ACR to Jpg discards file corrections

Question

Windows XP, Photoshop and Bridge CS3, ACR 4.4.1, monitor freshly calibrated with SpyderPro. Files captured with Nikon D300 in RAW.
When importing a RAW file to ACR, I make adjustments to white balance, exposure, brightness, etc., then attempt to save the file as a jpg and the jpg file does not retain the edits I made in ACR. Saving to Adobe RGB or sRGB has no effect. 16 bit or 8 bit, no effect. In addition, if I save as a PSD or DNG file, the edits are retained. But, if I convert that PSD or DNG from ACR to a jpg, I lose my edits and the file reverts to its original form as captured from the camera.
Folks, I'm stumped. I can't seem to locate a solution. And so far it seems others are having similar troubles but not just like mine. I thought it might be monitor calibration but have ruled that out. I thought it might be color space related but modifying color space doesn't seem to have any impact.
I'm hoping for some help. Right now I'm unable to fulfill any client orders because I don't have confidence that my file edits are being retained.
Thanks in advance.
Greg Smith

Answer 1

Jim and Dennis,
I don't doubt that this is color management related. My goal very simply is this - when I'm done processing an image for uploading to my web site, I want to have the confidence that the file will appear on the web site as it appeared to me in Bridge just before I saved it.
I don't know if I altered a color setting, or if something changed when I installed the CS3 version of Bridge and PS, but images that I thought were purple changed to blue when they were posted to the web or when they were sent through email.
That didn't used to happen to me, so something is different. I shoot in RAW and shoot in Adobe RGB. My process has been to open the files in Camera RAW. Adjust white balance if necessary, adjust levels, do some cropping, select all, and click on the "Save Images" button in the lower left corner of camera RAW. I have saved those files as Jpgs using the document name and into a new folder.
Until recently, I was able to view those jpg images either as thumbnails on the desktop, or using Windows Picture Viewer, Quicktime Picture Viewer, Microsoft Office picture viewer, Photoshop, PhotoImpact or Microsoft Powerpoint, and the images looked the same no matter what application. My purples stayed purple, in other words.
But now, after I click save, the purples I thought I created are blue. And it is only in ACR that they appear purple. In PS they are blue. If color management is my issue, which I agree makes sense, then I think either in ACR or Photoshop I must not have a setting establshed correctly. And I may need a step by step walk through to find it as admittedly I've only 10 months using Photoshop.
Everyone here has been great about helping me work through this so let me also say a big thank you. But it's really because this was all working for me well, and now doesn't seem to be, that I'm perplexed. I've read through other postings in the forum that sound similar to mine, but haven't been able to implement suggestions and have them solve my issues.
Jim, I've not worked in ProPhoto before, but will give that a shot to see how that goes. Maybe that'll prove to be the answer.
Where I want to finish up from my editing in ACR, is to be able to view my processed images before uploading and know with confidence that they'll appear on the web as I intend. What process gets me there, and what viewing application can I use to know that what I see is what everyone will see?
I'm hoping to resolve this this weekend and will be online a fair amount. any additional suggestions are most welcome.