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Editor's note: This excerpt first appeared in photographer and author Harold Davis' recent Focal Press book, Photographing Flowers: Exploring Macro Photography with Harold Davis.
The closer you...
Many people post in the "Digital Darkroom forum asking why their colors look dull and flat on the web, or print strangely in a minilab, or look too dark in Powerpoint and other slideshow software. I thought it might be a good idea to provide a quick guide to sRGB processing. I’m not a color specialist like one of our other members, Andrew Rodney, but this easy and simple tutorial should help with basic questions. For a more specific answer, consult the resources below.
Web and Slideshow Software
To save images for the web with vibrant colors and sharp small images:
1. From Photoshop go to EDIT > CONVERT TO PROFILE > sRGB to get the color space fix.
2. Go to FILTER > SHARPEN > SMARTSHARPEN to get the sharpen fix. Adjust the amount of sharpening and radius.
3. Use the EDIT > IMAGESIZE > BICUBICSHARPER to downrez the image (for web, downrez to 72dpi).
Minilab (Costco, Walmart, or other)
To save an image file to be sent to a minilab and with vibrant colors and sharpness intact:
In Photoshop, go to EDIT > CONVERT TO PROFILE > sRGB to get the color space fix. An even better method is to ask the lab to provide you with their custom ICC profile. After installing the lab’s custom ICC profile on your system, use the same method as described above for Web, but choose that profile instead of the sRGB.
In Ps go to FILTER > SHARPEN > SMARTSHARPEN to get the sharpen fix and/or use the EDIT > IMAGESIZE > BICUBICSHARPER when you downrez a image.
Home Inkjet Printer
The color space is not that important, since you can work from sRGB, Adobe RGB, or Pro Photo RGB. The main difference will be the kind of color you will be able to see and print. sRGB is the smallest color space so many colors would be missing vs. printing in Pro Photo, which, if your printer can print in Pro Photo, you will get punchier color and richer color. This is only the case on your inkjet printer. In a lab or not the web, the color will look dull and flat.
Note: this is a very simplified explanation of these color spaces. For more info, take a look at Jay Kinghorn’s 4-part Color Management Primer.
Recommended Reading
Here’s a short list of easy reading book that should help you understand more in detail. I think my explanation should get you up and running to start. Since you’re out of the house to buy a book, grab a device that will calibrate your monitor like a Spider 3 or an Eye1, or a newer gadget that seems to be really good, a ColorMunki.
Real World Color Management by Bruce Fraser, Chris Murphy, and Fred Bunting
Color Management for Photographers: Hands on Techniques for Photoshop Users by Andrew Rodney
Patrick Lavoie has a degree in photography from Cégep du Vieux-Montréal. Over the past several years, Patrick has put his knowledge of photography to work as Art Director and designer for the BOHA design agency in Montreal. His diverse background has led him towards a specialization in photo retouching, digital darkroom and fine art printing.
, February 24, 2011; 06:27 P.M. 
