RAW to jpg in PS - HELP

[mikeg]

Hello guys,

Until now I've always been shooting jpeg. But now, I shoot RAW.

My problem is : after processing my RAW pics (open image in 16bit/ch, adjust lvls, usm, ...convert to 8bit/ch, save as jepg)
when I look at them in PS CS : colors are OK (e.g.skin tones are ok) but when I look at them in acdsee, all colors look washed out :?

So what's wrong :?: :?:

Help greatly appreciated :idea: :)

[scottbergerphoto]

It sounds like a color profile problem/mismatch. If you are working in Adobe RGB and saving in Adobe RGB and open it up in a non color managed application, it will look washed out. Is ACDSee a color managed application? If you convert the image in PS to sRGB and it looks good in ACDSee. that is your problem.
You also need to make sure your monitor is calibrated. You can use Adobe Gamma or a hardware/software solution like Spyder with Optical.
Scott

[mikeg]

Yesss !!

It works!


You're the king Scott :lol: :D :lol:

[mikeg]

btw, what profile do you use when you open your raw pic in ps ?
By default PS is set to adobe RG1998. Do I have to set it to sRGB ?

(My goal is to print them at the local lab)

Thanks


MikeG

[blinking8s]

By default PS is set to adobe RG1998. Do I have to set it to sRGB ?


maybe its mine...but I study digital media in school, open PS on several different computers in different class rooms each day...and my defualt is always sRGB IEC61966-2.1

my RAW files never have as good of color in PS as they do with my canon software...I only use it if I really need to edit the photo in raw format for something in class...i think? errr...

*edit*
yeah, i just checked my adobe 7 and CS and both defualt setting were sRGB...on my laptop and desktop. and I never change those unless its something for printwork...

but yeah, ive been sure about things and been wrong before...remind me to lay off the heavy drinking if i am wrong

[dsze]

If you have your camera set to Adobe RBG when shooting in Raw, I would think that you'd want to be working in RGB not sRGB in PS. sRGB is a smaller gamut (correct?) and so your forcing PS to stuff all of the RGB colors into the smaller sRGB gamut. There was more discussion about this in this thread:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=33881&highlight=


There is also a good article about the RAW file format and using PSCS as your conversion tool. In short, you may have to calibrate the PSCS RAW converter for your camera. This is built into PSCS RAW and is actually a very nice feature. Once you do this, your resulting JPG's should not be lacking anything in comparison to your Canon Converter.

http://www.creativepro.com/printerfriendly/story/21351.html


-daniel

[scottbergerphoto]

btw, what profile do you use when you open your raw pic in ps ?
By default PS is set to adobe RG1998. Do I have to set it to sRGB ?

(My goal is to print them at the local lab)

Thanks


MikeG
I shoot Adobe RGB and work in Adobe RGB. Your working space should be the space your native image is in. When you are done editing you can convert it to whatever space you need to like sRGB for non color managed applications.
Regards,
Scott

[sGu]

I use Adobe RGB 1998, simply it is the standard setting required by the Sports Illustrated for their staff photographers.

And i guess it depends on what u take photos on and what they r for.

If u want more info on that, check www.siphoto.com

[blinking8s]

cool link sGu...thanks for sharing

[theoldmoose]

If you have your camera set to Adobe RBG when shooting in Raw, I would think that you'd want to be working in RGB not sRGB in PS.

Actually, it doesn't make any difference to the RAW data produced by the camera, what color space you have set on the camera. It only effects the JPEG that the camera may produce for thumbnails, or an embedded JPEG in the RAW, for later extraction by the appropriate tool.

The other thing it effects, though, is the default way the RAW is converted, in a number of RAW tools. You can always override this selection, though, and develop your RAW image into whatever color space(s) the tool is capable of.

As to whether or not your Adobe working color space must match the image color space or not, that may depend on a great many factors (too many to go into here). But, at least for starters, and to avoid as much confusion as possible, you can either decide to:

1) Keep you PS working space in whatever you normally develop your RAW images to, and then convert to your web or print space (usually sRGB) near the end of your processing,

OR

2) Keep your PS working space in whatever your most used target space is (possibly sRGB), and convert your image to that space when you open (or not -- PS will keep track of what color space the image is in automatically, as long as it is properly tagged).

Some folks (for instance) like to temporarily convert their image into LAB representation, to make it easier to make luminance-only adjustments to the image, then convert it back into an RGB-mapped representation. Others will develop to ColorMatchRGB or some other really wide-gamut professional space, and do most of their work there, to avoid any funny clipping of colors or levels, until they are ready to 'purpose' their image for final output.

One important thing to do when working with color-managed workflows like PS and brethren, is to develop a digital workflow, write it down, and follow it (with appropriate modifications) until it becomes second nature. There are many good tutorials on developing standard workflows with standard tools. A couple of good sources might be: http://www.luminous-landscape.com and http://www.outbackphoto.com