You typically won’t see any difference because Photoshop is sending the file, no matter what color space it’s in, through your monitor profile, and you monitor can only display what it can – usually somewhere around the sRGB gamut unless you’ve got a newer high gamut display. On my Sony Artisan, which is very close to sRGB I see a very subtle shift in saturated oranges when converting from Adobe RGB to sRGB, but you have to look for it or you’ll miss it.
Not sure I agree there…?
The way I understand it, "convert to profile" isn’t supposed to change appearance, that’s the whole point, because Photoshop is changing the actual numbers to accomodate the new profile.
"Assign profile" on the other hand, *will* change the appearance.
This becomes clearer if you keep the histogram open: when you "convert", you can actually see the histogram change. With "assign" the histogram doesn’t change – and as a consequence; the appearance does.
The reason for "converting" from your working space (Adobe/Prophoto)to sRGB is so that the image will look *roughly* the same in a non-color managed environment as it does on your color managed monitor.
….or am I way off here?
It’s interesting to watch what happens when you save for web with Adobe RGB and Use Document Profile. It gets quite orange/red. But if you convert to sRGB before Save for Web, the Web matches the Photoshop image.
That’s how I catch the fact I forgot to re-profile before save for Web….
Robert
Try reading this thread from DPReview. It is long but explains a lot about color spaces. <
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1039&me ssage=27177698>
When you convert aRGB to sRGB you will see a difference if
1) your image has colors in the aRGB space that are not supported in the sRGB space.
and
2) your monitor profile is capable of displying these colors, that are in the aRGB space that are not supported in the sRGB space.
Otherwise you will see no difference.
Ed
Speaking of color.. When I use the image, adjustment level to get rid of all the blue and reds from a camera.. If I then go to use contrast, does that put back the blue and red? or has nothing to do with it? I am asking because I also am trying my hand with an artainium profile and having a lot of trouble with the blues and reds.
Thanks, Linda
Ed,
In other words, as long as you don’t run into gamut limitations, you’re not supposed to see any difference. I kept that out of the equation for the sake of simplicity.
Just making sure we’re on the same page. I’m not native english speaking, so I sometimes miss some of the finer nuances…
Anyway, gamut limitations typically cause channel clipping, not an overall color shift, so it won’t immediately look very different.
I thank all who answered. I do understand things better now. Leaving the histogram visible during the conversion was particularly helpful, as was the link to the unusually detailed and clearly explained review of color spaces.
Bob N.
Linda,
I’m afraid you’ll have to be more precise, it’s not easy to understand what you mean.
If I then go to use contrast, does that put back the blue and red?
It’s true that increasing contrast will also increase saturation, as long as you’re in RGB mode. This is because the differences between the color channels will increase as the contrast goes up. However, Lab mode uses a different model, and there you won’t see the saturation increase.
DGWaters
wrote:
In other words, as long as you don’t run into gamut limitations, you’re not supposed to see any difference. I kept that out of the equation for the sake of simplicity.
Just making sure we’re on the same page. I’m not native English speaking, so I sometimes miss some of the finer nuances…
you are correct, and I wish my English was as good as yours!
Anyway, gamut limitations typically cause channel clipping, not an overall color shift, so it won’t immediately look very different.
This is a little above my knowledge of the subject, so I am learning here also.
Thanks for your comments.
Ed
so I am learning here also
As am I. I would never have figured this out if not for the very knowledgeable people on this forum. Color management is tricky stuff with many pitfalls. Only a few months ago I sent away a bunch of portraits with embedded AdobeRGB profiles…to be used on the web. When I got complaints that they looked a little, well, pale, I decided to sit down and nail this bastard…
