How to Get Better Color From Your Digital Camera
Many times I see photographers acquiring expensive and relatively new digital SLR cameras because they want to be able to take great photos and achieve great color output on their prints.
There can be many reasons why a photographer using a digital camera is not getting the color spectrum they would expect from their digital photos, however there is one main reason I see all the time in my profession.
Even so called pro photographers fall into this common trap of digital photography.
Most digital SLR cameras being sold today offer mainly 2 settings for color especially when shooting photos in jpeg or tiff format if you own a Nikon DSLR These two color settings are known as sRGB 1966 and ADOBE 1998, also known as Adobe RGB.
The main reason photographers get flat photos or photos that lack color depth is because most cameras by default are set to the SRGB color space or gamut.
The sRGB color gamut is smaller than the adobe 1998 color gamut therefore most photographers end up clipping many of the possible colors that may be present in their images at the point of capture.
The sRGB color gamut may is in fact compressing out some of the colors present in the photograph and therefore will never be able to be restored later on any photo imaging software such as Photoshop.
If you are looking to print great images from your digital files than it is important you set your digital camera to record images in the Adobe RGB color mode.
You must also set your imaging software such as Photoshop to use Adobe RGB (1998) as your primary color working space.
This setting can be found under Edit> Color settings.
Select adobe 1998 as your default color space in the RGB drop down menu.
You will most likely see a great improvement in your digital images especially if you are printing them on a good printer such as the Epson stylus pro series.
The Adobe RGB color space will insure you get improved images on your computer, however you will have to perform adjustments to your photos on your computer as the image files may seem darker when you download them from your camera card initially.
I have to say that most of the files I come across daily in my lab from clients for printing are in the SRGB 1966 color space.
Many of images I come across everyday from clients could have benefited from being shot in the Adobe RGB color space.
One further note would be to say that most professional photo printing labs and studios have their systems set to the Adobe RGB color gamut, so try setting your camera to the correct color mode next time before you shoot one of those "once in a life time" shots.
There can be many reasons why a photographer using a digital camera is not getting the color spectrum they would expect from their digital photos, however there is one main reason I see all the time in my profession.
Even so called pro photographers fall into this common trap of digital photography.
Most digital SLR cameras being sold today offer mainly 2 settings for color especially when shooting photos in jpeg or tiff format if you own a Nikon DSLR These two color settings are known as sRGB 1966 and ADOBE 1998, also known as Adobe RGB.
The main reason photographers get flat photos or photos that lack color depth is because most cameras by default are set to the SRGB color space or gamut.
The sRGB color gamut is smaller than the adobe 1998 color gamut therefore most photographers end up clipping many of the possible colors that may be present in their images at the point of capture.
The sRGB color gamut may is in fact compressing out some of the colors present in the photograph and therefore will never be able to be restored later on any photo imaging software such as Photoshop.
If you are looking to print great images from your digital files than it is important you set your digital camera to record images in the Adobe RGB color mode.
You must also set your imaging software such as Photoshop to use Adobe RGB (1998) as your primary color working space.
This setting can be found under Edit> Color settings.
Select adobe 1998 as your default color space in the RGB drop down menu.
You will most likely see a great improvement in your digital images especially if you are printing them on a good printer such as the Epson stylus pro series.
The Adobe RGB color space will insure you get improved images on your computer, however you will have to perform adjustments to your photos on your computer as the image files may seem darker when you download them from your camera card initially.
I have to say that most of the files I come across daily in my lab from clients for printing are in the SRGB 1966 color space.
Many of images I come across everyday from clients could have benefited from being shot in the Adobe RGB color space.
One further note would be to say that most professional photo printing labs and studios have their systems set to the Adobe RGB color gamut, so try setting your camera to the correct color mode next time before you shoot one of those "once in a life time" shots.
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