Photographic color spaces: sRGB or Adobe RGB

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Photographic color spaces: sRGB or Adobe RGB

Color Space is a model for representing color in terms of measurable values.
sRGB (= standard RGB) is the Microsoft Windows default, it is used as a standard in all of the Windows based computers.
aRGB (=Adobe RGB (1998)) was established by Adobe. It has a wider color area than sRGB. (see the picture; from http://www.jseaman.com/articles/srgb.html)

                               
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As aRGB represents more colors than sRGB, should we always choose to use aRGB? Not necessary. Actually, 99.9% you should choose sRGB.

If you are the  0.1% photographers, you need the followings to enable you to view the aRGB photos on your monitor:
- Selected the aRGB color space in your camera; (many DC doesn't have this selection, DSLR usually have)
- Bought a wide gamut monitor which can display aRGB color space; (99% monitors in the market are NOT support aRGB color space)
- Calibrated the monitor. So, you needed to buy a colorimeter;
- Using color space aware editing programs through all steps. Photoshop already is, but you need to configure it to read your monitor profile.

To obtain your aRGB photo print-out, you need either:
- Find a photo lab which support aRGB; (90% of the street photo lab only support sRGB photos printing, or just (pretend?) don't understand what is aRGB); or
- Print the photos by yourself: Buy a good printer that support aRGB color space. Of course, you also have to profile your printer;

To put the photos to Internet/web/email ? sRGB is the only choice.

Conclusion:
If you don't understand what I'm talking, you should select sRGB. And 99.9% it is a correct choice.
If you select Adobe RGB, but don't have the corresponding equipments, the aRGB photos will looks worse than sRGB photos using the mis-matched equipments.

jackyman

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