web vs print
 

So when I upload the photos onto smug mug, do I use sRGB or RGB?

Renea, I replied to your other post on this as well. You may want to check that one out. You can upload a .jpeg to SmugMug in just about any colorspace you want to use. The kicker is that a browser will only display colors represented in the sRGB colorspace. That space is a limited set of the RGB colorspace, which is a limited set of the new ProPhoto colorspace (not too many devices can display all of ProPhoto--mostly for working with high-res 16-32 bit images). Anyway, for best results, I would work in whatever colorspace you're comfortable with and then when you save as a .jpeg for posting, imbed the file with the sRGB space if that is not your working space. I do everything in my workflow (RAW>Lightroom>PS) in 8 bit Adobe RGB 1998 (my D300 is set to that colorspace as well). Upon export for the web, I convert to 80% .jpeg with sRGB. If you're going to video/DVD, then that's yet another story. Feel free to PM me if you'd like to discuss in more detail.

I hope I found the right answer...it appears that it doesn't matter what you upload, smug mug changes it to sRGB for the web and that is the color space they use to print also. So when I do color space at home, I better be doing sRGB so it will match what is on smug mug and what prints out!! If I'm wrong, I hope someone tells me!!

Renea, not wrong really, just not 100% there. I'm not trying to beat a dead horse, but I assume you want the details. If not, just ignore me :-) SmugMug will not actually "change" anything. It will only display a certain way. If I can use an analogy, it's like the difference between black and white film and color film. If you take a picture with a camera capable of taking a color picture on color film, the picture will be in color. If you take the same picture with the same camera on B&W film, it will be B&W, even though you camera and lens can take a color picture. Same thing with the Internet (SmugMug, flickr, whatever). Like the B&W film, it can only display a certain color range. In the case of the web, that color range is sRGB. The reason you want to manage your final output to sRGB is that you want to make sure your output color to the web is what you expect or what you see on your monitor. There's zero reason to not work in sRGB in PS--a lot of people do--it's just that Adobe RGB 1998 gives you a broader spectrum of colors that can be important to some when working with landscapes (sunsets) and portraits (skin tones) where you have very subtle gradation of color. Another way to maybe look at it is to change your monitor setting to only output 16 levels of color...you'll see very blocky graphics. Change that to 256 or TrueColor (16K or 32K) and you'll see much smoother lines and contrasts. Anyway, I've likely stepped way over what you wanted. I hope this helps a little.

You haven't by any means. I did not know that it really woudn't change...but only be viewed in sRGB. So I really should change the files to sRGB before I upload them?? Is that what they print also (sRGB) or do they print Adobe RGB? The local print shop whom I love, prints Adobe RGB...but I can't seem to find what exactly SmugMug prints..probably just can't find it.

Travis is right.

FYI--here is a great write up we did comparing Adobe 98 vs sRGB. http://www.smugmug.com/help/srgb-versus-adobe-rgb-1998

Keep in mind Renae, only the old line traditional or specialty printing companies will print an Adobe 98 file. SmugMug (EZ Prints) or Mpix, or WHCC etc only print sRGB files.

Remember that sRGB is the only format shown on the web. I recommend you read more on the two.

Here is a good write up on calibration of monitors: http://www.smugmug.com/help/display-color

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the affirmation, Mark. I've done a lot of exploring on this topic. Great articles you reference, too. While I've got your attention--and for Renea's benefit--do you (EZ Prints) color manage at the printer level? I'm assuming you do some if you are converting to sRGB before printing if the embedded profile is different. I've used WHCC a little and they only color manage if you use their upload tool. If you go straight FTP, they won't. As you and the article above point out though, this is only for the very expert eye printing artistic prints. Thanks for the additional education. BTW...I love my SmugMug!

https://admin.adobe.acrobat.com/_a227210/p84783897/

Just came across this as you got my interest back up. This is heavy on the technical and dry side, but it explains it well.

The answer is yes Travis, we do color manage at the printer level, but it all happens through a ICC profile. You can download EZ Prints' ICC profile and use it to soft proof in an application like Photoshop.

They give us one ICC profile for all their printers.

Excellent. Great to know!

Thanks guys, believe it or not, I took a seminar on color management..it was definitely technical and definitely on the dry side. I don't do well with either, but now that you have refreshed my memory, some of it is making sense!!

BTW I am happy to report I did read both of those bits of information Markham. Thanks for the links tho...sometimes there is so much info, it is hard to find what you are looking for!! I just wanted to make sure I read it right...and although I do love my local printer, they are a little behind the times, and that is why I wanted to make sure I wasn't just listening to what they do, but what others are doing!! (by the time I am 150 years old, I am going to be somewhat smart!!!! :-)