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Why do some images look dull or faded after uploading?

In this article we will learn why sometimes high quality images can become dull or faded when uploading to your site and how we can fix it.

Updated over 6 months ago

It can be frustrating when a vibrant image suddenly looks faded, dull, or blurry after you upload it to your site.

Don’t worry—this is a common issue, and it's fixable! 💡
Here's a quick guide on why this happens and how to prevent it.

🌟 Summary

To make sure your images keep their vibrancy and sharpness, convert them to sRGB before uploading. You can do this using editing tools like Photoshop or GIMP.

🎨 Why Your Site Might Be Dimming Your Images

The main culprit is something called colour space—specifically the difference between:

  • Adobe RGB (used by photographers and high-end cameras, more vibrant 🎨)

  • sRGB (used by most websites, including WordPress, fewer colours 🧊)

Sometimes, when you upload an Adobe RGB image to your site, it gets converted to sRGB, which can wash out the colours and make things look dull.

To make things worse, during the upload process, images are compressed, which may slightly reduce quality even more.

🛠 Option 1: Convert Image to sRGB Using Photoshop

Method 1: Save for Web

  1. Open your image in Photoshop

  2. Go to File → Export → Save for Web (Legacy)

  3. ✅ Check the “Convert to sRGB” box

  4. Save your image and upload to WordPress

Method 2: Change Color Settings in Photoshop

  1. Go to Edit → Color Settings

  2. Set the dropdown to North America Web/Internet

  3. Under “Color Management Policies,” choose:

    • RGB: Convert to Working RGB

  4. Click OK

When opening an image, Photoshop may ask if you want to convert the colour profile. Choose:

✔️ “Convert document’s color to working space” → then save the image
🔁 Repeat this for all images before uploading them to your site.

🛠 Option 2: Use GIMP (Free Alternative to Photoshop)

Don’t have Photoshop? Try GIMP—a free, powerful photo editor!

  1. Open your image in GIMP

  2. If prompted, allow it to convert the color profile
    ​(If not prompted, continue below)

  3. Make sure the image is in RGB mode:

    • Go to Image → Mode → RGB

  4. Download the Adobe RGB ICC Profile (free from Adobe’s website)

    • Extract the .icc file from the downloaded ZIP

  5. In GIMP, go to:

    • Image → Color Management → Convert to Color Profile

  6. Under “Convert to,” choose Built-in sRGB

  7. Click Convert, then save your image

Repeat this for all the images you plan to upload to WordPress 🌀

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