If you go to settings on a photo camera, you would find that most digital cameras have a setting called “Color Space” that usually gives two settings
sRGB
AdobeRGB
Which setting to choose? And what do these settings mean anyway?
Today, with the frequent Adorama TV guest David Bergman, we learn the difference between two and when & why you should choose one over the other.
sRGB
sRGB or standard red green blue “is an RGB color space that HP and Microsoft created cooperatively in 1996 to use on monitors, printers, and the Internet” (Wiki).
99% of your work should be done in sRGB mode. Why? Because till this day it still remains a standard for web space, printing companies and magazines. If the image does not specify the color space, it gets converted to default sRGB.
AdobeRGB
AdobeRGB was developed by Adobe, Inc. in 1998 to enhance the color space. It reproduces about 35% more color information than sRGB. If you have more colors available then you can see more subtle variations and vibrancies in images.
However, more doesn’t mean better. Since most web browsers still use sRGB, any image that you have in AdobeRGB will be converted to sRGB causing the color to be more subdued.
In which case would you shoot in AdobeRGB color space? If you are fine art photographer and you use a high-end monitor with wide gamut, then AdobeRGB would fit the profile.
Shooting Raw
Most professional cameras have an option of shooting images in a raw format. Shooting raw will give you more freedom to change colors in post production without sacrificing the quality. At the post production stage you may decide which color space to use when editing and exporting. So it is always a good idea to shoot in raw format!
Watch the full episode with David Bergman and Adorama TV: