Tutorials - Color Management for Photographers - page 377

2. The file must be untagged . This is the key to our technique. If
you open the document and Photoshop gives you a warning
about the file being untagged, be sure to pick Leave as is
(don't color manage) so the document opens in Photoshop
untagged.
3. The preview you now see of the image is based on your
preferred RGB working space in the Color Settings. We will try
different RGB working spaces and pick the one that provides
the best color appearance from the Macbeth color target. To do
this, choose the Photoshop Color Settings . In the Working
Space RGB pop-up menu, try different RGB working spaces
such as sRGB , Adobe RGB , ColorMatch RGB , and so forth.
Do not pick print/output spaces. You want to pick a
standardized Matrix-type working space that produces the best
overall preview of the target. None may be perfect but pick the
best one available.
4. Let's say you pick Adobe RGB as the working space that
produces the best overall match of the Macbeth. We will now
alter that working space while examining the preview of the
camera file. To do this, pick Custom at the top of the RGB
pop-up menu. It should look like Fig. 9-11-1 [in this case we
are working with Adobe RGB (1998)]. Notice that we have
several fields where we can enter numeric values. The first and
easiest is the Gamma field. In this case, Adobe RGB (1998) has
a gamma of 2.2. You can alter these values until the overall
tonal quality of the preview appears best. You might need to
raise or lower the gamma value. Start with the number next to
the first decimal point to change the preview subtlety. At some
point, you should find a gamma value (for example, 1.9) that
produces the best image matching to the target.
5. Next, pick different primaries by using the Primaries pop-up
menu, like picking the various RGB working spaces as you did
in step 3, trying different preset primary settings until you find
one that produces the best overall color and matching to the
Macbeth target.
6. You can fine-tune the X and Y values for red, green, and blue
further, as you desire. Be aware this is somewhat of a guessing
game and that you'll likely alter only the last one or two values
of numbers. A little goes a long way. If you don't like what
you've done and want to go back to the original settings, pick
the Primaries originally selected to reset the values.
7. Like in step 6, you can alter the white point, but this produces
a very subtle effect. Go ahead and experiment.