Unedited images start out color correct and turn sepia

[AutoMatters]

I just downloaded a 20-day trial copy of Photo Mechanic 4 and then opened up a file of my unedited JPEG photos in a "proof sheet." For some reason, even though the thumbnails displayed with the correct colors correctly initially, as soon as an on-screen page was fully populated with thumbnails, each photo's file name - which appeared directly below its photo and which initially was colored bright red, turned black (one photo at a time) and a sepia-toned color cast washed over each previously color-correct photo. I tried two different folders of photos and had the same result. I did not have this problem with the ACDSee program demo that I am also trying, although that program seems rather limited in its options and capabilities. Do you know what the problem is with my evaluation copy of Photo Mechanic?

[Kirk Baker]

I just downloaded a 20-day trial copy of Photo Mechanic 4 and then opened up a file of my unedited JPEG photos in a "proof sheet." For some reason, even though the thumbnails displayed with the correct colors correctly initially, as soon as an on-screen page was fully populated with thumbnails, each photo's file name - which appeared directly below its photo and which initially was colored bright red, turned black (one photo at a time) and a sepia-toned color cast washed over each previously color-correct photo. I tried two different folders of photos and had the same result. I did not have this problem with the ACDSee program demo that I am also trying, although that program seems rather limited in its options and capabilities. Do you know what the problem is with my evaluation copy of Photo Mechanic?

It sounds like your images either have a sepia tone ICC profile embedded in them or you have your default profile set as a sepia profile.

Open up the Preferences dialog, click on the Color Management tab and make your settings look like this:


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[AutoMatters]

Kirk:

You pointed me in the right direction but the problem was not the default ICC profile. I changed it from what was there to "Adobe RGB (1998)" and hit the "Apply" button but nothing changed. Doing that did not get rid of the overall color cast (it actually is not sepia, that was just the closest that I could come to describing it). However, when I unchecked the two top box ("Color manage thumbnails for display") and then I applied that, that got rid of the color cast. Do you know what is going on and, more importantly, where else that problem might show up in my workflow? I can't risk having that happen when I send someone my photos or put them up for sale on Digital Railroad. If we cannot figure out what is going on, I will have to use a different program (like ACDSee), even though it may not have some of the features that I want.

[Kirk Baker]

You pointed me in the right direction but the problem was not the default ICC profile. I changed it from what was there to "Adobe RGB (1998)" and hit the "Apply" button but nothing changed. Doing that did not get rid of the overall color cast (it actually is not sepia, that was just the closest that I could come to describing it). However, when I unchecked the two top box ("Color manage thumbnails for display") and then I applied that, that got rid of the color cast. Do you know what is going on and, more importantly, where else that problem might show up in my workflow? I can't risk having that happen when I send someone my photos or put them up for sale on Digital Railroad. If we cannot figure out what is going on, I will have to use a different program (like ACDSee), even though it may not have some of the features that I want.

Since the only thing that worked was to completely turn off all color management, two things could be happening:

1) Your images have a strange ICC profile embedded in them.
2) Your monitor ICC profile is really odd.

Are your images straight out of your camera or have you processed them in some way?  Have you calibrated your monitor with a colorimeter?

Photo Mechanic is an ICC profile aware application and is fully color managed (unless you completely turn it off like you did) and obeys the profiles in your images, your monitor profile, and printer profile.

-Kirk