DOWNLOAD PDI Target(WhackedRGB) for Windows PC and Mac OSX. Includes the "WhackedRGB.icc" profile for loading into Windows, ColorSync and Adobe work flows.

If you do not have Adobe Photoshop to test:

Simply download the .zip, extract the WhackedRGB.jpg file and drag its .jpg icon into an open Web browser window — fully color-managed browsers (and applications) will display my high-resolution Tagged Whacked RGB image properly — un-managed browsers and applications will display it with a bizarre blue color cast (as seen in the above thumbnail).

Most Likely:

1. If the Whacked RGB file displays normal looking (not blue), your application is reading the embedded ICC profile and Converting to the monitor profile.
2. If it is displaying blue, your app is not using its embedded profile (you need to find out why).
3. If it's relatively normal looking, but off, your monitor profile is bad.
4. If it is displaying normal looking like a proper commercially-balanced image — good skin tones, neutral grays with distinct steps in the gray ramp — your monitor profile is at least okay.

WINDOWS DISCLAIMER, beware of what you observe:

Of course, Microsoft Windows has to be different...

In 2012, I tested so-called "color-managed" Windows versions of Chrome, Internet Explorer IE, and Safari.

My observations concluded that Windows only does "half" or limited color management — meaning so-called color managed Web browsers on Windows only Convert Tagged elements to sRGB (Source> sRGB).*

This means they do not convert to the monitor profile like Photoshop and other fully color-managed applications.

*Firefox configured using its Value 1 is an exception: Like Photoshop, Firefox Assigns a default Profile (sRGB) to all untagged elements, honors embedded profiles in tagged elements, and Converts them to the default Monitor Profile (Source> Monitor).

In conclusion, if your setup is displaying the WhackedRGB file at least okay, then the problem points to your "problem" files — they either have profile issues or the actual problems Photoshop is showing you. Period.

A FAST & EASY Trick:

The engineering presumption to using an sRGB default environment is to establish an industry standard that lines everything up in sRGB so it can be sent straight through to sRGB-type devices.

Of course, that only works perfectly when the Monitor Profile "matches" sRGB — and even 'calibrated' Monitor Spaces never actually "match" sRGB — but it works okay for most people (until they get a wide-gamut AdobeRGB-type monitor and all the colors go haywire).

On the other hand:

Color–managed applications like Photoshop read an embedded ICC profile (they apply the correct Source Profile) and Convert (re-map, alter) it to the Monitor Profile (the monitor's 'calibrated' color space) and display its theoretical "true color."

And therein lies the root cause with Photoshop (and color-managed) applications displaying images and photographs differently than other applications.

IN CONCLUSION (if your profiles and settings are in order):

Color-managed applications will most likely display a file differently than non-color-managed applications because they, like Photoshop, compensate for the monitor profile before displaying it, whereas, non-color-managed applications and systems generally send the color straight through to the monitor unaltered.

I recommend reviewing my Basic Theory Behind Color Management for more detailed information.

See ICC Profiles in action in my Color Management tutorial.
Includes Tagged and UnTagged rollover examples.

ASSIGN OR CONVERT
What is the difference between Assign Profile and Convert to Profile?

DOWNLOAD ALL THE PDI high-resolution reference images — AdobeRGB, sRGB, AppleRGB — now with WhackedRGB ProPhotoRGB targets, including WhackedRGB.icc!

Three known bugs that skew color in Photoshop:

3: SCENE-REFERRED PROFILES

This obscure CS5 and CS6 Photoshop setting is located in
Edit> Color Settings> More Options> Conversion Options: "Compensate for scene-referred Profiles" (it is checked by default):

If unchecking the scene-referred profiles box clears the display problem in Photoshop, you most likely have hit a known bug with defective monitor profiling packages building defective monitor profiles that affect Photoshop and After Effects — specifically, the defective profile is erroneously marked as "scene referred."

An easy way to check a monitor for these types of incompatibility issues is to set the operating system's Default monitor profile to a fresh, generic sRGB type profile (on standard gamut monitors). On so-called wide-gamut monitors, you may want to try setting Adobe RGB (1988) for this test.

Also try using the factory OEM profile for your monitor.

If the problem clears using a fresh sRGB or factory OEM profile (or a fresh Adobe RGB profile on a wide-gamut panel) — that would definitely point to a buggy or defective profiling package that needs to be updated or replaced (or you monitor just doesn't work correctly with a custom monitor profile).

These tests are ONLY suggested as a temporary step to rule the monitor profile — always use a custom calibrated monitor profile for professional Photoshop work.