Color Management - Color Space

[RyanWard]

Ok,

I've been trying to get a hold of all of this and I seem to have reached a point where I cannot find the answer I need so I thought I would see if someone might be able to tell me exactly what the next step will be here.

I have a Nikon D60. I want to shoot RAW and edit in Lightroom/Elements, etc...

Here is the problem I run into:

I download from the camera, open in Lightroom and edit the photos then export them in jpeg to a new folder on my computer. If I use ProPhoto RGB to export the photos and open them in MS Picture Manager and reduce the size, the picture changes colors drastically. If I open them and just close them, nothing happens to the picture. I am assuming that when MS Pic Manager resizes the image, it is also doing something else to it. If I export them in sRGB, and perform the same resizing in Microsoft Picture Manager, I do not get the same color change that I would if I was exporting in ProPhoto.

Ok, so if I use lightroom and export, I now know that if I am to use Picture manager, I need to export in sRGB. From what I understand, this is less than optimum, correct?

If I use elements, I only have 2 options, Adobe 1998 RGB and sRGB - either one of these open and resize fine using MS Picture Manager. However, Elements makes me convert to 8 bit. I don't want this do I? If I open this Elements edited, Adobe RGB image in paint.net, to edit them, I lose some warmth in the photo that is lost forever once I save the newly edited image in paint.net.

The intended use for 80% or so of my photos will be to use online either on one of my blogs or in MLS listings of real estate for sale. Only occasionally will I need a print photo.

So, what is the way to go here? Do I need to get the whole CS4? What is the best way to handle images that look one way with one program and another way in another program?

What I want to be able to do is have a program (or 2) that I use to edit photos in that I can then expect will look the same as my final edit when I upload them to the internet.

I hope this doesn't sound like too stupid of a question. The answer may be right in front of me for all I know, but, I have looked and looked for a solution to this and what I am really looking for here is someone to say:

You need this, this and this. Edit here, do your finishing touches here and then when you upload, the photos will appear online as they did in your final edit.

Thank you for your patience if you read through this rambling post and thank you even more if you can give me a good answer or at least point me where I need to go.

I realize that my monitor is supposed to be optimized as well. I will be editing mostly on a laptop - LCD. If I get CS4, I think it comes with a calibrator or something - if not, what should I get? Also, if I optimize my monitor and edit in ProPhoto, I would imagine that I would still have the problem in MS Picture Manager.

So, stop using Picture Manager and Paint.net?

What is the ideal or a few different ideal scenarios?

 

[davebmck]

You are going to get the most compatibility by exporting in sRGB, especially for the web and screen viewing. Most applications are not color managed and don't have the capability to display the ProPhoto and AdobeRGB gamuts.

Just curious why you are resizing in Picture Manager. You can do that in the export function in Lightroom. I don't know what type of editing you are doing in paint.net, but you may be able to do those in LR as well. I rarely use CS3 anymore since I've been using LR2.