Photoshop export colors look different: check the profile before editing the image

Make one useful comparison

Save the editable master. Export a uniquely named sample, then reopen that exact file in Photoshop. Compare it with the intended appearance using the same display and viewing conditions.

Next, open the same sample in the browser or destination where you noticed the problem. Avoid comparing an old thumbnail, a screenshot, and a newly exported file as though they were identical inputs. Write down which step first looks different: reopening the export, viewing it in a browser, or viewing it after an upload.

That sequence is a diagnostic aid, not a guarantee about how a particular platform processes images.

Convert the delivery copy to the intended space

Adobe recommends sRGB for documents intended exclusively for web viewing. If the source has another embedded profile, use Edit > Convert to Profile on a copy and choose the appropriate sRGB destination, rather than changing the working master without a reason.

Preview the result before confirming. A smaller destination gamut may not preserve every color available in a larger source space. If you are delivering to a client with a specified profile, follow that specification instead of assuming sRGB is appropriate for every job. Adobe's online-viewing guidance

Do not confuse Assign with Convert

Assign Profile changes the interpretation of the existing color numbers. Convert to Profile changes colors for a new profile's space. Assigning sRGB to a correctly tagged image from another space can alter its appearance rather than prepare an equivalent web copy.

Use assignment to correct a genuinely wrong or missing interpretation only when you know the intended source profile. Guessing several profiles until the preview looks pleasing can hide the original problem. Adobe's profile distinction

Preserve the profile in the saved file

For a JPEG delivery through the save workflow, check the color-profile embedding option. Embedding identifies how the saved color values should be interpreted; it is separate from choosing a conversion destination.

Reopen the saved image and check that the expected profile accompanies it. If the file only looks wrong after uploading, keep the local exported sample for comparison and investigate the destination's processing. Repeatedly adjusting the master to compensate for one preview creates a less reliable starting point. Adobe's embedding guidance

Know where this check stops

An sRGB file cannot make every monitor identical. Display calibration, viewing conditions, and how applications handle color remain relevant. This workflow also does not diagnose HDR tone mapping or print soft-proof settings.

For Adobe Support, prepare the original profile, export method, resulting profile, and a description of which viewer differs. Use a non-sensitive sample file when possible; screenshots alone can omit the profile information needed for diagnosis. These steps are based on official documentation, without a hands-on reproduction.