Body text color shift in preview and on web

[videobiz2]

Hi,
I've been using FrontPage 2002 for a while (developing basic skills)and just upgraded to Frontpage 2003. After the upgrade, when I look at a web I created with FP 2002, it looks fine in "design" view, but shifts the body text on the site's pages from blue to slightly purple in "preview" view. The color shift also shows up when the site is uploaded to the web on three CRT monitors I've tried. (I don't see the shift on a new Dell laptop with LCD screen I just bought.) You can see the phenomenon at my website: www.coultervideo.com. The body text should be the same as the headings, but looks slightly purple.
One of the CRT monitors that shows the problem is a Viewsonic Graphics Series GS815 professional monitor, which has always been a reliable color producer.
Any thoughts?
Thanks much,
Dan (videobiz2)

[MandyJay]

Hi and welcome,
On my monitor I cannot really tell much difference between the colors. Your headings are in bold, your content text is not, that always (well often does!) make colors appear slightly different.

Looking at your code. Take the heading MANNERS VIDEO the code you have for that is this:

<font color="#000066" face="Trebuchet MS">MANNERS VIDEO</font>

Now take your content text, for example immediately under that heading, this is the code you have:

<font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2" color="#000066">Our &quot;MANNERS IN THE REAL WORLD

As you can see the color for both the heading and the content is exactly the same. If you make the heading not bold, then compare, personally I can see no difference in color either in FrontPage or in browser.

I think you will have to accept the fact that the colors are the same - the code tells you they are, and whatever you appear to "see" is not what is actually there. I cannot explain why you see a difference though, I cannot see any difference, except that bold type can tend to show slighly different shade purely because it is bold.


MJ

[videobiz2]

MJ,
Thanks much. I think you've confirmed that I've done about all I can in terms of setting the text color. This may be a quirk of the upgrade from FP 2002 to 2003, triggered by my software setup. Funny that it only appears on some monitors. Another interesting tidbit: I see the difference when I use Microsoft's Interent Explorer 7 browser, but don't see it when I use Mozilla's Firefox browser.

I think I'll try loading Frontpage 2003 to another computer and see if that solves the issue. If not, I think I'll live with it for a while.
Again, thanks for your counsel.

All the best,

Dan (Videobiz2)

[MandyJay]

Actually I am not surprised that different monitors view it differently. I forget what monitor I used to have but one of my clients websites viewed exactly how I wanted it to in both FP and in browser preview ..... I went to a clients house and OUCH!! oh my! the color was totally off. It had to match her letter headings and it didnt. Yet on my puter it did. I checked with other monitors and some did vary how it viewed. I was advised to change monitors, I bought a new one .. and so far .. so good. I dont know enough about how stuff works to know why there is a difference, presumably monitors are set to view colors according to ???? Also I am not sure how much "web safe colors" come into play any more. years ago if you used a "shade" there were no guarantees how it would view. Maybe that still applies today, and some monitors view non websafe colors slightly differently ... I am only guessing here.

I have IE7 and to me the color looks the same as it does in Firefox.

The thing is, if the color code used is the same, there is nothing you can do about it. You cannot predict how other people will view your colors as you dont know what set up they have. All you can do is make sure the coding is correct.

MJ

[videobiz2]

MJ,
The monitor issue is a big one that I deal with every day in video production. I use a good Sony Trinitron video monitor, set to SMPTE specs. I use a program called "Sound & Vision Home Theater Tune Up" to adjust my master video monitor. There are others on the market. There are probably similar products for computer monitors, but I haven't used any.

Of course, no matter what you do, the final program is at the mercy of anyone who fiddles with the brightness, contrast, sharpness, color intensity and color hue controls on his or her monitor. Most tv sets come from the factory with the brightness cranked up to look good on a bright showroom floor -- and then are too bright in a den or living room. I agree. All you can do is adjust your website or video as best you can and hope things average out.

Thanks again,

Dan (videobiz2)