NEC PA241W and Photoshop Color Setting Questions

[Chao]

I am a new forum user (Thanks for this informative forum).

1) I got a PA241W as a birthday gift. I set it to Native/Full gamut mode rather than AdobeRGB for editing as some members suggested here. But how do I set color settings on Photoshop? Originally I has "North America General Purpose 2" which seems to use sRGB as working spaces. If I change the working spaces' RGB to ProPhoto RGB, the setting becomes Custom (with CMYK to be US web Coated v2). Which one should I use?

2) If I want to view web photos which are usually sRGB, should I change PA241W to sRGB setting?

3) On Photoshop's Image Mode, I usually use RGB with 16bits/channel setting. Will I gain anything to do it in 32 bits/channel (I guess not....)?

Thanks for the help!

BTW, I found MacBook pro's antiglare display is pretty good. Though not as good as PA241W, it's has the similar color after adjustments.

[Pat Herold]

Well Happy Birthday!  I'll bet that was a nice present.  I just finished testing a PA241W to publish a review in the future and it's quite a nice machine.  I can speak to your #1 and #2.

#1]  I would recommend using "North American PrePress 2" as a setting.  It will set AdobeRGB as your RGB working space automatically.  That is a safer working space to use unless you're sure you know how to handle ProPhoto safely.  I don't want to start a Prophoto vs. AdobeRGB war in this thread, so let's just say if you are new to the world of working spaces, stick with AdobeRGB for now.  (See myth #27: http://www.colorwiki.com/wiki/Color_Management_Myths_26-28)

#2]  If you want to web viewing that represents the web in a typical way, then sRGB is the way to go.  NEC has a couple of apps that will allow you to customize profiles like you are suggesting.  Are you using SpectraView II or MultiProfiler?  Either one will allow you to switch from full gamut to sRGB with just a couple of clicks.

[WombatHorror]

Well Happy Birthday!  I'll bet that was a nice present.  I just finished testing a PA241W to publish a review in the future and it's quite a nice machine.  I can speak to your #1 and #2.

#1]  I would recommend using "North American PrePress 2" as a setting.  It will set AdobeRGB as your RGB working space automatically.  That is a safer working space to use unless you're sure you know how to handle ProPhoto safely.  I don't want to start a Prophoto vs. AdobeRGB war in this thread, so let's just say if you are new to the world of working spaces, stick with AdobeRGB for now.  (See myth #27: http://www.colorwiki.com/wiki/Color_Management_Myths_26-28)

#2]  If you want to web viewing that represents the web in a typical way, then sRGB is the way to go.  NEC has a couple of apps that will allow you to customize profiles like you are suggesting.  Are you using SpectraView II or MultiProfiler?  Either one will allow you to switch from full gamut to sRGB with just a couple of clicks.

Why does ProphotoRGB need special handling? I don't get it? If PPRGB needs special handling (color management) then so does AdobeRGB no?

For the most part AdobeRGB does cover all you will need, but at times I do notice that it will clip some shades (say super intense Japanese Maples in the fall, deep purple petunias, pink/purple lupines, super intensely saturated sugar maple leaves in the fall under evening sunlight). So, if AdobeRGB clips more photos then ProphotoRGB does then why does it require more care to use ProphotoRGB?

[digitaldog]

Got a pile of raw images that show saturation clipping in ACR when set to Adobe RGB that don’t when set for ProPhoto RGB.

[JeffKohn]

Got a pile of raw images that show saturation clipping in ACR when set to Adobe RGB that don’t when set for ProPhoto RGB.

Not only that, but many of today's inkjet printers are capable of reproducing colors that would be clipped by Adobe RGB.

The conventional wisdom that Adobe RGB is "big enough" for real world photographs and prints is no longer true.