I'll be interested to hear what others say about this, as I've had  
similar problems with some older work I considered putting online. The  
only way I resolved the issue was to do exactly what you have done:  
use some rather complex masking to remove the area around the image  
and fill it with white. That's because the paper I used is not 100%  
white, and it also has texture that creates nuanced color. And I've  
also found that my scanner, while very good, has subtle areas of light  
and dark: the brightness over the bed isn't completely even. I  
wouldn't have known this if I hadn't scanned a piece of white paper,  
adjusted the levels to exaggerate lights and darks, and then looked at  
the result.

As far as your images go, Bruce, I too cannot tell if I am seeing pure  
white or whether there is a subtle tonality. Part of this is because  
of the line rule around your images and I cannot compare the "whites"  
side-by-side without the rule interfering visually. Also, I think the  
low web resolution affects my perception too and I'd need to see a  
higher res to be certain. I can imagine I am seeing what you are  
seeing - some tints or subtle paper texture - but I simply am not  
sure. All this said, I think what I see looks fine and if those  
subtleties are there I think they are unimportant and not worth  
worrying about. My 2 cents.

Lynette
--
Ms. Lynette R. Cook, Artist/Illustrator
[log in to unmask]
Main Web Site: http://www.lynettecook.com

On Mar 10, 2014, at 8:23 AM, Bruce Bartrug wrote:

> It can be quite difficult -- and/or quite tedious -- to get  
> watercolor paper to look white on line.  I'm building a new website  
> and it's quite frustrating to have to complete an elaborate  
> selection to get white backgrounds.  Then, especially on scans,  
> these sometimes still have a color cast when on the web.  Or maybe  
> I've just been staring at white on my monitor too long.
>
> Any suggestions to help with this frequent problem would be much  
> appreciated.  You can see the situation here:  http://www.brucebartrug.com/new-page-1/ 
>  .  Click on the watercolor gallery (it's the only one populated  
> with work currently.)  You can see larger images by clicking on a  
> thumbnail.  Some of these look tinted and are from scans, so I'll  
> try photos -- if I get a sunny day before June :).  I swear the one  
> of the blue-headed vireo should be white -- it took me 45 minutes to  
> erase around the edges then clear the rest of the white background  
> with selections.  Still looks colored to me.
>
> Sigh.  (Did I say that already?)
>
> Thanks in advance,
> B
>
> -- 
> Bruce Bartrug
> Nobleboro, Maine, USA
> [log in to unmask]
> www.brucebartrug.com
>
> The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil,  
> but because of those who look on and do nothing.  - Albert Einstein

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