Postcard Tourist
I'm very confused- sRGB or Adobe RGB?
There seems to be no definitive answer for what color space to shoot in. I get one answer from photographers, and another from printers. Ken Rockwell and others say always use sRGB. My instructor, as well as many Web articles, say shoot Adobe RGB and convert when necessary. So, can somebody answer this simple question: I want to produce excellent prints, 8x10 or larger, for sale as matted photos- landscapes, tourist destinations, etc, possibly submitting to magazines and postcards. I also want to produce calendars and posters. These will all be done through a printing service that I have yet to select. So, will a professional printer expect Adobe RGB files, or sRGB for this kind of work? I understand that sRGB is idiot-proof, but I will rarely be posting on the web. WHICH COLOR SPACE SHOULD I BE SHOOTING IN??
I too struggled with this for some time. I found that there are a lot of "opinions" out there, and even many pro's don't really seem to understand the difference between sRGB and Adobe RGB. You'll be pleased to hear that there IS a definitive answer. (Although it's not straight-forward.)
sRGB is the Web standard, and tends to also be the default for peripherals such as monitors and home printers. If your photos are destined for the internet then you should CONVERT to sRGB.
The problem with sRGB is that it has a narrow gamut (color range.) It's fine for computer screens, but with quality prints you risk losing detail in highly colour-saturated parts of the image. (A red rose is the classic example.)
For printing, you should really use Adobe RGB as it has a wider gamut (colour range). All professional printers should be able to handle - and will probably even expect - Adobe RGB or other wide-gamut colour profiles.
HOWEVER, this doesn't mean that you can rely on your professional printer to get it right! I ran some tests and I suspect that many high street photo printers treat everything as sRGB, simply because that's what most casual snappers are using (even if they don't know it!) So the best thing to do is:-
1) Make sure you use a professional printer, not just "cheery snaps"
2) Make sure the color profile is embedded in the photo (although this is not essential)
3) When you send something to a printer, advise them that your files are Adobe RGB.
In summary, yes your instructor is right: shoot in Adobe RGB and convert to sRGB when you need to.
(It's worth noting that if you shoot in RAW format, you can change colour profile after the fact with no loss of quality. This is one of many reasons to shoot RAW rather than JPEG's)
I hope this helps you to produce some great looking prints!
Paul
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