color problem in photoshop CS

[five]

i have this color problem that ive had several times before, with photoshop cs, i did find a post with a similar problem but the solution didnt seem to help so i thought id try a new topic to see if anyone else knows how to fix it

ok so first of all in the color picker, all the grays are a muave/purpleish tint, even when i desaturate an image its tinted purple.. no idea how to fix this :/
also when i do a printscreen, and paste it into photoshop, it tints the colors to the purple tint, and makes it brighter, and i can keep pasting it in the same document, and every time i paste it, the image gets brighter and more saturated, makes no sense at all.
By now ive completely messed up my color settings, dont know which i had originally, sigh

if anyone has any insight to whats wrong id appriciate the help

thanks

 

[Welles]

Are you using Windows or Mac, Five? I could possibly help with Mac. Oh yes, what version of PS?

Have you tried profiling your monitor? From Photoshop CS Help...

Calibrating and creating a profile of your monitor

A monitor profile is the first profile you should create. It is absolutely essential for managing color. If what you see on your monitor is not representative of the actual colors in your document, you will not be able to maintain color consistency.

When you calibrate your monitor, you are adjusting it so it conforms to a known specification. Once your monitor is calibrated, a profile is created. The profile describes the color behavior of the monitor--what colors can or cannot be displayed on the monitor and how the numeric color values in an image must be converted so that colors are displayed accurately.

Most profiles only describe the behavior of a device. In addition to describing the monitor's behavior, a monitor profile also contains calibration information, which changes the behavior of the monitor.

To calibrate and profile your monitor, you can use visual calibrators like Adobe Gamma (Windows), Monitor Calibrator (Mac OS), or use third-party software and measuring devices. In general, using a measuring device such as a spectrophotometer along with software can create more accurate profiles. An instrument can measure the colors displayed on a monitor far more accurately than the human eye.

 

[five]

oh wow, the problem was something happened to my profile in adobe gamma, when i went through the step by step process with it again, i pressed cancel at the end because i didnt notice a change in color etc. didnt realize i had to actually save the profile, works now thanks sooo much !

 

[sPECtre]

An excellent reference for color management is http://computer-darkroom.com/home.htm

 

[JoeD]

An excellent reference for color management is http://computer-darkroom.com/home.htm

Forgot to bookmark that site and couldn't find it anymore, thanks!