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Why is iPhoto desaturating photos on export and preview but not on thumbnail or full-screen mode?

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Here's the scenario:

  • Take photo with Phone 5S or Olympus TG-820 and no filter or enhancement settings (no HDR, etc.)
  • Import photo into iPhoto '09 on MacPro running OSX 10.9.5 with 10GB RAM
  • Thumbnail of photo looks good
  • Double-click to enlarge photo
  • Photo now looks desaturated, like a filter has been applied
  • Click the button to enter full screen mode
  • Full screen view of photo looks good
  • Return to thumbnail view
  • Export photo to desktop, then open in Preview or Photoshop
  • Resulting file looks desaturated
  • Return to thumbnail view
  • Share photo to Facebook, then view online
  • Photo on Facebook looks desaturated


Also important:

  • This does not happen with all photos. So far, I cannot find a pattern for when it happens.
  • This is the first time it has happened
  • There have been no changes to my computer or cameras since the last time photos were taken, imported, and exported without this problem happening
  • I have checked the EXIF data and see no odd settings


Please help!


Thanks,

-Steve

Mac Pro (Early 2008), Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jun 28, 2015 11:51 AM

Reply
16 replies

Jun 30, 2015 2:49 PM in response to stevederry

Thank you, everyone for your input.


Below is what I ended up doing as a work-around for now. I plan to do a few tests of fresh-from-the-camera-card imports to see if I can avoid all this in the future. I'll leave this post open until I finish those tests, in case they yield a better solution than my work-around so that I can post it here for others.


Because the full screen view was still good and the original file (when viewed outside iPhoto) was also still good, and because I didn't want to lose the work I'd done choosing photos from among those available, adjusting them (the adjustments were not the culprit, because photos without adjustments also had the same problem), adding keywords, and adding notes, I decided on this as my solution:


  1. View the image in Full Screen mode
  2. Click Adjust to open the Adjust panel, then click Copy
  3. In the Full Screen window, right-click on the image, then choose Revert to Original
  4. In the Adjust panel, click Paste
  5. If the image had been cropped, I had to re-crop it: In the Full Screen window, click Crop, then re-crop the image
  6. Navigate to the next image that needs to be fixed, then repeat the needed steps above (the Adjust panel should still be open)


-Steve

Jun 30, 2015 4:46 PM in response to Old Toad

The original files always look good in Preview or Photoshop, regardless of how I get to them (the method you mention, right-clicking on the thumbnail then choosing Show Original File and then opening it one the other programs, or locating the file on the camera cards (obviously not an option for iPhone shots)).


The problem is definitely inside iPhoto and not in the original source file or the copy of that original that is held in the iPhoto library.


Also, my goal is to not need to take the photos out of iPhoto for file management.

-Steve

Jul 1, 2015 3:21 AM in response to Yer_Man

So you're viewing the end-product a: in a web browser and b: after it has been "processed" by Facebook?


1. Yes, but that's not the only place the images look bad

2. The problem is clearly not the browser (Chrome, firefox, Safari for MacOS, Safari for iOS --- all display the image the same way) or Facebook because the problem exists:

a. Inside iPhoto before involving Facebook or any browser

b. Inside Preview or Photoshop after exporting from iPhoto via any of the methods that do not involve Facebook settings


-Steve

Jul 1, 2015 7:39 AM in response to Yer_Man

Reply part 1:

1. We just ignore anything done by Facebook. They're a photographic disaster area.

Understood. Even if I ignore Facebook, I still have the problem:

...the problem exists:

a. Inside iPhoto before involving Facebook or any browser

b. Inside Preview or Photoshop after exporting from iPhoto via any of the methods that do not involve Facebook settings



Reply part 2:

In the other cases have you tried altering the the Color Profile as suggested above?

Yes:

No change, meaning:

  • original file stays looking good
  • desaturated file stays looking bad


Reply part 3:

I hope to do some fresh-from-the-source importing tests tonight to see if I can get to the bottom of this (or at least have more info to share here).


-Steve

Why is iPhoto desaturating photos on export and preview but not on thumbnail or full-screen mode?

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