Photos imported to Word appear dull (bad color)

[John Purlia]

Recently, I've noticed that the photos I drag'n'drop into Word appear
and print with dull, lifeless, muddy colors, as if the bright,
saturated colors have been severely watered down. I note the same
thing if I import a photo then print to PDF.

If I import a jpeg file to Word, then open the exact same file using
Preview, side-by-side comparisons show that the Word imported photo is
not displaying the color information correctly.

I've noticed this problem ever since upgrading my digital camera and
moving to Aperture.

My general process:

- Take photo with Canon Rebel XTi
- Import photo to Aperture
- Edit photo, save file as JPEG
- Drag file into Word

....and the image displayed in Word (or printed from Word) appears dull,
though the same image displayed or printed from Preview (or Aperture)
is fine.

Any advice or ideas?

Thanks!

John

 

[CyberTaz]

Yeah, John - Avoid the tempting convenience of Drag 'n' Drop ... it
bypasses Word's graphics import filters so the the OS - I believe - converts
the .jpg to a .pict, which is not a pretty sight in many cases. It may also
cause the image to not display at all if the doc gets sent to a Windows box.

I haven't used Aperture, but there are a number of different JPEG
renderings, so check what settings are available when you save the file &
make sure you're using the highest quality.

Also: Use the Insert> Picture> From File method to get the image into your
doc & see if that doesn't work a bit better.

There may also be something that's been changed in your print settings -
possibly with Color Management - and there are any number of other factors
that influence image quality & color fidelity.

 

[John Purlia]

Also: Use the Insert> Picture> From File method to get the image into
your doc & see if that doesn't work a bit better.

Same results using Insert, unfortunately. I've attached a screen shot
that show the same image displayed using Preview (on the left) and Word
(on the right). Notice how the colors look dull and washed out when
inserted into a Word document?

I was hoping that this was just an on screen display issue, but
attempts to print ot save the Word file as a PDF result in the same
faded colors.

 

[Elliott Roper]

Recently, I've noticed that the photos I drag'n'drop into Word appear
and print with dull, lifeless, muddy colors, as if the bright,
saturated colors have been severely watered down. I note the same
thing if I import a photo then print to PDF.

If I import a jpeg file to Word, then open the exact same file using
Preview, side-by-side comparisons show that the Word imported photo is
not displaying the color information correctly.

I just happened to be fixing some photos in Aperture when I took a
break to catch up on News. I was able to reproduce what you see,
although 'severely' would be overstating it.

I have a very low opinion of Word's ability in the pictures department,
so I'm not amazed.
It is possible that Word is applying some kind of halfway house with
the different standard gamma settings between PC and Word. A picture
set up for PC gamma looks a bit darker and muddier on a Mac.

Try pre-butchering your picture in Aperture. But most of all, display
your Word doc as the intended audience will see it (same printer, ink
and paper, same flavour of monitor and PC) Then go back and create a
colorsync profile or Aperture settings to pre-compensate for the damage
Word does to your images.
See pp 280 and 302 in your Aperture manual.

I've noticed this problem ever since upgrading my digital camera and
moving to Aperture.

Make sure you have not tricked yourself with an inappropriate proofing
profile in Aperture.

My general process:

- Take photo with Canon Rebel XTi
- Import photo to Aperture
- Edit photo, save file as JPEG
- Drag file into Word

...and the image displayed in Word (or printed from Word) appears dull,
though the same image displayed or printed from Preview (or Aperture)
is fine.

Preview will rule out the inappropriate proofing profile possibility
above, unless you have chosen a funny Colorsync profile (see the print
menu under colorsync which lurks behind 'copies and pages' to check for
quartz filters you may have inadvertently applied)

Colour management is a black art. I'm not sure that Apple makes it any
easier with that dumbed-down Colorsync utility either.
Ultimately, the final proof of the pudding is what the end user will
see on the end-user's own computer and printer. You can bet at least
half of them will see something totally different to what you think you
sent 'em.
If you are sending hard copy, then pre-tricking Word makes perfect
sense. there is no point in fighting it any other way. Word and
graphics is an oxymoron.