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I would like to hear your opinions regarding the use of sRGB vs. Adobe RGB color spaces when shooting in RAW. I am especially interested in opinions from those using Photoshop CS as this is the post processing software I am currently using.
Haven't decided if I want to purchase Nikon Capture yet, so input on that software would be welcomed.
Personally I like the Adobe RGB colorspace since it has a bit more range to it than then sRGB. That said, most printing is done with sRGB and sRGB translates better to the web.
FWIW, if you already have CS I can't think of any reasons to get Capture. If you didn't have either CS or Capture, Capture makes sense since it only runs $100 and CS runs about $270 for academic pricing and $640 at full pop.
Personally I like the Adobe RGB colorspace since it has a bit more range to it than then sRGB. That said, most printing is done with sRGB and sRGB translates better to the web.
DiD,
When you say printing are you talking about a printer at home or at a local photo shop?
Method 1: image has Adobe RGB embedded in it and is being brought into photoshop. If you have your working colorspace set to sRGB you should be prompted to either use, discard, or convert the embedded colorspace to the working colorspace. I would select convert at that point to change the file from Adobe RGB to sRGB and in doing that, the conversion would make a pretty close approximation to Adobe RGB in sRGB. This would be my preferred way to convert colorspaces.
Method 2: in Photoshop 7, the colorspace is handled under "Edit" "Color Settings". You can then change the colorspace to sRGB. I don't think this does a conversion though if you're file is already tagged as Adobe RGB, so it would be the same thing as "discard" above, where Adobe RGB is ignored and sRGB is imposed.
EDIT: note there may be other ways of doing this too, so if someone else has a method please post it up.
So a final CS question for you. Can an image taken in Adobe RGB colorspace be converted to sRGB in Photoshop?
Yes. The color will vary some, though, since sRGB has a smaller color gamut (range of colors) than aRGB. Colors from the extreme edges of the aRGB gamut will be lost.
I used to use aRGB with my Canon 10D, but as DiD pointed out, the prints I get are sRGB so I switched to sRGB to make it easier to color-correct on my monitor and know what I would get from prints.
You can also create a unique color profile (ICC profile) to work in based on how you are printing. Some processors have them available to download. Surprisingly, most Costco locations have their printers profiled.
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The method I use to convert in PS7 is Image->Mode->Convert to profile... and choose sRGB as the destination space. Note that that's not the same as Assign Profile, which just tags your image as being in another colorspace without actually doing the conversion. I always shoot in Adobe RGB, leave my master original file as that, and, if I have a specific application that requires sRGB, I convert and save that as a copy. Like David and bee1000n say, sRGB has a smaller gamut so you're tossing stuff out when you convert to sRGB from Adobe RGB.
If you use an Adobe RGB image in an application that's expecting sRGB, you'll get something that looks pretty flat and washed-out. I always convert to sRGB for web or print lab use, again saving it as a copy rather than replacing the original file. I have some profiles specifically for Fuji Frontier labs but they're basically quite close to standard sRGB.
I'd like to point out that Paint Shop Pro 9 (PSP) from Jasc also recognizes Nikon's raw (NEF) format, as well as other similar formats. Here's Jasc's description:
Raw camera images. Paint Shop Pro 9 includes integrated support for Raw camera images (digital negatives) from several popular camera models.
Set custom white balance, exposure and sharpening levels when converting Raw camera images for use in Paint Shop Pro.
I've been using PSP since version 7 and I have found that it is easy to use and suitable for many applications (basic to elaborate image manipulation).
I've only had the D70 for about a month and I have now began experimenting with the NEF format. I can not offer any technical comparisons with Photo Shop, but PSP costs $129 ($59 upgrade) and is well worth considering, especially as a first image processing application.
Rick
