Why are my images too dark?

I am doing the adjusting level tutorial. I saved the image used in the tutorial but it looks darker than it does on the website. Why is that? When I adjust the levels the blacks look too dark even though I made sure my foreground color is less black.

Just use a brightness/contrast adjustment layer. Or it probably looks darker in Photoshop because of your color settings. Save for web view it in something else to see. Then adjust your PS color management accordingly.

Calibrate your monitor perhaps? Does it look too dark as you are working or after you save the file and then view it?

Often turning off colour preferences from within PS will aid any colour issues, however it really depends on your workflow as to the wisdom of the decision.

It looks darker as soon as I save the picture from the site. I don't know if this has to do with anything but it would only let me save the picture as a .bmp file when I first went to save it. It came out darker than on the site. Someone told me to delete my internet files so I did. I was able to save it as a .jpg but it's still darker than on the site. :confused: It's not just darker in photoshop, it looks darker when I view it out of photoshop too.

Read my answer to Dan's question in the Advanced Photoshop section.

It should take care of your question as well.

And flush the file format ".bmp" from your memory. You're in big-boy land now.