MicrostockGroup

Hi all,

I usually convert my raw file to jpg in lightroom, and export and choose sRGB as color profile..

I happened to open the raw file and edit in photoshop, then i 'save as' jpg but the color appears dull, and i notice the color space is 'prophoto' as i think it could be the reason.

But i found no way to change the color space..do i need to save the dng file to tiff first? how can i save a jpg in sRGB from a dng in photoshop CS5?

THANKS!

You should always work in Adobe-rgb, its a far wider gaumont then srgb. The Adobe-rgb, is the industry standard.

Yep, adobe-1998 rgb. You can set this as a default when you calibrate PS.

No way! dont set anything but the Adobe-rgb,  dont you understand? Adobe-rgb, is our industry standard!!! thats what 99% in the stock world use. The srgb, is associated with webb shots only. Most of these agencies sell for prints, or webb, up to XXXL sizes, therefore you want to work in a wide color-space such as adobe-rgb, many even work in Prophoto, an even wider space.

BTW,  your camera should also be set to adobe-rgb.

This is an interesting question. I do edit in ProPhoto RGB (which is set in Lightroom in Edit:Preferences:External Editing), and if then I save the file in ProPhoto as well as my master, but the JPEGs I create are always converted to sRGB. I did that because I assumed that most buyers are looking at the images on the web sites on their computer monitors and I thought all monitors were easily able to show sRGB, but only the better ones can show a wider gamut.

Is there a common view among the experienced contributors about which color space to use for uploaded images?

Steve
http://www.backyardsilver.com

As long as you have a color managed workflow - your devices profiled (especially your monitor) and all files containing an embedded color profile - it's not a huge deal to work in ProPhoto vs. AdobeRGB. The key thing is to ensure that you do embed a profile when you save files (and Save for Web and Devices in Photoshop doesn't embed a profile by default).

When you get color problems it's typically because an image is in some color space other than sRGB and you're using a browser or other software that doesn't know how to read a profile. Google Chrome isn't profile aware, but Firefox and Safari are. There's a web site here where you can check your browser, and here where you can see if supports version 4 or only version 2 of ICC profiles.

There is a difference in the color gamut (range of colors) that each of these color spaces supports - see here - but it's typically not a huge issue for most of the files you'll be submitting. I have been submitting in Adobe RGB since I went exclusive at IS because they support converting the thumbs to sRGB so they look good in all browsers. Before that I converted to sRGB JPEGs because they'd be handled OK by all the sites.

Be clear about the difference between Assign Profile and Convert to Profile in Photoshop. If your image has a profile and you want to have it use a different one, use Convert to Profile. Nothing should change in how the image looks when you do this. If the image doesn't have a profile, use Assign Profile to tell it which one to use. It may change appearance (should look better if you got the right one!) when you do this.

RAW files are sensor data and don't have an embedded profile. RAW converters digest that sensor data and produce a file in some color space, but you get to choose which one as part of conversion. Some cameras (like my 5D Mk II) allow me to choose color space for JPEGs when produced in camera.

Lightroom's default is Profoto RGB internally for its renderings of imported RAW files, and when you export files (or edit them in Photoshop) you get to choose what color space you want delivered. Lightroom will do a profile conversion for you - nothing will look any different except if there are out of gamut colors in the image. So I always edit in Photoshop in Adobe RGB 16 bit and that's the conversion Lightroom does when  I select Edit in Photoshop.

I last submitted to sites other than IS in August 2008, so my information on what they do regarding color profile conversions may be out of date - some other current independent can perhaps step in here.

However, don't go messing with your color to try and work around a problem with sites which don't read color profiles - if you do that, you'll trash the file for buyers.

If it is still the case that none of the sites do any automatic conversions of thumbnails from whatever profile the incoming JPEG is in (and it is important that you embed profiles in your JPEGs, especially if they're not sRGB), you should convert to sRGB JPEGs and upload that.