What RGB Color Profile to use?

[CarrotMan]

I find the topic of colour management a bit confusing and would welcome some guidance. To get the most accurate colour when using AP to edit images (on my laptop) which will be displayed on the internet as opposed to being printed, which profile is it best to use?  I tend to use DxO PhotoLab for raw conversions and could export as either sRGB or Adobe RGB.

Affinity Colour Preferences allows a host of choices. Should I use sRGB IEC61966-2.1, or would it be better to use the specific profile created when I use my Spyder to calibrate my laptop screen. Or should I use something else again. I have read that it is best to edit in the widest colour space available, but that it is best to upload sRGB to the net. (Sorry, please keep any answer rather basic since as you can probably tell, my understanding is pretty limited.)

[j3rry]

I use AdobeRGB as default profile in AP and convert to SRGB during export for the web. Never use the monitor profile, this is only for correct display of the color.

 

[Chris26]

57 minutes ago, CarrotMan said:

I have read that it is best to edit in the widest colour space available

If you have a printer capable of printing in ProPhotoRGB colour space then edit in this space.  But that would be an expensive printer indeed.  Most middle of the range printers print quite capably in AdobeRGB1998 and the littler s'RGB space, although there is often not much difference between these latter two spaces that will be noticeable in most images.  Edit in adobeRGB1998 is a good idea and then convert a copy of your image to s"RGB to be used for the web. 

Your spyder calibrated screen is for the screen only, never assign this as a profile to anything.  Remember, the whole point of calibrating a monitor screen is NOT to expect your images on the screen and in the print to be exactly the same, though this is the ideal goal;  the purpose is to give you Consistency between what you see on the screen and the confidence that it will be printed out as expected.   This sounds contradictory, allow me to explain:  I know that although my monitor is calibrated some yellows and purples will not come out as I see them on my screen, I know that I need to adjust these particular colours for print purposes only, when I adjust them, they do not look exactly how I want them on my screen, but I know that they will print out exactly as I saw them before I adjusted them on my screen,  . This is what I mean by consistency.  I know that my screen display will always give me a consistent display of colour and tone and that some colour and tone will need to be adjusted exactly the same in all my images simply because my calibrated monitor will always be displaying the same tones and colours from month to month. ( As long as you re-calibrate at least monthly ).  Hpe this helps a wee bit.

[Pšenda]

2 hours ago, CarrotMan said:

Affinity Colour Preferences allows a host of choices. Should I use sRGB IEC61966-2.1, or would it be better to use the specific profile created when I use my Spyder to calibrate my laptop screen.

If you are talking about a "monitor" profile, then of course it is better to use the calibration profile of your particular monitor, but it is not set in Affinity, but in OS.

https://affinityspotlight.com/article/display-colour-management-in-the-affinity-apps/

[CarrotMan]

Thank you for your replies.

I have just a couple of queries:

1) The setting I’m referring to is found in Edit: Preferences: Color: RGB Color Profile. In the drop-down menu are numerous options, including sRGB, Adobe RGB, ROMM RGB, and my specific monitor profile. So am I correct in thinking that I should (a) set this to Adobe RGB, and (b) output my TIFFs from DxO PhotoLab with an attached Adobe RGB profile?

2) It is my understanding that it is best to upload JPEGs to the internet with sRGB profile attached to avoid problems with others possibly seeing incorrect colours. If so, why is it not better simply to use sRGB (with its more restricted colour range) throughout the editing process? Would this approach not give me a more accurate idea, as I make editing decisions, of the colours that other people who view these images on the internet would be likely to see in the finished result? 

(Sorry if I’m being a bit dim here)

 

 

 

[Chris26]

44 minutes ago, CarrotMan said:

Thank you for your replies.

I have just a couple of queries:

1) The setting I’m referring to is found in Edit: Preferences: Color: RGB Color Profile. In the drop-down menu are numerous options, including sRGB, Adobe RGB, ROMM RGB, and my specific monitor profile. So am I correct in thinking that I should (a) set this to Adobe RGB, and (b) output my TIFFs from DxO PhotoLab with an attached Adobe RGB profile?

2) It is my understanding that it is best to upload JPEGs to the internet with sRGB profile attached to avoid problems with others possibly seeing incorrect colours. If so, why is it not better simply to use sRGB (with its more restricted colour range) throughout the editing process? Would this approach not give me a more accurate idea, as I make editing decisions, of the colours that other people who view these images on the internet would be likely to see in the finished result? 

(Sorry if I’m being a bit dim here)

 

 

 

Answer to question 'One' is a Yes.

Answer to question 2 is:  Jpeg with s'RGB yes.  BUT, other peoples' monitors and viewing screens and conditions will influence the colour they see, you will never be able to control this.  Just be satisfied that you like what you have and upload it. 

why is it not better simply to use sRGB (with its more restricted colour range) throughout the editing process?

It is always always best to edit your images in the wider colour spaces, even ProPhoto if you want because you never know what will happen 1 or 5 years down the road, someone may want a poster of it, a company may want it enlarged or something.  If you have edited it in a small colour space and in 8 bit and saved it as such you are stuck.  Edit in 16 bit in the widest colour space of your choice, copy it, re-name the copy to something like"SW_dogChaseCat"  or "4x6DogChaseCat"  I use codes such as SW to mean saved for web, and 4x6 means small image for personal print, the point here being that I have copied the original and altered their output and size so that they are specific for medium within which I am placing  them, .  But my main Large edited original will simply be named as DogChaseCat. OK?

EDIT: Sorry forgot something:  always always leave your original edited file with ALL layers in tact, save it with those layers.  Never flatten.  Duplicate the image and then flatten and do what you need to in order to prepare it for the web or a small print or something.  I have come back to images that are 6 years old and been so thankful that I saved them with layers in tact.

[CarrotMan]

17 minutes ago, Chris26 said:

Answer to question 'One' is a Yes.

Answer to question 2 is:  Jpeg with s'RGB yes.  BUT, other peoples' monitors and viewing screens and conditions will influence the colour they see, you will never be able to control this.  Just be satisfied that you like what you have and upload it. 

why is it not better simply to use sRGB (with its more restricted colour range) throughout the editing process?

It is always always best to edit your images in the wider colour spaces, even ProPhoto if you want because you never know what will happen 1 or 5 years down the road, someone may want a poster of it, a company may want it enlarged or something.  If you have edited it in a small colour space and in 8 bit and saved it as such you are stuck.  Edit in 16 bit in the widest colour space of your choice, copy it, re-name the copy to something like"SW_dogChaseCat"  or "4x6DogChaseCat"  I use codes such as SW to mean saved for web, and 4x6 means small image for personal print, the point here being that I have copied the original and altered their output and size so that they are specific for medium within which I am placing  them, .  But my main Large edited original will simply be named as DogChaseCat. OK?

Thank you. I take your point about possible future uses of a file, but I always keep my raw files and so, if (by some miracle), someone decided that they liked one of my images sufficiently to want a print or whatever, I could then, presumably, edit 16 bit in the widest colour space?

[Chris26]

54 minutes ago, CarrotMan said:

edit 16 bit in the widest colour space?

Just be aware that if you edit in ProPhotRGB on a monitor that does not display this wide gamut then you will not really see what is happening. And then you will need a high end 9 ink printer at least, to be able to print this gamut ok.