one of these corrupted the color profiles?

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Answer 11

Dan Blanzy Author

Level 2

160 points

Apr 16, 2010 11:08 AM in response to AJ

Thanks,

I've done that over and over for the last week..... no success.

Here the thing.... it seems to specifically effect flash (and occasionally some other graphics.... but not as drastic). For instance I'll have a video in FCP, which looks fine...... export it..... looks fine....... convert to flash...... looks horrible. red saturation & darker overall.... not natural looking (as it looks in final cut)

Now the logical conclusion is that its the flash converter program and/or settings. which is what I spent most of my time focusing on at 1st...... no luck. I also spent hours and hours with the color profiler.

Then after looking online and seeing that there were color profile issues I realized it might have something to do with the OS.

I checked the files on other machines..... PC's..... macs with Leopard and Tiger. and found that the only machines that the vids had the red saturation issue on ...... were running Snow Leopard.

To add to that, I turned down my Gamma to 1.8 and found that now there is very little difference between how the video looked as a .mov VS .flv
and at Gamma 1.6 there was no difference at all (that I could see).
at 2.2 = drastic

So Im a bit baffled here. Never had this issue before. Nothing has changed except getting this new Imac with Snow Leopard. Issue only exists on SL computers..... Not PC..... not Tiger.... not Leopard.

It seems to me that there is some problem with SL & flash.

thanks, I do appreciate your response.

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Answer 12

-g

Level 4

3,449 points

Apr 16, 2010 11:44 AM in response to Dan Blanzy

it might be helpful if you could link us to a couple problem pages and explain what you are seeing there

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Answer 13

Dan Blanzy Author

Level 2

160 points

Apr 16, 2010 11:54 AM in response to -g

Thanks,

I just got off the phone with apple care. I had the guy look at the files and he confirmed that there is in fact an issue with snow leopard and flash / colors.

I do appreciate the replies though. Thanks

Dan

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