In need of y'alls master knowledge

[msbrad]

this one sure stumped me.
I received from a friend:
I have a question I'm hoping you might know the answer to. lol http://scrapmatters.com/forums/images/smilies/winking0071.gif I just installed PSCS 5 on my laptop and for some reason my items are showing up so much darker there than any other program. Like my grab bag in the store when I was trying to do some things in there on it the brown was so dark it almost looked black. Do you have any idea how to lighten it so I'm seeing the same colors as everywhere else or have any idea as to what is going on with it?

my reply:

is it just in CS 5 or even in the folders on the lap top??
If just when in CS5, go to edit>preferences > general. At the top- is color picker. See how it is set and compare to the other computer.
If the items are darker everywhere on the laptop, it is then a monitor color setting. I have 2 monitiors. For the life of me, I cannot get both to match perfectly.
Let me know.

her reply:
It's just Photoshop CS5 and in Windows Photoviewer (forgot about that one :P ). The colors look normal in PSE 5, in the folders, online, etc. I checked the color picker and it's set to the same setting as PSE 5. It's driving me nuts. http://scrapmatters.com/forums/images/smilies/giggle.gif I really want to start doing more in PSCS 5 so I can learn that program and start using it more for my designs but it's really hard with the colors looking so dark. http://scrapmatters.com/forums/images/smilies/winking0071.gif

Thanks,

Do y'all have any thoughts on this??
I'm stuck.
m

[Traci]

Interesting, Michi. At a guess, this is a case for monitor calibration. Laptops tend to skew colors much more than do regular monitors. I would have your friend try calibrating her monitor display to see if that is the culprit. I realize that she says it is only in PSCS5 and the viewer...but I think this is still a calibration issue. There are some free calibration sites....Google them. Windows has a native color calibration as well. They aren't always dependable, since they depend on your eye to set the calibration. For really accurate calibration, I would suggest one of the many colorimeters on the market. They range in price from around $49 to you've gotta be kidding!

[msbrad]

Thanks T- I will pass the information on to her.
m

[GreenEyedLadyDesigns]

So could your friend look at the Color Preferences in CS5? - Ctrl K will get her there. These are mine:

http://i946.photobucket.com/albums/ad308/veejayr_bucket/VrColorPrefs.jpg

[msbrad]

Thanks Vicki- Shall send to her.
m