Newbie Question: Adobe RGB and sRGB

X
Posted By
xtx99
Aug 26, 2005
Views
215
Replies
3
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Closed
I have a Nikon D70 which I have been shooting in sRGB mode in RAW format. So far, I’ve been opening the files in Nikon Capture (& doing minor adjustments including EV) then forwarding the file to Photoshop CS2 for final editing (including cropping, scaling & shapening). I have the cheap Hi-Touch dye-sub Photoshuttle which prints 4"x6" photos. I believe (based on what I’ve generally read), that I should be shooting in Adobe RGB. Will all printers (incluidng my cheap Hi-touch dye-sub Photoshuttle) recognize Adobe RGB OR will it convert the files back to sRBG for printing??? It would seem like a waste of time to shoot in Adobe RGB if the printer needs sRGB. I couldn’t find any mention of Adobe RGB or color space on Hi-Touche’s website. However, they do have a file for downloading entitled "HiTiColorPhotoShuttle.icc" for use in Photoshop. Do all inkjet AND dye-sub printers have the ability to print in the Adobe RGB color space??? Thanks.

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G
Guus013
Aug 26, 2005
HiTiColorPhotoShuttle.icc is the output profile for your printer. It describes the colorspace of your printer. sRGB(.icc) and AdobeRGB1998(.icc) are working spaces. There is no printer that has exactly that color gamut.
The colors in your image, which is made in sRGB, AdobeRGB or any other colorspace for that matter, can be converted by Photoshop to colors that your printer is able to produce using the output profile of your printer.

Greets,
Michel

N.B.
Check out:
http://www.ltlimagery.com/colormanagement2.html
for more info on printing with icc profiles.
B
birdman
Aug 27, 2005
There is much more to this color space and color mangement thing then a simple newsgroup answer can provide.
The best advice is to continue to shoot in AdobeRGB and always save a copy of your original raw file so that if you become more sophisticated about these matters you will still have the original image data to work with. I would recommend you ditch your little dye sub printer and get an inkjet photoprinter, preferably Epson, that will allow you to print at different sizes with the wider gamut of inkjet ink. I strongly recommend Epson over Canon, and probably HP, because Epson’s printer drivers and built in ICC profiles with multiple print surfaces are reasonably accurate for colored mangaged printing with just monitor calibration.
Oh yeah, you also need a color managed photoprogram. I would recommend Adobe Elements if you do not already own something, as this allows use of the Adobe raw converter and Adobe color management.
And more important than just buying stuff like printers, monitor calibrators and photo programs is actually spending the time and effort to learn how to use them.
WK
William Kazak
Oct 6, 2005
I use the Nikon D70.
I used to shoot in Adobe RGB but I found out that all of the photolabs we use are set for sRGB so I have now taken that approach instead. The books I have read suggest that Adobe RGB has more colors. SRGB on the other hand, is more "condensed".
Martin Evening has a great book that you can peruse at Borders. There are many more books on the subject of digital photography and color management.
I will differ from Birdman in that I just bought a Canon ip8500 printer. The reviews for the comparable Epsom left no doubt in my mind that people are extremely happy with that model of Canon.
Epsom was a big problem for the reviewers.
I will be setting my Canon up this week.
The paper you use has a lot to do with it also.
Your dye sub should eventually work if you get it dialed in. William Kazak

http://www.williamkazak.com

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