Larger RGB Working Space
Larger RGB Working Space
- Subject: Larger RGB Working Space
- From: "Sarah Smith" <email@hidden>
- Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 17:22:25 -0600
In the process of trying to be able to capture and print the maximum
possible gamuts of our printing processes (RGB = Chromira, CMYK = Iris
3047G, I-Jet/Mutoh 6-color), we've looked into using a larger RGB working
space. Currently, we use the widely-accepted Adobe 1998 with 1.8 gamma.
When comparing new-and-improved profiles to this space with Gamut Viewer in
ColorShop, we found that in the reds especially the two nearly matched up.
Meaning, we were maxed out gamut-wise in the reds (as many know, one of the
more difficult hues to reproduce as a pure, brilliant color, a.k.a. "Coke
red"). We had heard about Kodak's huge RGB space, and decided that was
overkill and fairly dangerous as it encompasses colors that aren't even
visible to the human eye. We've found many others that look more
reasonable, but the questions now are as follows:
Could we really benefit right now from a larger working space if the
profile for our current printer/paper combinations doesn't extend beyond the
limits of Adobe 1998 RGB? That is, would we be able to push images further
in hue/saturation that we can right now? Also, could we benefit in the
future as paper manufacturers develop papers that have wider gamuts,
specifically in the reds? Another concern is, would we experience problems
with converting images (exporting as TIFF w/ ColorSync profile) that were
originally worked in the old, Adobe 1998 space if we used the newer, larger
RGB space as the working space/source profile? Or, since the old space is
smaller (lowest common denominator), would we see no difference at all?
With our CMYK images, could we see posterization or other unsavory
side-effects if we converted from a larger RGB space than we currently do?
While it's interesting to see what it is possible to achieve with a larger
RGB working space, we are hesitant to introduce any difficulties into our
workflow, especially if the improvements would be minimal.
Please let me know if any of you have any advice!
Thank you,
Sarah Smith
Digital Technician
Fine Print, Inc.
email@hidden