RGB or sRGB for Walmart

I will be giving some relatives a CD with about 100 JPG files. Each

relative will select the photos they want and then go to the local

Walmart or pharmacy to get them printed. The pictures were shot in

raw mode using RGB color space. I have already processed 26 pictures

and saved them as PSD files. Now I am wondering if I need to start

over with the raw files and convert the color space to sRGB to be

compatible with the commercial printing equipment? Or am I ok with

RGB color space? If I should start converting the color space to

sRGB for the remaining photos, can the first 26 PSD files be

salvaged? Thanks in advance for your help on this matter.

Do you mean Adobe RGB ? If you print Adobe RGB files on an sRGB calibrated output device you would expect to get less saturated colours. Unless you get the Walmart guys to suppress their "colour mamagement" everything is run through a filter similar to Auto Colour in Photoshop and you will get vivid colours.

Put the 26 PSD files into a folder on their own.

 

Create an action in PS, using the Convert to Profile option (in the Image>Mode menu is CS, and I think in the Edit menu in CS2). Use "Save As", and save them as jpgs.

 

Run the action on the folder of PSD files as a batch.

 

You'll then get 26 jpegs in sRGB, while still having your PSD files available in RGB format.

Alistair- Yes, I shot them in Adobe RGB(1998). It would not be practicle to have my relatives instruct employees at Walmart on how to make color adjustment. This is over their heads. Thnks. Jack

I would do a test run at your local Walmart with a couple of images saved three dfferent

ways: Adobe RGB(1998); sRGB; and saved without embedding a color profile (this option is

atthe bottom of the Save As menu in Photoshop CS). Their printers may not be set up to

see any icc information. It is worth a try.

Ellis has a good idea.

 

Although I'd never dream of giving a Frontier shop anything other than a straight sRGB profiled file, I'm not quite sure how the Frontier will handle the conversion. I would run a test on a few files as Ellis suggested and see what happens.

 

Normally I boost the saturation with default RAW captured files that will be printed on a Frontier or LightJet anyways because they look dull otherwise.

What they said about the color conversion. But it sounds like you're giving them .psd files. Can Walmart even deal with them? Most labs like that want jpegs or, at worst, tiffs.

Thanks for the responses. I thinnk I will stop by Walmart with some JPGs on a CD and see what happens with the results.

It might also be interesting to experiment with how the Kodak dye-something kiosks respond to different colorspaces. Most Wal-warts have a Kodak kiosk next to the Fuji/Aladdin kiosk.

I went to Rite Aid this morning and printed 2 4x6 photos. They were JPG files in sRGB color space. I compared both to 8x10 prints I made on a Canon i960 using Photo Paper PRO. In both cases mine were sharper and clearer. At Rite Aid, I made no attempt to crop or correct anything from the original files. They were alreadt processed in Photoshop CS. One of the Kodak prints had a little more color saturation than mine, and I liked it a bit better. The other print was a little darker than mine, and I thought mine was better. Anyway, I proved to myself that the relatives will be happy if they take the time to print the photos themselves.