Adobe RGB and sRGB

[blurry80]

hi guys,
In terms of usage.

When shooting in Raw is there any difference if i set the color space on my canon 400D to Adobe RGB comparing to set to sRGB? Will there be any difficulty in terms of printing?

 

[nsng]

Hi,

If you shoot RAW, the colour space setting does not apply. You need to decide the colour space in your RAW converter. Are you working with TIFF or JPG? ARGB has a much larger gamut of colours than SRGB. My preference is ARGB, but than I use Prophoto RGB as my working space.

If your printer and paper combination colour gamut exceed that of SRGB, then you should try ARGB.

N.S.

 

[blurry80]

hmm so in other words i need to ask the printing shop which color space they can support.
*Hopefully they know whats going on*

Then i'll pass them the files.
Anyway is there a difference in maximum quality jpeg and TIFF.

Please pardon my ignorance.

 

[viewwing]

If you're looking into printing... if the printer you're using uses CMYK. Adobe RGB would be "optimised" in that sense... however unless you have a calibrated screen, you're unlikely to see any difference on the monitor...

sRGB is a standard which is more for common users to see on the internet... so unless you really need the details it doesn't really matter?

i hobbilet... so don't have a calibrated screen... but i still shoot in adobe rgb... :bsmilie:

 

[Prismatic]

Actually, unless you are using those extended gamut professional monitors, you can't see most of the colours in Adobe RGB. And if you are printing at the printing shops, the gamut of machines such as the Fuji Frontiers don't exceed that of sRGB either.

To avoid unexpected colour shifts in your prints, just try to avoid extreme colours, especially in the yellow-green and blue-magneta regions.

 

[viewwing]

Actually, unless you are using those extended gamut professional monitors, you can't see most of the colours in Adobe RGB. And if you are printing at the printing shops, the gamut of machines such as the Fuji Frontiers don't exceed that of sRGB either.

To avoid unexpected colour shifts in your prints, just try to avoid extreme colours, especially in the yellow-green and blue-magneta regions.

eeks! so does it mean we're better off shooting in sRGB?

 

[blurry80]

So the 2 problems of color corrections are as below.

1. If i want to do image editing/ post processing i need a good(support adobe rgb color space) and calibrated monitor as well as a printer that support CMYK colors. (Cost a bomb)

2. If i do not have the above, i'll be just doing guess work with tons of inaccuracy (guesswork)

Is there any good advice to overcome this 2 problem?

 

[hazmee]

Hi there,

Before you want to image editing work, you have to understand how things work first. Get your basics right by reading up here: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/sRGB-AdobeRGB1998.htm

Once you have fully understood, there isnt need for guesswork. There are always a trade-off when working with either sRGB or Adobe RGB. Your type of work will determine which will suit you better.

For color critical applications, you will have to:
1. calibrate your monitor
2. profile your paper and ink combination
3. be prepared to spend a lot of money on high end equipment

For most users, you don't need such expensive solution to get accurate colors. All you need is a decent monitor and graphic card, the preferred and consistent color space and proper understanding of how colors are translated into photo editing software. Read the link I sent you. If you still don't understand, then its better to leave every to the default settings until you grasp the concept properly.

BTW, your graphic card plays a very important part too. No point getting high monitor when the source(graphic card) cannot display the extended colors. All decent inkjet printers uses CMYK. It doesn't costs a bomb too. For $200, you can get a good 5 ink printer.

Hope that helps. Cheers!

 

[nsng]

Hi,

Fro 2D work any reasonable priced graphics card will do. There is no need to use the latest and most powerful GPUs from ATI or Nvidia. Get a good monitor, but getting one that can display 100% ARGB will cost a fortune. The CG series from Eizo and the LED backlight LCD from NEC are about the best available. I am using an Eizo 24", purchased 2 years ago, not in the CG class, but still very good.

Even if you cannot see the full gamut of colours with your LCD monitor, it doesn't mean the colours are missing. For example, if you have a RAW file converted to both ARGB and SRGB and view them in CS3, you will see that the histograms are different. Check through each channel, R, G and B as well as the luminosity channel.

As for ink jet printers, they are CMYK devices. The RGB channels are converted to CMYK data by the printer drivers. When I switched from my old Epson dye based printer to the Epson 3850, I could see a big difference in image quality.

The point to remember is SRGB was developed for web display. It has a smaller gamut of colours which will satisfy most consumers. But if you are doing your own printing using a high end ink jet printer, why use this colour space, when the printer is capable of displaying a larger gamut of colours? Have a look at this link for further explanation, http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/sRGB-AdobeRGB1998.htm.

N.S. Ng

http://nns555.zenfolio.com/

 

[Prismatic]

The big question is, of course, cost VS viability. How much enthusiasm and effort are you willing to put into colour management and preparing your photos? You can get the extended gamut monitors, the calibrators, the latest kazillion ink-tanks deskjets, but you have to spend considerably more time managing these devices. Of course if you get everything right, the rewards are immensely satisfying. But before that, you have to spend a considerable amount of time picking up things you are unfamiliar with. There is a danger of being distracted from the main interest of photography.

Also, understand that the vast majority of printed materials that we see everyday are printed with just 4-colors CYMK process, even for a lot of art magazines and pictorials, the exceptions being the occasional adding of special color inks. And it will continue to remain so at least in the near foreseeable future. However, even without the benefits of expanded gamut printing, there are still plenty of pictures out there which we find appealing. Setting aside subject matter, composition and techniques aside, there are still ways to make pictures look good in CYMK printing.

Some fundamentals include:
-Setting the appropriate white and black points in the picture.
-Maintaining the right amount of contrast.
-Having believable colours and avoiding extreme colours.

Some of these fundamentals are essential for all forms of output and not only applicable to printing alone. I would recommend this particular book, < Digital Colour Correction> by Pete Rivard if you are keen enough. It provides a generalist view to correcting colours and preparing photos for printing without too much colour-management jargon.

However, if you are enthusiastic enough about colour management, I would suggest getting an average monitor and at least a calibrator. Unless you are planning on getting one those 8/9/10 ink-tanks printers, the gamut of the mid-end printers hovers around or only slight beyond that of the sRGB space, so an average monitor will cover most of the colours you will encounter in your prints. The calibrator is essential, so that you can measure and maintain a consistent output on your monitor. This will enable you to use the softproofing functions of Adobe PS for you to gauge the colours of print output with some degree of accuracy.

 

[blurry80]

These are all very good information. Now i have much better clarity over Monitors, color work spaces and printing. Thanks alot.

 

[nsng]

These are all very good information. Now i have much better clarity over Monitors, color work spaces and printing. Thanks alot.

Hi,

You can visualize the different colour spaces and profiles using the Colorsync Utility in MAC OS. In XP there is a similar utility in MS Color Control Panel. I have used the latter to visualize the color spaces of the monitor's profile vs. ARGB, SRGB and the paper's gamut using Epson's Ultrachrome K3 ink. For example, with Epson's Premium Semi Gloss paper, the color space exceeds that of SRGB and some areas in ARGB.

Ultimately, it depends on how much time and efforts you intend to put in to get the best from your equipment. If you have spent mega$ in your DSLR and lenses, then you should invest in a good quality monitor and a reasonably good printer. But sadly, too many photographers with high end cameras, still shoot lossy jpgs!


N.S.Ng

http://nns555.zenfolio.com/