Which should I use? sRGB or Adobe RGB?

[Adrian Wong]

Here's another DSLR question for you guys...

The Nikon D300 has two options - sRGB or Adobe RGB. Which should I use?

As I understand it, sRGB is designed for use with CRT and LCD monitors but has a limited colour gamut. Adobe RGB, on the other hand, has a wider gamut and is better for printing.

But what if we not only want to post the pictures online but also want to print it out later? Do I really have to think ahead and manually select between the two before I take the shot? Or is it okay to just select sRGB or Adobe RGB for both web and print work?

[goldfries]

i tried. i use Adobe RGB before and when i view on screen - bleh. it doesn't look right. worse when upload to web, all the colors are off

eg image with Adobe RGB profile embedded, uploaded to the web for viewing.

so now i use sRGB since my photos are mostly shown on web. I used them for slideshow / presentation also fine.

[Chai]

I've been using sRGB.

[Adrian Wong]

Hmm.. So, no point using Adobe RGB for both web and print?

Hmm.. Maybe this is worthy of a comparison article. Maybe compare photos taken in Adobe RGB and sRGB and compare both the eventual web and print output?

[Chai]

Originally Posted by Adrian Wong

Hmm.. So, no point using Adobe RGB for both web and print?

Hmm.. Maybe this is worthy of a comparison article. Maybe compare photos taken in Adobe RGB and sRGB and compare both the eventual web and print output?

LOL How to compare? Web will always be web.

[Falcone]

Adobe RGB is if you works for prints, even nowadays most prints takes SRGB as well. You dun really need the gamut unless u are seriously editing the pics, cause your eyes can't tell the diff. Just stick with SRGB, and if you really want the best shoot raw then edit with Prophoto colour.

[Adrian Wong]

Originally Posted by Falcone

Adobe RGB is if you works for prints, even nowadays most prints takes SRGB as well. You dun really need the gamut unless u are seriously editing the pics, cause your eyes can't tell the diff. Just stick with SRGB, and if you really want the best shoot raw then edit with Prophoto colour.

LOL!! Okay! Cause the way the manual states it, it's as if Adobe RGB is for print and sRGB is for electronic display.

[Adrian Wong]

Okay, here's a quote from Ken Rockwell on the sRGB vs. Adobe RGB issue :

Adobe RGB is irrelevant for real photography. sRGB gives better (more consistent) results and the same, or brighter, colors.

Using Adobe RGB is one of the leading causes of colors not matching between monitor and print.

sRGB is the world's default color space. Use it and everything looks great everywhere, all the time.

Adobe RGB should never be used unless you really know what you're doing and do all your printing yourself. If you really know what you're doing and working in publishing, go right ahead and use it. If you have to ask, don't even try it.

If you're one of the few a full-time career professional photographers left standing and shoot for print, by all means shoot Adobe RGB, but if you're a very serious amateur, beware.

Adobe RGB theoretically can represent a wider range (gamut) of colors, however:

1.) Adobe RGB requires special software and painstaking workflow not to screw it up. Make one mistake anyplace and you get dull colors, or worse. You cannot use Adobe RGB on the internet or for email or conventional photo lab printing. If you do, the colors are duller.

2.) I've made Lightjet, Fuji Supergloss and inkjet prints of 100% saturated ramps in both color spaces. I saw the same color range in print with each colorspace. I saw no real gain of any wider gamut in practice, even with these special tests.

I didn't see any of these printers have the ability display any of the extra gamut potentially represented by Adobe RGB.

It's a nail in the coffin for Adobe RGB. It's sRGB FTW!!!

[Chai]

LOL don't read everything from Ken Rockwell...

[Adrian Wong]

Originally Posted by Chai

LOL don't read everything from Ken Rockwell...

He agrees with you guys la...

Not that it matters. It's just one of the things I noticed when I went through his site recently.