Photoshop CS2 Color Settings preferences

Color Settings . . .

 (( Even if you have been working with Photoshop for years, this Color Management stuff is not easy to get a grip on. Understanding what a Color Space  is, and how Profiles help to keep colors consistent, from capture to editing to output, is paramount to understanding what all the settings in Photoshop can do for you, to help create a Color Management Workflow.

If you would like to browse a worthwhile Introduction to Color Management, Color Spaces, Profiles etc., point your browser to: Dry Creek Photo -Learn . Also of value is the Producing Consistent Color area of Photoshop help.

However: You do not have to understand the depth of color management to get results you can be pleased with. The recommendations below are taken primarily from the "Real World Digital Photography" book, used in Peggy Jones' 2005 Digital Photography course; Art 251 . They are notated and sometimes amended by our exposure through the years to many working professionals and "authorities" on Color Management. If you: Calibrate your monitor, use the settings below, follow the recommendations on the Profile Conflicts & Missing Profiles Warnings page, and if possible, use accurate printer profiles –– you will be working close to the zenith of this developing technology.

However (part II): Not Recommended, but, if you just want to get to the business of learning the magic of Photoshop and don't want to be bothered with this Color Management stuff at all (for now anyway). Just leave the "More Options" button untouched, use the setup below, (or easier yet; use North American Prepress 2 from the pull down "Settings" menu at the top.) Then uncheck all the boxes in the "Color Management Policies" area. It should look like this. This will allow Photoshop to work in the background and make pretty good guesses for you. You won't be bothered by boxes popping up asking you to make decisions you are not sure of. Although, as with most things; the more you put into it, the better results you'll be rewarded with.))    – rd Heath

• Go to the Edit menu in CS2 and select Color Settings.
   In Photoshop CS (the previous version) on the Mac side, Color Settings were found under the "Photoshop" Menu.

 Working Spaces color settings dialog box

You first need to tell Photoshop which range of colors (or Color Space)
you would like to do your editing work in.

RGB:

Set to Adobe RGB (1998) – This color space has a wider gamut (more colors possible) than most other RGB color spaces, which makes it the best to carry out image adjustments in.
Note: Never choose a device profile. Adobe RGB is a device independent color space.

Hint: If you output only to web applications, you could work in sRGB. This may be convenient, considering that before you optimize an image for the web, it is recommended to Convert your file to the sRGB color space. sRGB represents a color space which most average quality monitors are capable of showing. Yet, if you might repurpose the image for printing, it would still be better to use the larger working space of Adobe RGB (1998) for image editing.

CMYK: Leave set to the default U.S. Web Coated (SWOP), unless other specifics are required by your service bureau for output to a commercial printing press. Never convert to CMYK unless you are going to press.
Gray: Set to Gray Gamma 2.2 for printing black & white images to an inkjet printer,
or 20 percent Dot Gain for black & white output to printing press.
Spot: Leave set to default of Dot Gain 20%. This setting does not apply to digital photographs.

 

 Color Management Policies Photoshop Color Management Policies settings

An ICC Profile is an extra part of a file which describes what the colors should look like in an image, (e.g., Which shade of red). Digital devices which generate images are only able to capture color within a finite range. A camera or a scanner may tag a file with a Profile of the colors it captured. This Profile is a description of the original source colors, and how they relate to the range of colors, that the device is able to capture.

When you open an image with an Embedded profile which describes color within a different range, than the range of your Working Space, Photoshop needs to know how to process and present the colors to you. The settings in this area provide that.

Also: When you open an image without a profile (an untagged image), Photoshop will not add a profile to it unless you tell it to. By checking the "Ask when Opening" missing profiles box, you will have the opportunity to assign it a profile.

RGB: Convert to Working RGB – This is your best choice for working with your own files (even if your camera tags your image files with "sRGB"), since the larger color space of Adobe '98 is far better to edit an image in. If a file comes "tagged" with a profile that differs from your Working Space, Photoshop will Convert (or remap) the color numbers (the Red, Blue, Green values), to numbers which correspond to the same colors in your Working Space. Thusly preserving the color integrity of the image file. It will look the same as if you had not converted it.
CMYK: Preserve Embedded Profiles – If you receive a file tagged with a CMYK profile, you may assume the person who tagged it knew what they were doing. Since CMYK is output specific and is only used for files going to press, you will need to convert the file to the specific profile of the printing press before you send it off.
Gray: Convert to working gray – If you are printing the B&W image on your inkjet. If the file is going to press, consult your printer. 20% dot gain for coated stock, and 30% dot gain for newsprint is typical.

 

Profile Mismatches
(checkboxes):
 Ask When Opening Recommended so you are at least informed about what's happening concerning the color information in your file and how Photoshop is interpreting it.
(not) When Pasting This allows Photoshop to convert the file or item to your working space without prompting you. If you feel you want the extra control, then check this also. Many feel it gets in the way of their workflow.
Missing Profiles
(checkbox):
 Ask When Opening This will allow you to choose an option for assigning a color space profile and converting to your working space (see next section).

 

 Conversion Options Photoshop Color Conversion Options

The last item in the "Color Settings" dialog box to set is accessed by clicking the More Options button on the right.

Engine : Adobe (ACE) leave set at this default
Intent : Perceptual
  • Perceptual is the best setting for working with photographs. Perceptual Intent preserves the look of colors in their relationship to each other. Perceptual Intent will effectively reduce clipping colors when converting from a wider gamut color space (Adobe RGB) to a more limited colorspace.
  • The default of Relative Colorimetric is the best setting for working with documents already in a more narrow gamut (as in CMYK color spaces), and when it is important to map the color numbers more accurately from one color space to another.

It is highly recommended that you do not change any of the other settings in the lower area of the color settings box unless you know what you are doing.

Lastly:

You should click on the "Save" button so you may name this set of preferences and call them up in the future if need be.

Remember: You don't have to understand all this stuff to get it to work for you.

Please go on to the Profile Warnings page
to see your best options when you go to open a file that is not in your color space.