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Converting Color Profiles: Proper Workflow?

Converting Color Profiles: Proper Workflow?

2006-04-26 by hanson102

When I was starting to get an understanding of how color management
works, I surfed around the Internet to look for materials.  I forgot
where I got the idea but I see it as a logical workflow that until now
I see nothing wrong.

A lot of the photographers would try to edit/enhance their photographs
through Photoshop.  The common dilema is rendition of the image in the
monitor.  We often ask ourselves how the adjustments we do would look
like in the actual print.

The information I gathered was about editing/enhancing an image
according to the output intended.  This means to say that if your
output is basically Websites/Internet content, it is best to convert
your image to sRGB Color Profile first and edit using this color space
since Internet contents mostly use sRGB.

Same thing with output to print.  If I intend to print my photographs
on my Canon Inkjet Printer, then it is best that I create a profile
using the Spectro, convert the photograph's color profile to the
profile built, edit and enhance the image, save, and print.

I always believed that this is the correct workflow because otherwise,
you will not know how the colors/brightness and contrast will look
like while editing the photos in a different color space.

Is this the proper workflow?

Re: [colorvision_group] Converting Color Profiles: Proper Workflow?

2006-04-26 by CDTobie@aol.com


In a message dated 4/26/06 12:41:46 PM, hanson102@... writes:



Same thing with output to print. If I intend to print my photographs
on my Canon Inkjet Printer, then it is best that I create a profile
using the Spectro, convert the photograph's color profile to the
profile built, edit and enhance the image, save, and print.

I always believed that this is the correct workflow because otherwise,
you will not know how the colors/brightness and contrast will look
like while editing the photos in a different color space.

Is this the proper workflow?


Working and editing an a neutral R=G=B space that can be used for any output is best. Even device specific adjustments can be done in a Photoshop workingspace by toggling back and forth to a proof preview as you work. I'm just suggesting that you use that method rather than having files that are permanently converted to the output devices non-neutral, non-linear space.

C. David Tobie
Product Technology Manager
ColorVision Business Unit
Datacolor Inc.
CDTobie@...

www.colorvision.com

Re: Converting Color Profiles: Proper Workflow?

2006-04-27 by hanson102

> Working and editing an a neutral R=G=B space that can be used for
any output 
> is best. Even device specific adjustments can be done in a Photoshop 
> workingspace by toggling back and forth to a proof preview as you
work. I'm just 
> suggesting that you use that method rather than having files that
are permanently 
> converted to the output devices non-neutral, non-linear space.

1. What is a neutral RGB space?  Adobe RGB or sRGB?
2. What does neutral mean?  non-neutral and non-linear space?
3. Should the image be outputed, device specific (only for the
Frontier) and nothing else, can't this be an exception?

Thanks!

David Hanson
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> 
> C. David Tobie
> Product Technology Manager
> ColorVision Business Unit
> Datacolor Inc.
> CDTobie@...
> www.colorvision.com
>

Re: [colorvision_group] Re: Converting Color Profiles: Proper Workflow?

2006-04-27 by CDTobie@aol.com


In a message dated 4/26/06 8:51:45 PM, hanson102@... writes:


1. What is a neutral RGB space? Adobe RGB or sRGB?

AdobeRGB, sRGB, or any Photoshop matrix-based workingspace is, by definition, neutral and linear.

2. What does neutral mean? non-neutral and non-linear space?

Neutral means that even amounts or the channels (R equals G equals B) makes a neutral gray. So the gray axis does not worm around as it does in a printer space, and does not veer to a non-neutral, uncontrollable paper white at one end, and a non-neutral, uncontrollable ink black at the other. Linear means that each of the units between 0 and 255 are evenly spaced, not variable as they are in a real-world device space. No skips, bumps, and gaps. An idealized space, fit for repurposing to any output device, not the warts and pimples of one output device built into your image.

3. Should the image be outputed, device specific (only for the
Frontier) and nothing else, can't this be an exception?

In the case of most devices, the image is never converted to the output space by the user, it happens on the fly, on the way to the printer, from settings chosen at print time. With the Frontier, on the other hand, you will probably manually convert to the printer space in Photoshop, and save to an output folder, though I would recommend making a Photoshop action to automate this process.

C. David Tobie
Product Technology Manager
ColorVision Business Unit
Datacolor Inc.
CDTobie@...

www.colorvision.com

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