Camera "Color Space" selection

[dennysb]

Does it matter which color space (sRGB or Adobe RGB) is selected in-camera if we are shooting RAW. That should only pertain to someone JPG right? I am a bit embarrass to ask - but wanted to make sure 

[jeremypayne]

Does it matter which color space (sRGB or Adobe RGB) is selected in-camera if we are shooting RAW. That should only pertain to someone JPG right? I am a bit embarrass to ask - but wanted to make sure 

It WILL have an impact on the LCD rendering and the histogram in the display that is based on that rendering, but will not impact the RAW data itself.

[NancyP]

The Color Management section of this forum has participants who have written textbooks on the subject. Search the articles and forum for sRGB vs aRGB .

[Bryan Conner]

Does it matter which color space (sRGB or Adobe RGB) is selected in-camera if we are shooting RAW. That should only pertain to someone JPG right? I am a bit embarrass to ask - but wanted to make sure  

Jeremy is correct. The color space selected in camera dictates what color space the in camera jpeg will be in.  The image you see on the display screen is a in camera processed jpeg (even if you are only shooting raw).  This processed jpeg is also used to produce the histogram. There may be some camera's that utilize a histogram produced from a raw file, but I am not aware of any...and I am by no means an expert...LOL.  So, your histogram will vary depending on which color space you choose when shooting raw.  A histogram produced from an Adobe RGB in camera setting will be more accurate in terms of clipping than an sRGB one.  http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/right-hista.shtml  is a link for more information on this topic.

[Tony Jay]

It does matter if one is using proprietary RAW converters but not if using Adobe products for RAW conversion.

Regards

Tony Jay

[dennysb]

Thank you for the feedback,

Yeap I am shooting RAW and using LR - so I should be GOOD

[Bryan Conner]

It does matter if one is using proprietary RAW converters but not if using Adobe products for RAW conversion.

Regards

Tony Jay

Concerning raw convertors, it only matters if the user chooses to allow it to matter. Canon's DPP, as well as Adobe products,  allow you to choose "as shot" for your white balance.  You can make "as shot as your default.  But you can also choose your own WB settings.

[Tony Jay]

This is not a white balance issue but a colour space issue ie assigning either sRGB or Adobe RGB colour space to image in camera and the effect subsequently.

So, in fact assigning sRGB to one's Canon images in camera DPP will in fact render the image using sRGB as the colour space.

Regards

Tony Jay

[jeremypayne]

This is not a white balance issue but a colour space issue ie assigning either sRGB or Adobe RGB colour space to image in camera and the effect subsequently.

Regards

Tony Jay

It still doesn't "matter" what you select.  The RAW data is unaffected by this choice.

[Tony Jay]

  The RAW data is unaffected by this choice.

Jeremy is correct about the RAW data per se, however, when rendering the file in DPP it respects the assigned colour space.

Regards

Tony Jay

[Bryan Conner]

This is not a white balance issue but a colour space issue ie assigning either sRGB or Adobe RGB colour space to image in camera and the effect subsequently.

So, in fact assigning sRGB to one's Canon images in camera DPP will in fact render the image using sRGB as the colour space.

Regards

Tony Jay

I guess it was too early in the morning for me to be commenting!  You are correct, it is a color space issue, not a white balance issue.  I have no idea what I was thinking...or I was not thinking.

I am not an expert on DPP and I do not play one on TV, but I have always thought that in DPP, you choose your "Work Color Space" in the preferences panel.  If you have Adobe RGB chosen in DPP and sRGB chosen in your camera settings, DPP is going to use Adobe RGB as it's working space and will render it into a tiff in the chosen aRGB color space.  The in camera settings will only effect the jpeg preview generated by the camera and the full size jpeg if you have chosen to save one in camera. 

On page 71 of the DPP Instruction Manual, it states that "The color space of a RAW image can be changed freely as many times as required."  Unless I am misunderstanding what you stated in your previous post, you are of the opinion that whatever color space is chosen in camera is set in stone and will be rendered as such in DPP.  Please enlighten me if this is the case.

[Tony Jay]

No Bryan you do have a point.

My understanding is that any colour space assigned in camera to an image will be respected by DPP (unlike Adobe products for example that will ignore any assigned colour space).
However, you are absolutely right that, one can reassign a different colour space once the image is in DPP - so no the in camera assignment is in no way "cast in stone".

Hopefully that will clear up any misunderstanding.

Regards

Tony Jay