RGB v CMYK, Design v Photo

[judy jj]

Hi.  apologies if this topic has been covered, I've done an Affinity search but not found my answers

Basically, I am doing something pretty straightforward:  creating an A3 print-size poster out of a RAW photo image with some added text.  The finished work will be printed professionally and also distributed online.  I will be making a few adjustments to the photo, nothing major

So, my questions are:  

1.  given that it is a raw image  should I do all the work first in RGB then convert to CMYK for sending it to the printer and keep as RGB for sending online

2.  when is best to convert it to a JPEG

3.  Am I better off working in Affinity Design or Affinity Photo (Affinity Design seems to allow me more options when setting up the document, like added a 5mm bleed which the printer has requested

thank you in advance

[walt.farrell]

Good questions, @judy jj.

For #1: I don't think you really have a choice other than starting in RGB, given that cameras don't work in CMYK.

I'll defer to others for answers to the other two questions.

[Ron P.]

For your question #2, most pro photographers only convert to JPEG, when they are uploading or sharing to a website or other digital means of viewing. Once done, they discard the JPEG on their machines, since they have the RAW/Original or final edit to create others later if needed. I do that a lot, since I don't need them taking up space on my system.

For RAW photos (I shoot RAW 99% of the time), that I may need to reproduce derivatives of at different times, I'll process them in LR, send to Affinity Photo for enhancements LR can not do. Those are TIFF files. For uploading to the web, I then will convert/create JPG derivatives. Once uploaded, I discard the JPGs.

[wonderings]

I would recommend taking your photo and converting to CMYK before doing any edits. This way you are starting with CMYK and editing based on that (screen will show its best approximation of CMYK).  Convert to JPEG when you are ready to send it out no need to do it before.

For setting up with bleed I would create your finished size than add .25" to the length and .25" to the width. This will give you .125" bleed all the way around when finished. This is the standard bleed size in N. America, just follow the same for your printers requirement.  You can draw your own margins in Photos or set the margins in document setup so you know where your image will bleed off. After that you could drop in Design and reserve with bleeds and crops at the size you need. 

[judy jj]

many thanks for all of the replies.  they have been most helpful.   thank you also Wonderings for the advice to convert to CMYK before doing any edits and the help on the bleed. I feel I can proceed with confidence now.   much appreciation.