sRGB vs Adobe RGB

At present, aRGB represents untapped potential because few commercial printers can even accept aRGB files...and those that do accept aRGB in fact often convert to sRBG before printing! Go search the web and try to find many labs that print files in the aRGB color space, you will not be very successful!

WILT - Probably the best answer I've received, yet! Just the fact that a majority of printers that accept aRGB will convert to sRGB, anyway, tells me that shooting aRGB is a waste of time. UNTIL, that is, aRGB is a more widely supported colorspace. Then and only then might it be worth while to do so.

*please... nobody contradict this... I like straightforward answers... * heh heh heh

sRgb is the most compatible color space, if you don't really, really understand color I strongly recommend you use sRgb. Adobe RGB, ProFoto RGB, and other color spaces are wider, but not many output devices can reproduce them so there's not a lot of point. Good inkjet printers have a wider gamut than commercial prints, so if you print your own and understand color management you may get slightly better prints using Adobe RGB.

If you shoot RAW you're just recording photons, which have no color space. In your raw converter you pick the color space you'd like your image encoded in.

256 is 256, regardless of color space. If you are printing an 8 bit image, whether in aRGB or sRGB, you are still printing an 8 bit image. aRGB has NO more color space then sRGB, it is limited to 8, 16, 32 bits, just as any other color space. aRGB just offers a broader range of colors, with the trade-off being the reduction of other colors. Think of it as replacing your red and yellow crayons for a bright orange and a deep red. You still have two crayons, but they have different characteristics.

So if you're printing using a wide gamut color space, and you see banding in the sky, switch to using 16 bit.

710 Studio wrote in post #6115870
RENE - Wait a second... EVERY article I have EVER read says that if you shoot RAW, it doesn't matter what colorspace you work in.

I could have worded that better, sorry.
It doesn't matter what color space your camera is set to.
It does matter what color space you convert the raw to ("work in") ...

710 Studio wrote in post #6116067
Just the fact that a majority of printers that accept aRGB will convert to sRGB, anyway, tells me that shooting aRGB is a waste of time. UNTIL, that is, aRGB is a more widely supported colorspace. Then and only then might it be worth while to do so.

That's why I mentioned the "inkjet" printing.
A printer like the Epson 2400 exceeds sRGB, even AdobeRGB in certain colors.
For sending out, I agree, mostly sRGB is the logical choice.

rabidcow wrote in post #6116118
256 is 256, regardless of color space. If you are printing an 8 bit image, whether in aRGB or sRGB, you are still printing an 8 bit image. aRGB has NO more color space then sRGB, it is limited to 8, 16, 32 bits, just as any other color space. aRGB just offers a broader range of colors, with the trade-off being the reduction of other colors. Think of it as replacing your red and yellow crayons for a bright orange and a deep red. You still have two crayons, but they have different characteristics.

Agree with what you are trying to say, but don't agree with the wording
AdobeRGB does have a wider gamut ("color space"), but it doesn't contain more colors ("steps").
Exactly the reason why AdobeRGB might be the lesser choise in an 8bpc workflow, depending on image content.

yodasarmpit wrote in post #6113962
I would say that for the sake of constancy and continuity use sRGB, so long as your monitor is calibrated then what you see on your monitor in PS, in a browser for the web and printed will all match.
Unfortunately on Windows machines no web browser supports adobe RGB, so you may be working with adobe RGB in PS and all looks well, but when uploaded to the web it may appear faded.

Not true - Firefox 3.0 on Windows supports colour management. The problem with uploading other than sRGB to the web is that others may be using a browser that cannot be colour managed, i.e. IE, and will not see the image as you do.

From what I have read and learnt on this forum over the past couple of years I now do the following :-

1. Calibrate monitor with Spyder2Express.

2. Shoot in RAW

3. Set my RAW converter (DXO Optics 5.2.1) output to Tif, ProPhoto and 16 bit. Batch or individual conversions possible.

4. Fine tune processing in CS3 and save output as 16bit Tif. Storage media is so cheap now that saving large files is no problem.

5. For printing to my Canon Pixma ip4300 use the 16 bit Tifs and Qimage. Both Qimage and the printer will accept colour spaces other than sRGB. Download the profiles from the manufacturer's websites for the appropriate papers to be used. Fine tune these profiles within the print settings (if required) and save for future use. The 4300 printer software allows many profiles to be set, modified and saved. Batch or individual printing possible.

5. For uploading to the web use Dr. Brown's free scripts (Services 1.9.4) and batch convert to sRGB, jpg, resize, etc. all in one go. http://www.russellbrow​n.com/tips_tech.html - viewing of Russell Brown's site recommended.

710,

I've only just realised you asked me a direct question, my apologies for not responding sooner.

You asked what I considered the more "universal colour space".

Given my limited experience of sRGB and no experience at all of other options (like pro photo), I'd say sRGB.

I've not read any of the more recent posts, and my next point may have been made much more elequently than I'm about to. If so, please forgive me.

Its my understanding that going from sRGB to AbobeRGB looses colour information forever, whereas going in the other direction nothing is actually lost, just squeezed. For that reason I intend to do all my work in aRGB, then change it to sRGB for the net if I need to.

Thats exactly the route I've taken for the images on the zenfolio hosting site and I cannot see any difference between the colours via my Windows browser and my originals (aRGB) via Photoshop.

Lowner wrote in post #6118285
Its my understanding that going from sRGB to AbobeRGB looses colour information forever, whereas going in the other direction nothing is actually lost, just squeezed.

Nope.

When you convert from sRGB to AdobeRGB, you loose some accuracy, specially when in 8bpc: You get rounding errors. However, all colors will be there.
The problem is, that you still have only 8bits (256 steps per channel) to describe "wider spaced" colors. So the individual steps are a bit bigger.

When you convert from AdobeRGB to sRGB, colorimetric intent is used. So all colors that are out of gamut are clipped. Gone.

Photoshop should really gray out the perceptual intent if it's not available...

TO ALL - Excellent information, here.

Now comes a more general question. And, RENE - I know you tried pointing me to an article that was written to answer this question, but the article was (in my opinion) very poorly written. The article just brushes on a large range of concepts, rather than giving a good tutorial on what the article was talking about.

That said, everybody says in their reply, "... unless you understand colorspacing...". Is there a GOOD article on colorspaces that does a good job on explaining them, going into detail as to how to use them effectively for the purpose of good, not evil ( ), etc, etc, etc?

I'd love to dive into the whole colorspace thing, but need to completely understand it. I need a ground to top article.

Thanks much!

710 Studio wrote in post #6127008
That said, everybody says in their reply, "... unless you understand colorspacing...". Is there a GOOD article on colorspaces that does a good job on explaining them, going into detail as to how to use them effectively for the purpose of good, not evil ( ), etc, etc, etc?

You want to read an ARTICLE and understand color? Haha, you're a funny guy. Color's complex, you can't learn it in 5 minutes. In this thread I recommend this book. Get it. Read it. Try it. Ask questions.

TIM - By article I mean ANY literature that will help me understand it. You can't understand neurosurgery by reading one little paragraph, either, but you can if you find the right method by which TO learn it.

Same concept here. Where can I find a good way to learn it?

I'll check out the book you recommend.

That book is about the best way to understand color management. Other than that seriously just use sRgb for everything.

710 Studio wrote in post #6127008
TO ALL - Excellent information, here.

Now comes a more general question. And, RENE - I know you tried pointing me to an article that was written to answer this question, but the article was (in my opinion) very poorly written. The article just brushes on a large range of concepts, rather than giving a good tutorial on what the article was talking about.

What article?
The link from my sig? Suggestions to get it better readable are welcome

If you look in there, there are quite a few links, explaining different color spaces...

Color management has way too many sides to cover in one article... That's why it "brushes on a large range of concepts".
I have a fairly good understanding of it, yet I still learn new things.