This is a problem for hopefully obvious reasons. They just assume you’re using a default color space (more on that later). Spoiler alert: Despite how important it is, some applications don’t read the color space of a photo. Otherwise, how can a computer application know what color you mean by “255, 248, 231”? It simply can’t tell. That is very important to know it’s why your photos need to include information about their color space. In sRGB color space, the beige-white color in question is specified as RGB 255, 248, 231 – meaning that the red channel value is 255, green is 248, and blue is 231.īut “255, 248, 231” points to a different color in Adobe RGB space, as well as in ProPhoto RGB space. This is what specifies the color you’re looking for – three values, one each for red, green, and blue. The same values won’t result in the same color in both sRGB and Adobe RGB, for example. But keep in mind that these coordinates are specific to each color space. Every color you could possibly think of has, essentially, its own “coordinates” within the color space so you can find it exactly. Let’s say that you want to specify a particular color, maybe a slight shade of beige-white. Here’s a 3D image of the sRGB color space (viewed from slightly overhead), so you can visualize the role that luminance plays: Screenshot from “ColorSync Utility,” included on Mac 2. Remember, too, that these are just 2D representations. ProPhoto RGB only includes those values because it allows the gamut of real colors to be larger than that of other color spaces, including sRGB and Adobe RGB. They aren’t especially important to this discussion, though. You physically cannot see them that’s what makes them imaginary. We call these imaginary colors just to induce fear in other photographers. ProPhoto RGB is the largest of the three – and possibly the most interesting, since it includes “colors” outside what we can see. The diagram above represents every color we can see, although note that it’s a two dimensional figure (x and y axis only), so it doesn’t account for darker colors, i.e., luminance. (If no one can see it, it’s not a “color” anyway – colors are subjective like that.) You may have seen an illustration like this before: All the colors the human visual system can see. And yes, that includes painting more lightly to let some of the white canvas shine through.Ī good way to envision color spaces is to look at a set of all the colors people can see. If you have two paints (say, red and blue) plus a white canvas, your entire color space is just the colors you can make by mixing the two paints. It just means a set of colors – a container, almost. “Color spaces” is not some fancy term meant to confuse or bewilder. SRGB, Adobe RGB, and ProPhoto RGB are three of the most commonly used color spaces in photography. What Are sRGB, Adobe RGB, and ProPhoto RGB? You’re also free to ask questions in the comments section at the end, and I’m happy to help clarify anything you’re still wondering about. I did my best to write it all in plain English, as well as define complex terms in context, so hopefully it’s still easy to understand. I’ll preface this article, like most technical articles I write, by saying that this is a complex subject! You might want to dig down and read it a couple times to fully internalize how everything works. This article introduces sRGB, Adobe RGB, and ProPhoto RGB, and when to use each one. Outdated and inaccurate recommendations abound – but so does a lot of valuable information, if you’re willing to learn it. But what makes them so important? Beware: There’s a lot of misinformation about this topic online. The most well-known color spaces are sRGB, Adobe RGB, and ProPhoto RGB. Color spaces are essential in photography they apply in some way to every photo you take.
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