Optimizing Color Settings
Acknowledgement: Correspondence with Samuel Chia and Sean Bagshaw helped
develop these recommendations.
Choices in the Color Settings dialog box affect how Photoshop creates the
luminosity and saturation/vibrance masks. To get the best results, matching
combinations of RGB and Gray working spaces should be used AND the RGB
working space needs to match the color profile assigned to the image.
Properly matching the RGB and Gray working spaces produces an initial Lights-1
selection for neutral tones (same value for R, G, and B) where the 50% pixel
selection line (the marching ants) is at the tonal midpoint. This means that the
brightest half of the neutral tones (tones with values of 128 through 255) is
selected. Likewise, the Darks-1 selection (inverse of Lights-1) selects the darkest
half of the neutral tones (0 through 127). Subsequent Lights and Darks series
selections derived from these initial selections are also symmetrical to each other as
well as the tonal midpoint. For example, Lights-3 and the Darks-3 each contain the
same, smaller proportion of the image's lightest and darkest tones respectively as
seen in the image below.
While unmatched combinations of RGB and Gray working spaces still produce
useable masks, the starting point for the Lights and Darks selections will not be the
tonal midpoint and will contain either more or less than 50% of either the lightest
or darkest neutral tones. Non-neutral colors frequently shift in the process
resulting in different weightings in the Lights and Darks selections. The unmatched
RGB and Gray spaces also affect the tonal spacing between various luminosity
selections.
There are three matched RGB and Gray working space combinations that will
maintain the proper relationship in the neutrals:
RGB Working Space Matching Gray Working Space
Pro Photo RGB Gray Gama 1.8
Adobe RGB (1998) Gray Gamma 2.2
sRGB IEC61966-2.1 sGray
To create the optimal RGB and Gray working space combinations in Photoshop,
open the Color Settings dialog box using the Photoshop menu command Edit >
Color Settings and then use one of the options below.
Option #1
RGB = ProPhoto RGB
Gray = Gray Gamma 1.8
If the image has a ProPhoto RGB color profile or is assigned the ProPhoto RGB color
profile during RAW conversion, this is the correct combination of RGB and Gray
working spaces to use. ProPhoto RGB allows for the preservation of the largest
number of colors in the image. It should only be used for images processed in 16-
bit mode in Photoshop. It may be necessary to set up soft-proofing for the output
device when using ProPhoto RGB since it's possible that the necessary remapping of
a significant number of colors to the smaller output device's color profile (an inkjet
printer, for example) will cause the printed image to look different compared to
what is seen on the monitor in this large RGB working space. Still, ProPhoto RGB
preserves the greatest number of for future output options and is now used by
many photographers.
Option #2
RGB = Adobe RGB (1998)
Gray = Gray Gamma 2.2
If the image has an Adobe RGB (1998) color profile or is assigned the Adobe RGB
(1998) color profile during RAW conversion, this is the combination of RGB and
Gray working spaces to use. Adobe RGB (1998) accommodates a reasonably large
number of colors, though it may lack some colors that inkjet printers can print and
may have others outside the printer's gamut that are then remapped during
conversion to the output device's profile. Adobe RGB (1998) was the "standard"
profile for many Photoshop users for many years and still works well with many
images.
Option #3
RGB = sRGB IEC61966-2.1
Gray = sGray
NOTE: To find the "sGray" option in older versions of Photoshop (CS6 and the
original PS CC), click the "More Options" button in the Color Setting dialog box, and
then click the Gray working space down arrow to select the "sGray" option.
If the image has an sRGB IEC61966-2.1 color profile, such as some jpeg images,
this is the combination of RGB and Gray working spaces to use. The sRGB working
space is the smallest of the three recommended working spaces and has the fewest
colors. It's generally adequate for output on "standard" computer monitors and for
images displayed on the Internet.
VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
1) Be sure to set up the RAW converter (Lightroom, Adobe Camera RAW, etc) so
that the output image is assigned the color profile that matches the chosen RGB
working space in Photoshop. This match between the RAW converter's output
space and Photoshop's RGB working space is important since a mismatch can lead
to unintended profile conversions or the wrong Gray setting for working with the
image and luminosity masks. If the message in the lower right corner of the Color
Settings dialog window states that the setting are unsynchronized, then there is a
mismatch somewhere in the Adobe Creative Cloud applications on the computer.
2) The gamma setting of the computer's monitor profile and gamma setting for the
Gray working space (discussed above) are two completely different numbers. Many
people ask if these "gamma" values need to match. The answer is NO! Gamma is
specific for a color profile, and different color profiles (monitor, Photoshop working
color space, printer, etc) may have different gamma settings. There is no need or
reason to match "gamma" system-wide on your computer. Use the gamma
recommended by the monitor's manufacturer or calibration software when
calibrating the computer monitor, and use the recommendations above for color
spaces when working in Photoshop.
3) Generally it is best to avoid converting an image's color profile except at the
point of output. Color profile conversions involve complex remapping of the
image's colors and depending on the conversion algorithm may lead to undesirable
color shifts or posterization. Assign a color profile to the image at the RAW
conversion stage and then stick with that color profile throughout the processing of
the image. And, of course, make sure that the RGB and Gray working spaces
match the image's color profile as describe above
4) The "Save" button in the Color Settings dialog window allows the user to save
their custom RGB and Gray working space settings. Once saved, the settings will
appear in the "Settings" drop-down menu at the top of the dialog window under the
name entered by the user when saving them.
5) If a non-standard color profile is assigned to an image, the Color Settings dialog
can still be used. Set the RGB working space to match the image's color profile.
The Gray working space should also be set, but it might be necessary to consult the
profile's manufacturer to obtain the correct Gray working space value.
