I’m merely a Photoshop Journeyman myself, and I need some help with colour settings. Basically, I think they’re jacked, and here’s why: whenever I use the Save for Web functionality (which is often), the colour in the resulting image always looks significantly different than what I see in Photoshop. The same is true, incidentally, if I just use the Save As functionality. Here’s a comparison (big image ahead).
Here’s what my colour settings currently look like. I have no idea what they should be. Can anybody offer any suggestions?
DarrenBarefoot.com 
I just checked my settings and under the first drop down “Settings” I have it set to “Web Graphics Defaults” as opposed to “Photoshop 5 Default Spaces”. It changes a few of the options around so maybe that’s the reason for the colour difference. Let me know if that changed it for the better.
Darren, are you using RGB mode or CMYK mode?
Generally, I work in RGB mode.
Darren:
I think what you’ve got going on is, you’re working in sRGB (small, reduced gamut – think old 13″ PC monitor) as your colorspace – which is the generally accepted lowest common denominator. Photoshop won’t display colours outside that gamut when you work in that colourspace.
Your monitor is obviously capable of producing a much wider gamut, so when you’re looking at the “save for web” preview (which strips profiles from images, unless otherwise specified), you see it with the monitor’s gamut. If you change your RGB workspace to Colormatch RGB, or if you create an ICC profile for your monitor and use that, you should see the wider gamut in your document, but it won’t be any more accurate on other machines. They’re all constrained by the capabilities of the monitor that’s hooked up to it.
It’s the internet-age-old dilemma of who you create for — lowest common denominator, or better. If you want better matching on your computer, then calibrate to your monitor. Colour matching on the web is an oxymoron, anyways.
Hope that helps.
Lincoln
Thanks for all the info. I’ll run some tests and see if I can make any progress.
To support what Lincoln said, the image that you posted with the two different pictures of the sunset… Look exactly 100% the same to me.
in addition to your srgb the problem is likely your output as well.
although unless you’re printing them ckmy for press there’s no point in worrying
higher end monitors like viewsonic/sony will come with color profiles to load in and makes for very accurate color.
an icc profile might help too try making one with adobe gamma.. but if not done correct it ‘could’ make things worse.. good luck 😀
(ps: also maybe check your setting and levels of the jpg ‘web’ output settings. quality = %60.)
Mark, look closer – they are not the same.