Which color space to set camera to use

[valdore]

My Canon 5D classic version gives me the option of shooting in a color space of either sRGB or Adobe RGB. Seeing as how I've had this camera for 23 months now I thought I'd check and see if anyone has recommendations of one or the other in terms of in-camera color spaces.

I'm assuming I'll want the Adobe RGB if I'm going to be running the output through some post-processing?

 

[cenetti]

Most printers (in costco or Wmart) are all set to sRGB, so your aRGB should be converted to sRGB and lose quality in the process. Everybody I know use sRGB.

Just shoot Raw...
that way it's overwritten... and you don't have to worry about it..Just like white balance etc... play with it later...

 

[valdore]

Ah, I didn't know RAW affected it. I've been shooting RAW 100% for some time now anyway.

 

[feuerschlange]

camera to AdobeRGB

Set your cameras to AdobeRGB.
This keeps the biggest colour information in your files, if you shoot jpg.

RAW files are not affected by the colour space setting in camera.

I process my files with software, set to ProPhoto, which has an even bigger colour gamut than AdobeRGB and export files according to their usage (jpg for web in sRGB, to be save).

There are lots of colour space articles on the web. Just google "AdobeRGB ProPhoto sRGB" .

 

[valdore]

I guess I was trying to re-invent my own proverbial wheel then. I've been shooting in RAW with the camera left at sRGB forever until recently, and been using ProPhoto in the post-processing.

I was compelled to move to ProPhoto for my 16 bit Tiff files because it made the banding problems in skies far less. Obvious advantage right there.

 

[anubis]

You should keep it set to sRGB if your final product output is going to be web or neighborhood photo processor, both of which exclusively use the sRBG color space.

Note that AdobeRGB and sRGB have different colors in their color space. The incorrect way to think about it (which is how most people do) is that AdobeRGB has all of the sRGB colors and then some. That is not the case. If you do your processing in AdobeRGB and the final product is web, you are basically discarding ALL of the colors that are not common to BOTH color spaces. So you basically get the disadvantages of both color spaces and the advantages of neither.

Stick to sRGB throughout the post processing if your final product will be web or neighborhood printer (Costco, walgreens, etc). Otherwise if you can directly send your photo processor a Prophoto or AdobeRGB and they are highly skilled and know what they're doing, then it may be worth it to use a non sRGB color space

 

[mrkgoo]

A good way to think about it is that Adobe RGB and sRGB are boxes of coloured crayons. Both boxes have the same number of crayons. the Adobe RGB box has a wider range (particularly in greens and cyans), but the sRGB box has a few more 'inbetween'.

 

[feuerschlange]

Don't get fooled

The reason, to stick to AdobeRGB and export jpgs for web or email to sRGB is the same reason, why you choose shooting RAW over shooting JPG or you choose, to archive your slides after making prints instead of throwing them away.

If you are unsure or listen too much to forum experts, get yourself professionally informed. There are lots of good explanations of color space and color profile work flow on the web.

Retain the best quality and information in the file you shoot and filter it down only if needed. Every RAW converter allows you to export your AdobeRGB/ ProPhoto color space images to the lesser sRGB color space for web use.

The difference in colour transition in professional prints is substantial. Don't throw a piece of quality away, when releasing the shutter.

EDIT: The color space awareness of internet browsers grows by the way:

http://diglloyd.com/diglloyd/free/WebBrowserColor/index.html

Give it some time and even Microsofts Internet Explorer recognizes AdobeRGB. Give it some more time and sRGB might vanish completely in the history books of early digital imaging.

 

[anubis]

EDIT: The color space awareness of internet browsers grows by the way:

http://diglloyd.com/diglloyd/free/WebBrowserColor/index.html

Give it some time and even Microsofts Internet Explorer recognizes AdobeRGB. Give it some more time and sRGB might vanish completely in the history books of early digital imaging.

You just proved my point... the only browser on the list that natively supports any color space other than sRGB is Safari 3... no version of IE supports non-sRGB. I deliver my product to my clients using the internet. And I don't know about you, but I need to impress my clients today, not 5 years from now when most browsers are color-space aware. My clients are regular consumers, most of whom use Internet Explorer, so I need to ensure at least some level consistency and repeatability between platforms, regardless of the other limitations of sRGB. So my color space of choice is sRGB...

just saying...

 

[waiwai]

sRGB is industry standard.

 

[feuerschlange]

You just proved my point... the only browser on the list that natively supports any color space other than sRGB is Safari 3... no version of IE supports non-sRGB. I deliver my product to my clients using the internet. And I don't know about you, but I need to impress my clients today, not 5 years from now when most browsers are color-space aware. My clients are regular consumers, most of whom use Internet Explorer, so I need to ensure at least some level consistency and repeatability between platforms, regardless of the other limitations of sRGB. So my color space of choice is sRGB...

just saying...

Exactly that is why I preserve the best quality during the shoot, the PP with the widest colour gamut possible and export my work according to the intended purpose in the most appropriate colour space - sRGB for internet publish that is.

Inform yourself about colour workflow - very likely it can help to improve the quality of your work even more.

Here is one more read for you.

Do what works best for you. I shoot raw/ sometimes jpg, preserve my files in the widest colour space available and filter them down for lesser needs (internet publication for example or to "impress customers").