Colour profiles

[jackamus]

I'm trying to understand how colour profiles work.

 

How do I know which colour profile would be used when I open a file?

 

Could this affect the way the colours appear when I insert one of my images into an email. At the moment the colours appear very garish! in an email

[R C-R]

If the file already has a profile that is what it will use. Otherwise, it is whatever profile you have assigned that file type in Preferences > Color Profiles.

 

The color profile in an email attachment could be anything, including no profile at all, depending on the capabilities of the email client app. That means the colors you see may be different from what someone else does if they use a different email client app, or one with different color sync options.

[jackamus]

My question is that there are 4 colour profiles- RGB, CMYK, Greyscale and Lab colour. How do I or AD know which one is used when I open a file?

 

The reason I mentioned a change of colour in an email was because I regularly opened an image file in AD, transformed the size down to fit in the body of the email, copy and pasted it into the email. I have only had the colour problem since changing the colour profiles in AD. Previously colour was never an email issue.

[R C-R]

Most image file types have color space metadata info either embedded in the file itself or assigned to that type by the OS. If you are using a Mac, you can use the "Get Info" Finder function to show the color space (& if included) the color profile for the file.

 

Regardless of how the colors in an emailed file attachment look to you, like I said they may look different to someone else using a different email client app. You have no control over that. Likewise, if you copy an image in AD & paste it into an email as a file attachment, there is no guarantee the color profile will be included. The best you can do is export the image to a new file, explicitly setting the color profile you want it to have in the export options. Attach that file to the email. That does not mean someone else viewing the attachment "in line" in their email app will see it rendered with the same profile, but if they save the attachment & use it with an app that does recognize color profiles, they will.

[anon1]

Just use the RGB Color profile and the sRGB color space and you are safe 99% of the time.

 

Cheers

[jackamus]

Most image file types have color space metadata info either embedded in the file itself or assigned to that type by the OS. If you are using a Mac, you can use the "Get Info" Finder function to show the color space (& if included) the color profile for the file.

 

Regardless of how the colors in an emailed file attachment look to you, like I said they may look different to someone else using a different email client app. You have no control over that. Likewise, if you copy an image in AD & paste it into an email as a file attachment, there is no guarantee the color profile will be included. The best you can do is export the image to a new file, explicitly setting the color profile you want it to have in the export options. Attach that file to the email. That does not mean someone else viewing the attachment "in line" in their email app will see it rendered with the same profile, but if they save the attachment & use it with an app that does recognize color profiles, they will.

I do understand all that you say. My concern is that I never had a problem with email colours until after I changed the colour profiles in AD. I'll have to put that down to coincidence. Thanks for your explanation.

Just use the RGB Color profile and the sRGB color space and you are safe 99% of the time.

 

Cheers

That's probably what I was using previously and had no problem with email image colours. The reason I changed to CMYK was to get the printed image to look more like the screen image.

If I go back and reload an older file from my back-up drive would that change back to how AD was set-up?

[R C-R]

I do understand all that you say. My concern is that I never had a problem with email colours until after I changed the colour profiles in AD. I'll have to put that down to coincidence. Thanks for your explanation.

It isn't coincidence. Most email client apps will display inline image attachments with a default color profile, usually the same one MBd suggested using. That does not mean the attached file itself includes that profile; it is just something that reduces how much work the client app has to do to display it.

[jackamus]

Just use the RGB Color profile and the sRGB color space and you are safe 99% of the time.

 

Cheers

Here's where I show my real ignorance! I can set RGB in AD Preferences but where do I select sRGB colour space?

[anon1]

You set the default color profile for each color space in the pretences > Color section

[jackamus]

You set the default color profile for each color space in the pretences > Color section

I'm sorry MBd but you are not making yourself very clear. In AD Preferences there are 4 profiles that can be edited. How do I know which profile is the 'Default'  profile for each one? You will need to spell this out for me!

[R C-R]

 In AD Preferences there are 4 profiles that can be edited. How do I know which profile is the 'Default'  profile for each one?

The factory defaults are the ones used when you first installed the app or reset it. If you have never changes them, that's what they are set to now.

 

There is an entire section of the built in help devoted to color. If you are still confused about this, I suggest opening Help to the table of contents, clicking on the "Color" section & reading through the first four topics:

• About color

• Color Models

• About color spaces

• Color Management

Note in particular what it says in the Assigning color profiles section in the last one.

[anon1]

I was just talking about the RGB profile. Set that to sRGB

 

The CMYK one does not matter as long as you don't use it and LAB especially only has one color space anyway.

 

Cheers

[jackamus]

The factory defaults are the ones used when you first installed the app or reset it. If you have never changes them, that's what they are set to now.

 

There is an entire section of the built in help devoted to color. If you are still confused about this, I suggest opening Help to the table of contents, clicking on the "Color" section & reading through the first four topics:

• About color

• Color Models

• About color spaces

• Color Management

Note in particular what it says in the Assigning color profiles section in the last one.

Thanks RC - a sensible solution. I should have tried that in the first place and save wasting people's time.

[jackamus]

I was just talking about the RGB profile. Set that to sRGB

 

The CMYK one does not matter as long as you don't use it and LAB especially only has one color space anyway.

 

Cheers

Thanks MB. I'm taking RC's advice however knowing me I may still come back with a question!

[jackamus]

The factory defaults are the ones used when you first installed the app or reset it. If you have never changes them, that's what they are set to now.

 

There is an entire section of the built in help devoted to color. If you are still confused about this, I suggest opening Help to the table of contents, clicking on the "Color" section & reading through the first four topics:

• About color

• Color Models

• About color spaces

• Color Management

Note in particular what it says in the Assigning color profiles section in the last one.

I have read through most of what you suggested and as I thought it was a bit too detailed for my simple use of AD.

I tread the part about printing and assumed it was referring to 'commercial printing' where I was talking about my own inkjet printer.

What I was trying to achieve was getting my printer to print colours as close as possible to what I see on the monitor. I do realise that the 'white' of the screen is different to the 'white' of the paper.

Since my printer uses CMYK inks I figured that changing colour profile (just for this file) to CMYK would make it easier to try and match monitor and printer.

With previous printers I invested in a custom printer profile but not with my current printer and keeping the AD default sRGB profile.

I do not have a custom profile for my current printer but it does have 'Advanced' printer features that I can use to tweek an AD CMYK  profiled printed image and the final result seemed to be OK.

 

However in doing this I was worried that I would be affecting all other image files. Is my concern unfounded?

[SrPx]

Many home printers do actually print more accurate in their own srgb profile. It depends, you'd need to dig a bit there about your model (if no manuals/docs, google can help a lot). Monitor calibration is key, I noticed lots of variances before that. Even then, once calibrated, the environment and room light affects a lot. The bulbs... I purchased since long ago 6500k temperature lights. (daylight). Even so, printing people say is better like 5k something... In my experience has gone better 6500k, and even in many cases trusting on a sRGB (calibrated) workflow. Before the lights thing, it was a bit of a nightmare with colors. For printing with POD printers, or specially OFFSET local ones, the most accurate solution is cmyk, using the color profile the company is using.

 

I even have a CMYK samples book to ensure my colors are right. (from Amazon, a cheap but ok one aorund 30 euros)

 

CMYK files with the profile embedded would look wrong in most viewers or email/browser softwares. My advice for anythign that goes to that target: Convert strictly to sRGB and loads of probs go away. For printing, use the correct workflow.

 

There was an old issue with PNGs including a tag not supported by most web browsers, related to color profiling, that forced white be non pure white, I used back in the days TweakPNG and a similar thing for JPGs to strip out that tag and prob solved. (IE had the issue more). Also, a lot of people and/or system/software are still using browsers or browser/email configuration that wont support calibrated, profile embedded images.  And so, the lack of accuracy. For this reason is that sRGB is safest, as is what most screen based targets will take safely. (and even several printed ones). Is a degradation of quality in many cases, though, but IMO fine for most screen targets.

[jackamus]

Much food for thought.