Colour Issues - Workflow/PP

[kirbym2]

Hi Everyone,

Not sure if it's time for a change with my process, but I'm having some issues when it comes to importing my photos, and then proceeding to complete additional edits through PS.

I currently use LR3 and CS5. I import through lightroom (shooting RAW). I adjust sliders through there - as I understand LR/PS both use ACR. Once I am happy with the look, I export to PS to complete any touch ups. I find the patch tool/cloning (as examples) a little easier with PS.

Where I'm running into issues is as follows - if I export from LR after completing initial edits, but without using PS, the finished product looks as I intended. If I have a print done (small or an enlargement), the colour is true to what I am expecting. If I export, and then open in PS, and finalize edits like I've mentioned above, when I save (saved as a jpg file) the colour becomes flatter, less saturated, washed out, etc.

I've looked up tutorials, and realized I may have had issues aligned the colour profiles - so I have adjusted all to ProPhotoRGB. I selected this as I do like to print a lot of my photos.

Is there something I'm doing wrong here? Am I creating more work for myself? Should I stick with LR, and figure out how to clone and patch there?

I'd really appreciate any advice!

 

[Big Mike]

I think I see the problem. ProphotoRGB is great because it's a very large gamut. So it's great to edit your photos while they are in this color space.

But the problem is that printers and web browsers can't (or won't) really use ProPhoto. So if you're going to use Prophoto (when you export from LR), then you need to assign/convert to a different profile when you go to print or upload to the web etc.

Are you printing at home, or sending to the lab?

My suggestion, would be to do what you're doing...but instead of exporting to PS and then saving out a JPEG, go back into LR.
So after dong as much as you can in LR, right click the image and choose 'Edit in...' and pick PS. That will take the image into PS for you to edit. But when you're done, just hit save and it will automatically re-import the image back into LR...this time as a TIFF (or PSD if you like). So now you can continue to have the 'finished' image in LR and use it's great cataloging and printing capabilities.

 

[MLeeK]

When you are saving in PS you are ASSIGNING the color space to sRGB or? You want to CONVERT. It's easiest to convert to sRGB upon export from LR. Check your settings in PS to be sure you are working in sRGB, North American General Purpose 2.
Edit>color settings. Under color managment there are some boxes-check them and then photoshop will warn you and let you make the decision what to do if there is a colorspace mismatch. (that's where I believe your settings are off)
Then open an image and click save. Look at your save dialog. You should be saving as ICC profile sRGB... The next box should be level 10, baseline standard

This was my problem with LR... I could NOT get the colorspace issue to work for me.
Which SHOULD be fine, but for me I had problems blowing color channels on export and learning to do it and watch out was too much of a PITA, so I went back to ACR which is the same thing, in a different package. I can work in sRGB in ACR. Much better for me because if I can screw something up I will!

 

[KmH]

The color gamut of the ProPhoto RGB color space is actually larger than the human eye can see.

As Mike mentioned it is preferrred for editing, but then has to be changed for image output.

Overview of Color Management
Color Management: Understanding Color Spaces
Color Management: Color Space Conversion

A related additional resource - Color Management for Photographers #006 @Digital Outback Photo

Real World Color Management (2nd Edition)

Color Confidence: The Digital Photographer's Guide to Color Management (Tim Grey Guides)

If you can handle the technical - Color Management: Understanding and Using ICC Profiles (The Wiley-IS&T Series in Imaging Science and Technology)

 

[kirbym2]

Thanks for the references... I've reviewed and can grasp concept - but leaves me wondering. Should I revert back to sRGB for both LR and PS? Will this get me closer to the "true" colour when I print? If not, should I be "over-editing" (saturation, curves, etc). to compensate for the loss referenced above?

I'm most concerned here because I've done some shots for a friend. She's really happy with the outcome (but has only seen the web version). I know she'll want to print some, and am really worried that the prints won't look at all like the web versions do. I've run into this before.

Thanks!

 

[MLeeK]

You can't change LR. It's ProPhoto only.
You do not want to OVER edit, that will blow your color channels. If anything you want to be a slight touch reserved in the saturation, that way there is no loss. If you over edit there is just MORE loss.

 

[Big Mike]

You can't change LR. It's ProPhoto only.

I've heard that it's actually a tiny bit different (maybe bigger) than ProPhotoRGB. They jokingly called it ThomasRGB...for Thomas Knoll, the main guy behind Adobe Camera Raw.

 

[MLeeK]

You can't change LR. It's ProPhoto only.

I've heard that it's actually a tiny bit different (maybe bigger) than ProPhotoRGB. They jokingly called it ThomasRGB...for Thomas Knoll, the main guy behind Adobe Camera Raw.

What the heck?? Why do they do that? (sorry for the hijack, but this is one of those things that is just stupidity to me...)
If the human eye can't even see it, no monitors can display and nothing can print it.. WHAT THE HECK GOOD IS IT??
LOL!