Color Spaces

COLOR SPACES
What is Adobe RGB and sRGB? How does it affect the way we see and other see our pictures?
Adobe RGB has a greater color gamut than sRGB. Users will definitely be swayed to use a color space that can have more 'space' to manipulate in the Adobe Photoshop. However, for the end result, not all devices and platforms interpret Adobe RGB since the sRGB has been the industry standard. Not all devices and platforms can interpret an embedded ICC profile. Only special printing devices can interpret Adobe RGB and embedded ICC profiles to print 'correctly' to what has been edited in Adobe Photoshop. Most other applications such as the internet browsers are not capable of interpreting and embedded ICC profiles.
Below is an image taken in Adobe RGB, then saved in various color spaces with/without ICC profile embedded. No adjustments were made to the photo.
On Adobe Photoshop, all images appear similar irregardless of the colour space it was opened in.
On Windows Picture Viewer of my calibrated LCD display, all images appear similar, except sRGB without embedded ICC profile which is oversaturated.
How do they look on the web?
Images saved in Adobe RGB (1998) with and without embedded ICC profile appear washed out.


Adobe RGB (1998) with ICC Profile


Adobe RGB (1998) without ICC Profile


sRGB with ICC Profile


sRGB without ICC Profile


Adobe RGB (1998) Save For Web & Devices with ICC


Adobe RGB (1998) Save For Web & Devices without ICC


Conclusion:

In order to display the result of WYSIWYG in Photohop, into the internet for photo sharing or online photo galleries, one need to:

(1) convert color space setting to 'sRGB', then work and save as 'sRGB with ICC profile'.
(2) if working in 'Adobe RGB' color space, use 'Save for Web & Devices' setting with 'ICC profile' checked, to export the picture into sRGB space.


Photoshop Working Space = Adobe RGB (1998)
Camera Color Space = Adobe RGB

Comments

Anonymous said…
really nice of you to share these little tips, thanks.