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ProPhoto workflow

PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 10:04 am
by midie
Hi. I currently edit RAW files in Lightroom, export as .psd (16 bit) and finalise in Photoshop. I've read many times that when working in Lightroom it's best to export using ProPhoto RGB, so that's what I do.

My question is - when it comes to working in Photoshop, would it be better to make ProPhoto my default RGB space and only convert to whatever output space I need at the end?

I know ProPhoto has a Gamma of 1.8, whereas Abobe RBG and sRGB are 2.2, and I also know that ProPhoto is a much wider colourspace. Does this mean it would be better to export from Lightroom in ProPhoto, then convert to, say, Adobe RGB, when I open the file in Photoshop (to avoid Gamma issues and problems with very bright colours)?

Or is it generally safe to stick with ProPhoto right the way through the process, until I get to choosing my output space?

Thanks for any advice.

Re: ProPhoto workflow

PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 4:17 pm
by nelu_goia
Hi Mike,
This is a pertinant and legitimate question but let me ask you something else: why would you deliberately limit your photos to anything lower than ProPhoto RGB?
Forget the gamma; if you keep your color space the same in Lightroom and Photoshop and only in the end,just before upload for web,convert the photos to sRGB, I will guarantee that they will lock at their best.
Some browsers and some websites can color-manage the photos but you shouldn`t count on that. Just convert the resized for web photos to sRGB and you`re done.
If not, I`ll buy you a beer:)
Cheers:)
Nelu