The Darlow Report
by Andrew Darlow
5/20/09

Hi folks!

For this edition, I share a Color Management 101 tip, suggest a
website and audio presentation, and mention some upcoming workshops.


Color Management 101: Decide Which Working Space Profiles to Use
One of the most common questions asked by photographers is: Which
working-space profile should I choose when converting RAW files, when
scanning, or when setting up my digital camera? Working-space
profiles (or editing-space profiles) are generally embedded inside
files, such as TIFFs, PSDs, and JPEGs. If you shoot in RAW mode, the
working-space profile setting (usually sRGB or Adobe RGB [1998]) that
you can often choose in your digital camera, has no real meaning
until you export your file and choose a working space profile using
RAW processing software.

When you scan film or a print, you will also have different working
space profiles from which to choose. To capture a very wide range of
colors, I recommend choosing ProPhoto RGB or Adobe RGB (1998). Some
of the most common working-space profiles are sRGB, Adobe RGB (1998),
ColorMatch RGB, and ProPhoto RGB. ProPhoto RGB is a color space with
an extremely wide gamut, which means that it can hold a very wide
range of color. This is primarily important because, as better
monitors and more advanced printers are introduced, you are able to
display and print more saturated colors. If you convert a RAW file
from a digital camera and embed a very wide working space profile
like ProPhoto RGB, then you will have an insurance policy as new
technologies are introduced. However, if you export RAW files using a
working space with a smaller gamut, such as sRGB, you cannot regain
the additional colors that were lost by not starting with a wider
working space. Over the last few years, I’ve primarily used Adobe RGB
(1998), which has a smaller gamut than ProPhoto RGB, but I’m now
converting many of my RAW digital camera files into the ProPhoto RGB
working space when exporting them as 16-bit PSD or TIFF files, and
I’ve been satisfied with the results. It's not for everyone though.
You can introduce banding (especially in gradients) if you work in
ProPhoto RGB and in 8-bit color mode.

Converting from a wide gamut working space to a smaller gamut working
space can be done easily in Photoshop using Edit>Convert to Profile.
This can be helpful when working with applications that are not
“color management aware,” like most Internet browsers. Because of
this problem, a photo displayed on a web page that is in a wide gamut
space, such as Adobe RGB (1998), will usually look desaturated when
viewed in most browsers. The solution to this problem is to open the
file in a color management-aware application like Adobe Photoshop,
choose Edit>Convert to Profile, and then choose sRGB as the working
space profile (be sure to then save it as a new file so that you
retain the benefits of the larger color space profile). When using
wide-gamut working space profiles, it is critical to keep the
profiles embedded in your files when moving files from computer to
computer, and it is also important to know how to properly open and
save files that contain embedded profiles.

In virtually all cases, you want to “Use the embedded profile” when
presented with a dialog box that asks the question, and always set
your imaging program to warn you when opening files with a different
embedded profile. In Photoshop, these can be set under Edit>Color
Settings. I recommend looking over some of the linked articles on the
book's companion site that cover this topic in greater detail (Look
for Link L4.3 on the following page).

(This tip was partially excerpted from 301 Inkjet Tips and
Techniques: An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers.)

_______

Quick Website Suggestion and Audio Presentation:
jmcolberg.com - This is a great site with a lot of unique
images by astrophysicist and photographer Jorg Colberg. Mr. Colberg's
blog is also outstanding. The links to artists and other interesting
websites alone could keep anyone busy for hours.

Speaking of Jorg Colberg (pictured, below), I found his websites because he moderated a
panel this past week at The New York Photo Awards in Brooklyn, New
York. I had a chance to visit, and I was very impressed by many of
the prints I saw, as well as many of the presentations at St. Anne's Warehouse. Check imagingbuffet.com for my upcoming overview of the show.

The panel presentation at the festival was entitled: "Blogging and
The Photography Community." The panel included:
Jorg Colberg, Cara Philips, Laurel Ptak, Andrew Hetherington, and
Brian Ulrich. A video of the presentation can be found here.

To listen to the audio, visit this page.


If you have a blog, website or enjoy looking at photographs, I highly
recommend it.

_______

Upcoming Fine-Art Black and White Inkjet Printing Workshops in NJ

On July 18 and July 25, 2009 from 10AM-5PM, I'll be conducting two
separate one-day fine-art black and white workshops.

The workshops are limited to just six participants, and both will be
held in Berkley Heights, NJ. For more info, visit my workshops page.

To register, call Nancy Ori Studio at (908) 790-8820 or e-mail Nancy
Ori.

That's all for now. If you'd like to share any thoughts about my
thoughts, feel free to contact me through the contact form here:

About Andrew:
Andrew Darlow is a photographer, author and digital imaging consultant
based in the New York City area. He is editor of The Imaging Buffet, an
online resource with news, reviews and interviews covering the
subjects of digital photography and printing. His new book, "301 Inkjet Tips and
Techniques: An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers" (Course Technology, PTR), covers tips and techniques for prepping, printing and displaying
prints made using inkjet printers. For more information, and free chapter downloads,
visit http://www.inkjettips.com.