photoshop "out of gamut warning" is only for CMYK printing. True or False?

[shewhorn]

Hi Joe, I respectfully disagree. 3-d colorspace modeling is great to show bigger versus smaller and regions of hue where one profile encompasses more than another, but I actually find these 3-d models make it harder to visualize how in gamut colors are actually being handled as they get compressed by profiles trying to map out-of-gamut colors into gamut. I'll stay with softproofing for that.

I agree with you there. I was referring to the use of the out of gamut warning as (has been mentioned) it gives no indication of how far out of gamut a color is. Show the out of gamut tool, and then show examples of photos where things are just barely out of gamut, then show examples of photos where there's colors that are wildly out of gamut, and then show an example that has things that are both barely out and wildly out (like a the gradient in a sky that happens about a 1/2 hour after sunset).

Cheers, Joe

[deanwork]

I have to come down on the side that admits that the out of gamut warning in Photoshop is horribly crude and practically useless with printers today.

As much as I love Lightroom I'm still wondering where is the F ing soft proofing that should be there in version 3, and perfected on that level? That's what we need. What's up with that?

[Schewe]

As much as I love Lightroom I'm still wondering where is the F ing soft proofing that should be there in version 3, and perfected on that level? That's what we need. What's up with that?

It was on the 3.0 feature list until it got dropped due to time...it'll make it for the next version or else heads will roll. (and I ain't kidding)

[bjanes]

In general, Photoshop never removes functionality even when new and improved tools are added. Gamut Warning is old tech and Soft Proofing is newer tech. It the term "legacy" is Andrew's description for a tool whose usefulness is limited when compared to what you can do when soft proofing. Generally, I couldn't care less that some colors will be out of gamut...what I care about is what those colors will LOOK LIKE when printed and that's what soft proofing gives you.

As a Colorthink gamut plot of a ProPhotoRGB image with colors that are saturated but within the natural gamut found in nature (e.g. flowers), a high end monitor that can display 100% of the Adobe RGB gamut, and the output of a high end inkjet printer will demonstrate, there are significant gamut mismatches. The printer can print colors that can not be displayed even on a high end screen. How do you determine how the colors will look like when printed by using a screen that can not not display those colors? In this situation, soft proofing does has its limitations.

In this situation, a pseudocolor representation such as provided by GamutVison could help in bringing the colors in the image into the gamut of the print medium. The Delta E values would indicate the amount of editing that would be needed.

Regards,

Bill

[Schewe]

How do you determine how the colors will look like when printed by using a screen that can not not display those colors? In this situation, soft proofing does has its limitations.

Yes...but it beats making a bunch of prints while trying out different variations to get an image "right". If you are using Pro Photo RGB and have a wide gamut display and are outputting to something like an Epson 9900, there will be a disconnect between what can be captured, what can be displayed and what can be printed. That's life, deal with it. Ain't nothing perfect...you do what you can do to optimize images as best you can and live with the results (or re-print).

So, what's your point? Should you throw your hands up in the air and give up? Nope, not me...I keep pushing...what do you do?

[bjanes]

Yes...but it beats making a bunch of prints while trying out different variations to get an image "right". If you are using Pro Photo RGB and have a wide gamut display and are outputting to something like an Epson 9900, there will be a disconnect between what can be captured, what can be displayed and what can be printed. That's life, deal with it. Ain't nothing perfect...you do what you can do to optimize images as best you can and live with the results (or re-print).

So, what's your point? Should you throw your hands up in the air and give up? Nope, not me...I keep pushing...what do you do?

Personally, I look at the "useless" out of gamut display. One can use Colorthink or Gamutvision to see how far out of the printer gamut the offending color lies. One can then print a small proof to see how the offending color will print.

Regards,

Bill

[digitaldog]

Personally, I look at the "useless" out of gamut display. One can use Colorthink or Gamutvision to see how far out of the printer gamut the offending color lies. One can then print a small proof to see how the offending color will print.

But eventually you have to make a print and live with the colors that are unprintable. Seeing what you can’t get prior reinforces what you can’t get and then, you don’t get it <g>.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

But eventually you have to make a print and live with the colors that are unprintable. Seeing what you can’t get prior reinforces what you can’t get and then, you don’t get it <g>.

That's why I like black-and-white so much. Fewer of my colors are out-of-gamut <g>.

Eric

[MHMG]

I was referring to the use of the out of gamut warning as (has been mentioned) it gives no indication of how far out of gamut a color is. ...

Cheers, Joe

A simple method I use to figure out the magnitude of the out-of gamut colors is, with gamut warning on, open a color tool like hue/sat, move the sliders until the gamut warning goes off, and then look at the info tool's before/after LAB values. If you are comfortable interpreting L*, a*, and b* differences, then it is a precise indication of the out-of-gamut region problem.  You will also have an intuitive feel for the magnitude of the problem simply by sensing how aggressive you have to be with the adjustment tool sliders to bring it into gamut.  That said, I can think of key improvements (including display of LAB destination (print) values as we discussed earlier) that Adobe could make to the real time info tool display that would really help out end-users who do pay attention to these numbers while we are editing.

[Aristoc]

Thats a clever idea.