Color spaces question.

[jody_stowitts]

<p>Two question for you sagacious ones: Why can't the adobe RGB color gamut be used for simple "camera flash card to printer" technique, i.e., why must go thru computer program first then to printer? Secondly, if picture taken in sRGB vs. AdobeRGB and run thru computer would colors (gamut) be any different using my fairly modest printer that uses the 6 color inks (blk, yel, cyan, photo cyan, mag, photo mag.)? Basically, why can't the larger Adobe color gamut "fit into the sRGB" space in the camera "to begin with"? Can't the "space" just be made larger to fit in the "other" colors and simplify everything? Thanks in advance for your respose. P.S., if a terse yet sufficient answer would require a laborious explanation, any referral to a site with a concise explanation would be appreciated. Thanks again.</p>

[scott_ferris]

<p>jody,</p>

<p>In answer to your first question, I think the real reason is a legacy issue, most equipment that can deal with jpegs is not necessarily able to colour manage, so sRGB has become the default "standard". The jpeg format is able to store the bigger RGB space but too many devices will not then deal with it correctly and will default to sRGB and display your image with muted colours.</p>

<p>Your printer ink set will have its own gamut, it will probably overlap sRGB and RGB, it will be capable of producing colours outside sRGB but not all the colours within it. You can't squeeze colour spaces, they are the size and shape they are because that is what they are, like a marble sculpture, it can be pretty much any shape and the volume can go in any direction, but it is what it is.</p>

<p>So if your printer can print colours outside sRGB and you shoot in RGB, then you will see those colours printed differently, with regards out of gamut colours, rendering intent is the thing most people just don't think about but can make a huge difference to their prints from broad gamut images.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/color-management-printing.htm">Look here :-)</a></p>

<p>Hope this helps, Scott.</p>

[jody_stowitts]

<p>Thank you Scott. Your referenced site, at the latter stages, got out into the stratosphere too far for me. Good though, because I'm happy to settle for a more modest goal and leave the rest up to the pros and those with much deeper interests and ambitions.</p>