Saving to "Working RGB"

[Emilymarie]

If I dont go to edit-->convert to profile--> save as working RGB and apply this to all my images, then when I try uploading them to web the color is soooooo off. The are so dull looking. I have Scott Kelbys PS CS4 book and he says in order to keep the colors looking great for web/email you need to do this everytime. Well Ive only had to do this as of recently so I have no clue what has changed. Is there a way to save this and have it the standard for all my images?

 

[clanthar]

"working RGB" is not a color space and you can't convert to it. When Photoshop uses the term "working RGB" it lists the color space right behind the term working RGB. What working RGB means is: the color space that you have set as a default for Photoshop (Edit -> Color Settings).

Photoshop by default embeds an ICC profile in every photo you save and that ICC profile identifies the photo's RGB color space. Without a referenced color space the RGB values in your photo are soft -- undefined.

Unfortunately there's bad software out there that displays photos and doesn't process the embedded profile. It isn't possible to decode and display a photo correctly without processing the embedded profile and reference color space, but that doesn't stop some people from making and selling junk. An example would be the Internet Explorer web browser.

To have the best luck viewing your photos on the web, set Photoshop's default color space to sRGB and make sure you check the three boxes in the Color Settings dialog next to the options "Ask..." Then whenever you open a photo in Photoshop and you get a dialog box warning about a mismatched or missing color space always choose the option to convert.

Joe

 

[Big Mike]

What type of file are you recording from the camera (RAW or JPEG)?
Do you use any other software besides Photoshop?

If you are shooting JPEG, you can set your camera to use sRGB and if you don't change it, it should always be sRBG and you shouldn't have any problem.

If you shoot RAW, you will be able to choose the color space when you open/convert the RAW files. If you use something like Adobe RGB, then you will likely have to convert it to sRGB when you want to send it for printing or display it on the web etc.

So why would you want to use something besides sRGB...well because some of the other choices are 'better'. In other words, they have a larger color gamut.
What does that mean...well, if you have trouble getting to sleep, you can look it up :er:

My opinion for you, is just to keep everything with sRGB and concentrate on other things.

 

[peacock]

If you think you would do extensive post-processing on your photos, you should take the photos in CMYK colour space, but would lack a little warmth. This is because it has a 'wider' colour space for you to edit with. Otherwise, sRGB would be fine for other people.

That's according to Nikon's site though.

 

[clanthar]

You can't take a photo in CMYK. Cameras are RGB devices and digital photos are taken as RGB images. You can't save a CMYK file for publishing on the web. Photos used for web publishing should be JPEG files and these can only be RGB. As a photographer you should never convert a photo to CMYK. When a photo is printed using an four color offset press it must be converted to CMYK in order to create the press plates. This can only be correctly done when the specific characteristics of that specific press are known. The CMYK conversion at that point is press and application specific and inappropriate for any other use.

There are different RGB color spaces in use and unfortunately they are not coincident in how they map colors; if they were we wouldn't have more than one. As a result the color R=130, G=45, B=63 will be one color in sRGB and a different color in Adobe RGB and a different color in ColorMatch RGB, etc. This is why the color space must be referenced as an embedded ICC profile in the file. Without the profile how do you interpret those RGB numbers? Different color spaces exist because we use color for different applications in different circumstances. It's not that one color space is better than another so much as each color space is best targeted to a specific application. If you're looking at photos on the Internet and publishing photos to the Internet then the best color space to use is sRGB.

Joe

 

[Emilymarie]

What type of file are you recording from the camera (RAW or JPEG)?
Do you use any other software besides Photoshop?

If you are shooting JPEG, you can set your camera to use sRGB and if you don't change it, it should always be sRBG and you shouldn't have any problem.

If you shoot RAW, you will be able to choose the color space when you open/convert the RAW files. If you use something like Adobe RGB, then you will likely have to convert it to sRGB when you want to send it for printing or display it on the web etc.

So why would you want to use something besides sRGB...well because some of the other choices are 'better'. In other words, they have a larger color gamut.
What does that mean...well, if you have trouble getting to sleep, you can look it up :er:

My opinion for you, is just to keep everything with sRGB and concentrate on other things.

Raw 100% of the time. Thx, I look up your suggestions

 

[Emilymarie]

"working RGB" is not a color space and you can't convert to it. When Photoshop uses the term "working RGB" it lists the color space right behind the term working RGB. What working RGB means is: the color space that you have set as a default for Photoshop (Edit -> Color Settings).

Photoshop by default embeds an ICC profile in every photo you save and that ICC profile identifies the photo's RGB color space. Without a referenced color space the RGB values in your photo are soft -- undefined.

Unfortunately there's bad software out there that displays photos and doesn't process the embedded profile. It isn't possible to decode and display a photo correctly without processing the embedded profile and reference color space, but that doesn't stop some people from making and selling junk. An example would be the Internet Explorer web browser.

To have the best luck viewing your photos on the web, set Photoshop's default color space to sRGB and make sure you check the three boxes in the Color Settings dialog next to the options "Ask..." Then whenever you open a photo in Photoshop and you get a dialog box warning about a mismatched or missing color space always choose the option to convert.

Joe

I think that fixed my issue. THX!!!

 

[Emilymarie]

ok, so I set my color space to SRGB and clicked those 3 boxes and this is what Im getting when I open new files. WTH??

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Is your camera set to AdobeRGB?

 

[Emilymarie]

Is your camera set to AdobeRGB?

It isn't.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

How are you importing them from the camera to the PC?
Is there a setting there, that is making them adobergb?

 

[Emilymarie]

How are you importing them from the camera to the PC?
Is there a setting there, that is making them adobergb?

A setting? No. I have two option in camera for color space, adobe RGB and SRGB currently it is set to SRGB. To get the images on to the PC, I plug the camera in, --start--computer-- my camera-- and drag them to the correct folder. This color change option I'm getting in PS only started when one of the above posts suggested I change PS defalu space to SRGB and click the 3 boxes.

 

[clanthar]

Hi Emilymarie,

In an earlier post you indicated you were shooting in RAW. You can't set a color space for a RAW file. It doesn't matter what color space your camera is set for if you work with RAW files. Setting a color space on camera will only effect the camera's JPEG files.

Photoshop won't open a RAW file directly (one reason is because the file has no embedded ICC profile). RAW files open in ACR (adobe camera raw) and it's in ACR that RAW files get a color space assigned. Then you take them to Photoshop for additional processing.

If you have ACR set to assign Adobe RGB and you have Photoshop set to sRGB then you're going to get that warning dialog.

In ACR look to the center bottom of the screen and the blue line will tell you what the setting is. Click it to change the settings.

Joe

 

[Emilymarie]

Hi Emilymarie,

In an earlier post you indicated you were shooting in RAW. You can't set a color space for a RAW file. It doesn't matter what color space your camera is set for if you work with RAW files. Setting a color space on camera will only effect the camera's JPEG files.

Photoshop won't open a RAW file directly (one reason is because the file has no embedded ICC profile). RAW files open in ACR (adobe camera raw) and it's in ACR that RAW files get a color space assigned. Then you take them to Photoshop for additional processing.

If you have ACR set to assign Adobe RGB and you have Photoshop set to sRGB then you're going to get that warning dialog.

In ACR look to the center bottom of the screen and the blue line will tell you what the setting is. Click it to change the settings.

Joe

I don't think I open in ACR, I use Bridge. I know RAW overrides everything. So do I need to change something on Bridge? This is so confusing!!

 

[Emilymarie]

Hi Emilymarie,

In an earlier post you indicated you were shooting in RAW. You can't set a color space for a RAW file. It doesn't matter what color space your camera is set for if you work with RAW files. Setting a color space on camera will only effect the camera's JPEG files.

Photoshop won't open a RAW file directly (one reason is because the file has no embedded ICC profile). RAW files open in ACR (adobe camera raw) and it's in ACR that RAW files get a color space assigned. Then you take them to Photoshop for additional processing.

If you have ACR set to assign Adobe RGB and you have Photoshop set to sRGB then you're going to get that warning dialog.

In ACR look to the center bottom of the screen and the blue line will tell you what the setting is. Click it to change the settings.

Joe

I don't think I open in ACR, I use Bridge. I know RAW overrides everything. So do I need to change something on Bridge? This is so confusing!!