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Author Topic: adobe rgb or srgb for capture nx2/general use?  (Read 11722 times)

ruthiebabe

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adobe rgb or srgb for capture nx2/general use?
« on: February 15, 2009, 06:58:33 am »

Hi, I have a nikon D80 and am using Transfer nx,  View nx and Capture nx2 for basic workflow, and photoshop only where nescessary. Therefore I would usually print from capture nx2 rather than from CS3. I'd like advice about whether it's best to shoot in adobr rgb or srgb. I've read about srgb being best for web and rgb best for printing, and it has also been suggested to me that there isn't really much difference in the end print so that it's more convenient to shoot in srgb then you don't have to worry about changing to srgb for email/web etc. Other stuff I'm reading suggests rgb, but that stuff is really aimed at photoshop users so I am confused.

Any opinions or advice welcomed, thanks, Ruth
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bjanes

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adobe rgb or srgb for capture nx2/general use?
« Reply #1 on: February 15, 2009, 08:40:28 am »

Quote from: ruthiebabe
Hi, I have a nikon D80 and am using Transfer nx,  View nx and Capture nx2 for basic workflow, and photoshop only where nescessary. Therefore I would usually print from capture nx2 rather than from CS3. I'd like advice about whether it's best to shoot in adobr rgb or srgb. I've read about srgb being best for web and rgb best for printing, and it has also been suggested to me that there isn't really much difference in the end print so that it's more convenient to shoot in srgb then you don't have to worry about changing to srgb for email/web etc. Other stuff I'm reading suggests rgb, but that stuff is really aimed at photoshop users so I am confused.

Any opinions or advice welcomed, thanks, Ruth

Ruth,

Are you shooting raw (NEFs) or JPGs? If you are shooting raw, it doesn't really matter what color space you shoot in. You can render the image into whatever color space you want in NX2 or ACR and Photoshop. Since the camera can capture more colors than can be contained in sRGB or aRGB, most experienced photographers render into ProPhotoRGB where you can be reasonably certain that no colors will be clipped. However, ProPhoto is not the best choice for a beginner, since it can contain colors that can't be displayed on the monitor or printed and you need to have some knowledge of color management, rendering intents, soft proofing, etc.

If you are shooting JPEGs, they you are limited to sRGB and aRGB with Nikon cameras. aRGB is a wider space which can contain more colors, especially greens. However, if you are viewing aRGB images with a non color managed web browser, the pictures will look washed out. Many drug store and discount house printers are not color managed and expect sRGB. As you mentioned, using sRGB simplifies the process but you may lose color information. If you use aRGB, you may have to edit the picture prior to use. You can convert from aRGB to sRGB and colors out of gamut for sRGB will be clipped and lost in the process. However, if you start out in sRGB and convert to aRGB, you won't gain any color, since colors outside of the sRGB gamut have already been clipped.

Some web browsers such as Safari and the new version of Firefox are color managed and will display sRGB and even ProPhotoRGB properly, but by and large, the web is not color managed and sRGB is best in this case. The situation may change, but for now using sRGB simplifies things but may not give optimum results. NX2 is a fairly sophisticated program and is color managed and has many of the capabilities of Photoshop and I wouldn't draw a distinction between the two.

Bill
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ruthiebabe

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adobe rgb or srgb for capture nx2/general use?
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2009, 08:44:09 am »

Quote from: bjanes
Ruth,

Are you shooting raw (NEFs) or JPGs?
Bill

Hi Bill, I am shooting NEF's and using a Epson R1900 printer, so what would be best do you think?

Cheers, Ruth
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bjanes

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adobe rgb or srgb for capture nx2/general use?
« Reply #3 on: February 15, 2009, 10:39:37 am »

Quote from: ruthiebabe
Hi Bill, I am shooting NEF's and using a Epson R1900 printer, so what would be best do you think?

Cheers, Ruth

Ruth,

The Epson R1900 uses Ultrachrome inks and has a fairly wide color gamut, so aRGB would definitely be better than sRGB; ProPhotoRGB with 16 bit files would be even better.

Bill
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ruthiebabe

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adobe rgb or srgb for capture nx2/general use?
« Reply #4 on: February 15, 2009, 10:40:38 am »

Many thanks Bill, most appreciated

Ruth
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ifocus

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adobe rgb or srgb for capture nx2/general use?
« Reply #5 on: February 17, 2009, 09:42:06 pm »

Hi Ruth,

I shoot RAW NEF as well and I use ProPhoto RGB in CNX2 as working color space. This way, we get to keep all the gamut you can while editing. I am soft proofing prior printing to the paper/printer that I indent to use; make some minor tweaking and print from CNX2. I am getting really good this way. I hope this help. JY
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