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In this video, we will talk about the basics of color and how it can affect your overall project.
New Terms:
- Color Space - A defined range of colors and tones represented in your image file. Gamut - The amount of colors within a given color space
Further Reading:
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Now that we've learned about displays,
pixel density, and printing, we wanna make
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the most out of color to help achieve
our goal of accuracy and quality.
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We already know that displays output color
in a combination of red, green, and blue.
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And most printed images use ink colors
of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.
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Let's take a look at color space.
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A color space will determine the volume of
colors and tones represented in your file.
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Some common named color spaces
you'll see are Prophoto RGB,
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Adobe RGB, sRGB, and CMYK.
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While there are a few other color spaces,
these are the most common.
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You've probably already noticed that
three of the four are concerned with RGB.
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These are focused on displays and
digital cameras.
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And our ability to accurately view
these different color spaces is
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also dependent on our display technology
and how much tinkering you want to do
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to match your image to the end
result display or print.
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Photographers may want to work
in one of those RGB modes
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before printing to fine-tune and
make any adjustments.
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So which color mode should you choose and
why?
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To answer that question,
we need to find out our end goal for
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our project, print or display.
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A simplified breakdown
might look like this.
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Prophoto RGB is great for
high-end photography and
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very fine color adjustments.
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Nearly each time you'll want to export
your image into a smaller profile.
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The software will re-map to a different
color mode as best as it can.
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Adobe RGB is common for
photo editing and adjustments.
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Many digital cameras also support
the JPG photos in this profile.
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You'll want to export to CMYK for
offset printing.
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And some presses may accept Adobe RGB.
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sRGB is best for the widest
variety of displays and the web.
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And CMYK is best when you're
setting up a file for print.
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Now, this is certainly
just a guideline and
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really depends on your workflow,
technology, and end product.
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There are also many other color spaces,
mostly very specialized.
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There's also a chance your display may
not accurately represent your color mode.
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There's software available to
help tune your display and
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its capabilities to match your color mode.
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Finally, if you're considering the file
size for any reason, such as for an app or
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the web, you'll likely wanna stick to
sRGB's smaller gamut, as other color modes
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will certainly increase your file size,
typically without any perceivable benefit.
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There is a lot of information
on the web for anyone
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who'd like to further explore color space
and how it might fit into your workflow.
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It really depends on how concerned
about color accuracy you are,
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both in your final product, your display
while you're making adjustments, or
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laying out assets into
a file you intend to print.
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There is software, gadgets, and
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all sorts of things to help you fine-tune
your workflow from photo to print
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