Even easier is to use Bridge to view the RAW and PSD/TIFF images side by side or flip back and forth between them.
I recommend that the OP use the free FastStone Image Viewer instead of Widows Viewer since you can set FastStone to be color space aware. To set FastStone to be color aware go to
Settings>Settings>CMS and check the
Enable Color Management System box.
FastStone Image Viewer - Powerful and Intuitive Photo Viewer, Editor and Batch Converter
If you shoot only JPGs then I recommend you use the Photoshop
Edit>Color Settings>Working Space command and select
sRGB so that your saved JPGs will be compatible with the web and smart devices.
If you only shoot RAW then select
ProPhoto RGB but be sure to check all the boxes in the Color Management Policies area to avoid color space mismatches when importing images without an embedded color space or with any other embedded color space.
Note that using the aRGB or ProPhoto color working space in Photoshop will cause a problem if you try to save your images as JPGs using just the
File>Save As>JPEG command - it will embed the working color space in the image file, not sRGB.This will cause the image colors to display incorrectly.
To avoid this color space mismatch problem use the
Edit>Convert to Profile>Destination Space>sRGB command before saving the file as a JPG using the
File>Save As>JPEG command.
Sailor Blue
Ive checked out the Faststone image viewer, very nice. like the ability to compare 3-4 images side by side at 100% and other various sizes.
Ive looked at Bridge again and finding it a bit fiddly trying to flick between a CR2, PSD, jpeg file at 100% for comparisons (I guess its just learning the shortcut buttons etc). I keep on accidentally clicking on the image and opening it up by mistake !
As for my images - I always shoot RAW only, but my husband shoots jpegs. Im also processing a few older images from a few years back they are only jpegs. With this being the case, would changing all my settings to ProPhoto be to painful considering what I have said above. Would I have to change it back each time depending on whether Im working on a RAW or JPEG ?
I have changed my ACR to sRGB to start with ? Good option ?
You don't have to change the Photoshop Color Working Space back and forth if you have the three Profile boxes checked as in the above image. When there is an image with a different color space, or no color space, embedded in the file you will be asked if you want to work on the file in the embedded color space or convert the file to the working color space.
If you don't check the
Profile Mismatches: Ask When Opening box then with the setup shown above a JPG with the embedded sRGB color space would automatically open in the sRGB color space. I keep the box checked just because I'm a bit anal about wanting to control things myself.
I keep the working color space of ACR and Photoshop set to 16-bits and ProPhoto RGB as you see above for Photoshop and below for ACR.
Whenever I bring in a JPG I shot with one of my point and shoot camera or with my phone I tell Photoshop to work in the embedded sRGB color space. Frequently there isn't any embedded color space on a JPG from the web so I tell Photoshop to use the sRGB color space.
Sailor Blue - I just going thru this process now and having a play around. I chose a JPEG to open up and yep it asked me about the embedded Profile Mismatch - so when this is asked, I choose 'Convert documents colors to the working space' which is now sRGB rather than the option to 'Use the embedded profile (instead of the working space').
I then also have to follow the following below even if the image started out as a jpeg :
'Note that using the aRGB or ProPhoto color working space in Photoshop will cause a problem if you try to save your images as JPGs using just the File>Save As>JPEG command - it will embed the working color space in the image file, not sRGB.This will cause the image colors to display incorrectly.
To avoid this color space mismatch problem use the Edit>Convert to Profile>Destination Space>sRGB command before saving the file as a JPG using the File>Save As>JPEG command.'
If the examples you have put to Dropbox are representative, your JPEGs that you have been working in, PSDs also, are saved in aRGB (Adobe RGB), so if you now have your CS6 working space set to sRGB, then you will get the warning on opening those files.
If your working space is now set to sRGB and that is how you intend to carry on, then I would advise allowing PS to convert the aRGB on opening into sRGB as it is prompting. Once you have done that, then you can just Save it now with the sRGB profile embedded. The next time you open, you won't get teh warning.
You only need do that conversion to sRGB once. So once you have converted an image on opening to your working sRGB space, then you do not need convert it again on saving.
If you change your working space to ProPhotoRGB or back to aRGB, then that is where you need be carfeul on the Save to thinking what profile you actually want to save in and embed. That is because most other people's file-viewers, browsers, mail-clients, etc., etc., cannot correctly handle other color-spaces like aRGB or especially ProPhotoRGB. They are also very unlikely to have calibrated and profiled their monitors. Hence, if you are sharing images with others, sRGB really is the only space to use for that.
Given the nature of the questions you are asking, you are obviously a beginner (and I mean that very respectfully, we all were at one time), so I would suggest you keep your PS working space and ACR's space set to sRGB. Keep the warnings on, and convert into sRGB on opening when prompted. Working in 16-bits sRGB is no problem, so I would advise 16-bits also. When you save as JEPG that will automatically make that saved JPEG version 8-bits. If you save as PSD or TIFF, it will stay in 16-bits. Working in 16-bits gives you less chance of banding when you work in highlights and shadows (and 16-bits is really essential in the wider color-spaces like PropPhotoRGB). Even though you are shooting RAW, keep the embedded JPEG also in sRGB (so set your camera to sRGB also).
So, my recommendation would be just work in sRGB until you are overall comfortable (maybe that's only a few months!), and only start to change to using other color-spaces once you have understood color-management (and have perhaps also started doing rich-color color-accurate printing, or bought a wide-gamut monitor which you will keep regularly calibrated and profiled). If you start to use Lightroom, then again you would reconsider, as LR only works in ProPhotoRGB. Reality though is you will very very rarely encounter colors in your images which are richer (more saturated) than those that can be expressed in sRGB.
I work in 16-bits ProPhotoRGB on a wide-gamut monitor, and I can only think of a handful of my 200k images where I can really enjoy super-rich colors beyond sRGB on my screen (or indeed for example with a red beyond aRGB). It does of course depend on your subjects, and if you were taking for example flower blooms or fall colors as your main subjects all the time, then a wide-gamut space and monitor (and printer inks/paper) is useful there to get that extra richness, but for "regular" everyday subjects, then it is not needed and sRGB is just fine.
--
Mark W.
http://500px.com/Mark_Wycherley
