Profiles - Costco - Dry Creek

[MitchSB]

I am trying out Costco's Dry Creek Profile. Being new to profiles, other that sRGB as a default, I need some workflow direction. If I shoot in aRGB, open it up in PS and change to the desired profile, then edit and save in that profile, is this the same as if I open it, edit it and just before saving , switch to the desired profile? In other words, does it matter when the conversion takes place?

Has anyone seen the results of sRGB v. Dry Creek's profile through COstco? Any feedback would be appreciated:)

[UncleDoug]

I am trying out Costco's Dry Creek Profile. Being new to profiles, other that sRGB as a default, I need some workflow direction. If I shoot in aRGB, open it up in PS and change to the desired profile, then edit and save in that profile, is this the same as if I open it, edit it and just before saving , switch to the desired profile? In other words, does it matter when the conversion takes place?

Has anyone seen the results of sRGB v. Dry Creek's profile through COstco? Any feedback would be appreciated:)


I'd give it a whirl at your local Costco.
Couple of sRGB and a couple CONVERTED to the DC-Costco profile and see the results.
Better to see the results yourself.
Many more of your potential questions will be answered this way for a minimal investment.

Also you could use the profile to "soft-proof" the image in PS.

Or in a workflow where you feel confident with your ability, convert to the DC-Costco profile and do the final/last minute subtle tweaks before sending to print.

[ohenry]

You're confusing apples and oranges. sRGB is a color space, not a profile. If you shoot in aRGB, set your color space in Photoshop to aRGB, do all of your editing. When your editing is done, convert (don't assign) your color space to sRGB if that is what Costco wants or if you're placing it on the web. The other option is to shoot in sRGB and use sRGB as your working color space, but you run the risk of possibly clipping some colors. The advantage of using aRGB is more apparent if you're shooting RAW and working with 16 bit files.

The Dry Creek profile for Costco can be used for soft proofing to see how the print is expected to look. If you were printing your own prints, a printer profile designed for your printer/paper combination would be used to allow PS to manage the color rather than allowing the printer to manage it.

[slin100]

The Dry Creek profile for Costco can be used for soft proofing to see how the print is expected to look.

The Dry Creek profiles are not just used for soft proofing. They are used for converting, too.

I am trying out Costco's Dry Creek Profile. Being new to profiles, other that sRGB as a default, I need some workflow direction. If I shoot in aRGB, open it up in PS and change to the desired profile, then edit and save in that profile, is this the same as if I open it, edit it and just before saving , switch to the desired profile? In other words, does it matter when the conversion takes place?


It can but may not always matter. When you convert an image to the output colorspace space is known as Binding. Converting before doing any serious edits is known as early binding. Converting just before printing is known as late binding.

There are advantages and disadvantages to either method. There are too many reasons to list here. Search the web for "early late binding icc" for some discussion on this. But, given that Frontier and Noritsu printers used by Costco have gamuts closer to sRGB, I would recommend late binding. This affords you the maximum flexibility in manipulating images and doesn't throw away useful color data until the very end. It also leaves open the possibility of reprinting the image on a wider-gamut printer without redoing most of your edits.

You might also want to check out Dry Creek's tips for using their profiles. Their workflow uses late binding.
http://drycreekphoto.com/Frontier/using_printer_profiles.htm

[ohenry]

I stand corrected. It's a step that I don't use since I don't outsource with these profiles. Learn something everyday :)

[MitchSB]

SO, Slin100,
Is this the best workflow:
1. Shoot in aRGB
2. Open in PS and convert to aRGB and make a copy
3. Edit/Crop/Etc.
4. COnvert to sRGB for web or printer requiring it OR if profile exists. convert to that printer profile.

[slin100]

SO, Slin100,
Is this the best workflow:
1. Shoot in aRGB
2. Open in PS and convert to aRGB and make a copy
3. Edit/Crop/Etc.
4. COnvert to sRGB for web or printer requiring it OR if profile exists. convert to that printer profile.

If you shoot in aRGB in step 1 then you don't need to convert to aRGB in step 2. Some cameras don't properly assign the aRGB profile to images they generate, so you may have to do this in step 2. Perhaps this is what you were referring to.

Anyway, your workflow looks pretty good. I would consider step "3.5 Save another copy" if you have the disk space.

[MitchSB]

Yes, on the Canon XT, with space set to aRGB, it seems to be opening in PS with nothing...

[slin100]

Hmm, I thought they would have fixed that by now. I seem to recall that EXIF version 2.01? or something has support for assigning aRGB to images.

[UncleDoug]

Yes, on the Canon XT, with space set to aRGB, it seems to be opening in PS with nothing...


If you are opening the RAW file in PS the RAW converter will still give you the working space options regardless of what is set in the camera.