PS color space confusion

[PSA DC-9-30]

I'm scanning in Adobe RGB, but when I open the (.tif)  file in CS2 and look under Edit/Color Settings, it says the working space is sRGB. Is this telling me that the scan itself is in sRGB, or just that PS is selecting that working space by default? Does selecting Adobe RGB from the pull down menu restore Adobe RGB colors that are in the original scan, or are they just not there at all?

[walter.sk]

I'm scanning in Adobe RGB, but when I open the (.tif)  file in CS2 and look under Edit/Color Settings, it says the working space is sRGB. Is this telling me that the scan itself is in sRGB, or just that PS is selecting that working space by default? Does selecting Adobe RGB from the pull down menu restore Adobe RGB colors that are in the original scan, or are they just not there at all?
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If you are scanning in aRGB, are you also embedding the scanned file with the profile?  If you are using Silverfast there is a check box to do that.  Otherwise the file may be getting to CS2 untagged as to color space.

In addition, your CS2 Color Management policies should probably be set to Leave Color Space As Is (or the equivalent wording), and to notify you if the opened document has a different colorspace from your working color space.  Then you would have the choice of leaving the embedded color space in the file if it is different from your working space, or assigning your working color space or converting to your color space.  Set your color policies such that you don't automatically convert to the working color space without being alerted.

If you are scanning in aRGB and your default is set to convert to sRGB without warning you, and you then reconvert to aRGB through the pulldown menu (Edit>Convert to Profile, I presume) you will have put the file through 2 unnecessary conversions, which because of conversion rounding errors can decrease the quality of your data.

[geotzo]

Set your color settings for RGB to Adobe RGB 1998:
http://www.earthboundlight.com/phototips/p...r-settings.html
Also do something very simple that will save you from lots of trouble:
on every document you have open in photoshop, there is an info window to the lowest left side of document's window, usually displaying document's size. Next to it there is a small arrow. Click on it, then go show>Document profile. That way you will always know your current image profile. As for the image size, you get that on the info pallet anyway.
George

[digitaldog]

You need to understand the role of the working space AND how they interact with the policies and warning check boxes. Its possible one can scan in Adobe RGB (1998) and Photoshop will convert on the fly when opening that document into sRGB (which would be bad).

http://www.adobe.com/digitalimag/pdfs/phscs2ip_colspace.pdf

[PSA DC-9-30]

Thanks everyone. There is certainly more to this than I originally thought.

[PSA DC-9-30]

Dug this thread up. I've taken a long hiatus from scanning (I hate scanning for one thing). Now that I'm back to it, I'm having the same problem. I am just using the Epson scan utility, but it is not embedding the aRGB profile. Upon opening the image in Photoshop, the dialog warns that there is no embedded profile. Am I OK to just assign aRGB and let it go at that, or do I have a diminished gamut to work with since there is no embedded profile?

[Panopeeper]

I am just using the Epson scan utility, but it is not embedding the aRGB profile. Upon opening the image in Photoshop, the dialog warns that there is no embedded profile. Am I OK to just assign aRGB and let it go at that, or do I have a diminished gamut to work with since there is no embedded profile?

If you know that the actual data is in aRGB but not stored in the file, then you have to assign it to the image upon opening it. Doing otherwise would cause the pixels interpreted incorrectly, i.e. you would see wrong colors.

[mbalensiefer]

I have Epson's scan utility, and do not think I even have the option of scanning in Adobe RGB...

[digitaldog]

Dug this thread up. I've taken a long hiatus from scanning (I hate scanning for one thing). Now that I'm back to it, I'm having the same problem. I am just using the Epson scan utility, but it is not embedding the aRGB profile. Upon opening the image in Photoshop, the dialog warns that there is no embedded profile. Am I OK to just assign aRGB and let it go at that, or do I have a diminished gamut to work with since there is no embedded profile?

IF the color appearance matches AFTER the assignment, then yes.

[dmerger]

I don’t know anything about your Epson scanner, so what I have to say may not be applicable to your scanner.  

I use a Minolta scanner.  My scanner software came with profiles made for my scanner.  Those profiles are for my scanner.  They are not aRGB, sRGB etc. When I open a scanned image in PS, it doesn’t have a profile assigned.  I assign the appropriate Minolta profile, then convert to my preferred color space (aRGB for example).

Perhaps your Epson works like my Minolta, maybe not.