sRGb Argb does this make since??

[Gateruner]

OK so I have been working on getting my color management under control since moving to an LCD but now have a final question.

I have read the arguments about the srgb v argb debates and wonder.....

If I have no plans to buy a printer and do in house printing does it make more since to work with sRGB through the post process?

Here is the workflow. (it is color managed and I finally feel I have the monitors brightness levels matching the prints or at least really close)

Shoot Raw, use presets in ACR if possible to avoid PS. If not then upload to PS in aRGB(since that is what I assumed was best), make any adjustments, then save to JPEG. What I ran into is the loss of color recently when printed at the lab since moving from a CRT to an LCD(not sure if the old crt was part of the problem with not displaying the higher gamut of colors). I currently use White House, Bay photo some and considering looking at Millers. So the part I really looked into was soft proofing in PS and when doing so I find a fairly big color shift that in my mind is dropping the saturation levels and hence losing the POP in the image. So I read some more and found that perhaps you should soft proof and make a correction adjustment prior to converting to JPEG.

So my thoughts are, since the Labs arent printing in aRGB(or they are converting it once they get the file, ie WHCC) why am I going through this process. It now seems that it would be better to process the photo in sRGB and get the photo looking like I want without having to go through the extra step of having to readjust the color once you soft proof.

Does this make since? If you dont agree what is the benefit of processing in aRGb and having to spend more time doing a soft proof and making further adjustments. At this point I dont even consider prophoto so lets keep that out of the mix.

[johnastovall]

You can't keep ProPhoto out of the mix if you want the best work.

I would never work in any color space but ProPhoto RGB from raw conversion and editing and not do any color space conversion until the last. As for a lab that requires sRGB, I would for another lab, one which provides ICC profiles for their printers and papers and can handle larger color gamuts. What ICC profile are you using now? As for printing your own, I do that to have control and print directly from ProPhoto to an Epson R1800 with good ICC profile, Adobe photoshop doing all the color mangment and never convert to sRGB except for web images.

[jeffkohn]

Converting a file from Adobe RGB to sRGB won't normally result in much if any visible change except for any colors in the original image that are beyond the gamut of sRGB. Make sure you _convert_, not assign.

If you're seeing a global loss in saturation it's more likely because somewhere along the line somebody is ignoring the profile. I would email your lab and find out what that color management workflow is and what profiles they can support. If they can't give you an adequate answer, find another lab. There's really no excuse for a lab not being able to correctly handle an image with an embedded profile in it.

[Gateruner]

I am actually seeing it when i do a soft proof using the ICC profiles from WHCC. Reds especially take a hit. After comparing their prints to the soft proof they are pretty close so my question is how to get the photo to look as I want without having to go through the process of doing the soft proof and adjust. I dont know of any labs that print in anything other than sRGB so if you have a suggestion throw it out there. I have been looking but all require or convert to sRGB for print. That is the reason I was rationalizing that just process in so the color remains the same when going to these labs. Perhaps I need to convert prior to soft proofing. I dont know.

Unfortunately cash for a printer is not available so the labs will have to be my choice for now.

[jeffkohn]

If you're seeing the color loss in the soft-proof then it just means that their printer can't handle the reds you're trying to reproduce. Adjusting in soft-proof mode is really the only way to address issues like this.

[Gateruner]

Thanks jeff. I think I will send some test shots to Millers and see if they do a better job with this. I was told Millers handles color better. Best solution is to buy my own printers but there just isnt the cash to do so right now. Vicious circle.

[Duffy Pratt]

The main difference between sRGB and Adobe RGB is in the greens. If you are seeing color loss in the reds, you will likely see it both from sRBG and Adobe RGB. Have you tried soft proofing after converting to sRGB to see if you get the same loss? If so, then I think the answer is to find a better lab. I don't think there's any excuse for printing at a lab that doesn't handle the full sRGB gamut. Most printers that you can get for $80-100 will do better than that.

Duffy