Digital BW, The Print

Just a couple of extra points.  I would keep your colour originals in
ProPhoto - think of this as your processed film (the raw file your
unprocessed film copy).  If you are using Channel Mixer to convert to B&W
and want to be able to retrace your steps then saving this step as a layer
will, I believe, require you to keep the document in RGB.  This isn't such a
big deal except for the extra size etc.  If you are not worried about
keeping this layer then I would flatten and then go to GG 2.2 greyscale.
You can then easily save the document then bounce to Adobe RGB (which has a
gamma of 2.2) for your Photokit output sharpen and then print - discarding
the output sharpened file once it has printed.


> From: Tyler Boley <tyler@...>
> Reply-To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
> Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2005 22:22:51 -0000
> To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: [Digital BW] Re: B/W on the 9600
> 
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "joshhackney"
> <joshhackney@g...> wrote:
> ...
> 
> I have thoughts on some of this, but not allof your concerns...
> 
>> ...My real curiosity is that for those of us shooting digital, that
> start out in an 
>> RGB space, is it useful to convert to a gray space after our color
> to b&w conversion, and
>> before continuing the rest of our edits in PS?  Are there any
> downsides to staying in RGB?
>> Possible tints introduced, file size . . . something else?  I only
> ask because my current
>> workflow includes Photokit Sharpener, which requires an RGB working
> space.  
> 
> Then you must stay in RGB for that step, and that is the downside to
> an earlier conversion. If not for your use of that particular filter,
> I don't see any reason to stay in RGB.
> 
>> 
>> Another question I have is why greygamma 2.2, and not greygamma 1.8?
> 
> There are any number of Gray spaces you could convert to for any
> number of reasons. I tend to prefer keeping files in a commonly used
> space so in the future the files can be repurposed. If it is converted
> and archived in a space more related to a particulare output system,
> it may become obsolete and less relevant for future printing. If you
> are printing with a color managed system and will be converting to
> print anyway, I think the choice matters less.
> But the real issue is this-  Popular color spaces tend to be gamma
> 2.2, so your conversion to a gray 2.2 space will be less "lossy", and
> 2.2 is a common space out there in the world. So since you are likely
> to have more than one conversion in your process (RGB-gray-output) it
> makes sense to have at least one of them be as lossless as possible.
> ProPhoto is gamma 1.8, so there could be an arguement for going to 1.8
> gamma gray.
> Keep in mind they will all display the same.
> 
>> When I bought 
>> my first set of piezotones for a 1280, the documentation from Cone
> said to use GG1.8.
>> 
> 
> Jon likes 1.8 spaces. For years he's recommended using ColorMatch for
> RGB, it's 1.8. He has fairly elaborate and rational reasons for this
> involving issues besides gamma alone. One of the most educational
> exchanges on a list was an arguement that lasted for days and days
> between Jon and David Tobie about this issue. Things like that don't
> happen on lists any more... I believe he is less dogmatic about it
> these days. We've all evolved away from the "1.8 for Macs" thing.
> Anyway, so if he uses a 1.8 RGB space, you can see why he would favor
> a 1.8 gray space. He knows it works down the line with their profiles
> because of his experience at their shop and therefore has specific
> setting recommendations. Color management is so easily messed up that
> helping poeple with product settings needs to be clear as a bell.
> I asked him once, since his profiles were a color managed conversion,
> if theoretically other spaces would convert to his profiles without
> problems and he agreed it would probably work.
> 
> Anyway, if this is of any help, my thinking is to convert from RGB to
> a commonly used gray space that has the same gamma as the RGB space
> and archive, then convert when printing on the fly with the output
> profile. I see no reason not to leave RGB as soon as possible, except
> for your filter dilemma.
> 
> Hope that helps some.
> Tyler
>