I've yet to hear anybody say that they are confident that this test will produce a win for AdobeRGB. Stop saying I'm going to rig the results. Assuming that it goes straight from camera to same color space, "should" AdobeRGB win the test?
I already posted my predictions for a series of tests. Whether AdobeRGB would "win" such a test depends on gamut of the output device, the test image used (if the color gamut of the image doesn't exceed sRGB, then virtually no difference will be perceived), the way the color space conversions are performed, and the participants being used for the experiment.
That said, I just want to remind you that most of the criticism here is NOT about what color space is "best". That is the strawman that you throw out to misdirect people. The primary criticism is all the gobbledy-gook that you threw into the video to "support" your recommendation of why to use sRGB. I maintain that it is totally unnecessary, confusing, and will require your viewers to "unlearn" bad concepts if they ever want or need to pursue color management in a more serious way. There are many, many ways to explain simply (in LESS than 5 minutes) to a beginner audience why sRGB would be a good choice WITHOUT including a bunch of incorrect and misleading information.
Just as a reminder to everyone, here are my notes from Gary's video taken with my "beginner's goggles" on:
0:05 – I’m confused right off the bat by what he means when he says “choice”. No mention of color space, profile, or anything – just a “choice” between sRGB and adobeRGB, whatever those things are. If I’ve been playing with my camera a little bit, maybe I think he’s talking about the in-camera sRGB/adobeRGB setting (which is largely immaterial if shooting raw). If I’ve been playing around with something like Lightroom or Photoshop, maybe I think he’s talking about the working space or the output/export settings, even if I don’t totally understand “working space” or “output/export”.
0:10 – I think I understand the recommendations pretty well although I don’t know what the hell “pre-press” or “CMYK” are. I have an inkjet printer. How do I know if it’s “sophisticated” or not?
1:00 – OK. sRGB and AdobeRGB both cover the same range of colors but AdobeRGB has “more colors in-between”. (Not only WRONG, but almost exactly the opposite is true. AdobeRGB has a “wider range” (larger gamut) and it is sRGB that has “more colors in-between” (finer differentiation between neighboring RGB values) although this last point is not extremely important from a practical standpoint when comparing AdobeRGB and sRGB. ).
1:35 – OK. If I jam AdobeRGB into sRGB (whatever that means) I will lose some reds and violets. Apparently, I won’t lose any color in the middle of the spectrum. (LARGELY WRONG AND MISLEADING. I *MAY* “lose” some colors when going from AdobeRGB to sRGB but that loss may involve more than just reds and violets.)
2:45 – AdobeRGB has “dull colors” on sRGB equipment. OK, so I guess I’m screwed if I have an image in AdobeRGB and want to use an “sRGB device”. It’s going to show-up dull. (
LARGELY WRONG AND MISLEADING. This only happens when the AdobeRGB image is not CONVERTED to sRGB properly. Basically, the whole video is focused on how the image will be screwed-up if not properly CONVERTED from one color space to another and yet this IS NEVER MENTIONED. The viewer is left believing that AdobeRGB images will always appear poorly on “sRGB devices”. IMO this is probably the greatest sin of the entire video.)
3:37 – You can’t see all those extra “colors in-between” that AdobeRGB has with the naked eye. If this is true, why would I EVER use AdobeRGB?
Sounds like I’d need a microscope to appreciate the difference. (LARGELY WRONG AND MISLEADING – Forgetting all the “colors in-between” crap for a moment and the fact that he is talking about conversion problems without talking about them, differences between AdobeRGB and sRGB can certainly be seen with the naked eye. The differences can be subtle and will depend on the image actually having color outside the sRGB gamut that AdobeRGB covers. Some non-photographers and beginners also may not readily see the differences when they’re there, but that is a matter of expertise in evaluating and enjoying the image – NOT of limitations of the human eye.)
= = =
I think I was pretty fair in my review and I don’t think I crossed into “nit-picking” territory (for example, “sRGB devices” when there largely are no such things and using an overly-simplified spectrum graphic instead of a 2D or 3D gamut plot).
For me, these errors and misleading statements are the big problem with the video. What color space is “best” is a red herring IMO. What color space is “best” is a value judgment (benefit – cost) and that value judgment will be made differently by different people. Personally, I have no problem generalizing that value judgment for beginners and people not interested in color management and recommending sRGB for them, based on a relatively large potential downside (dull images from bad color space conversions) and a relatively small potential upside (a little better representation of some saturated colors on output devices and media that can actually show them) for non-sRGB.