Help - Strange Message

[Mesca]

I was going to attempt to try the new restoration. When I opened the picture that I had downloaded I got this message:
***************************************************
The document "1christening.jpg" has an embedded color profile that does not match the current RGB working space.

Embedded: Adobe RGB 1998
Working: sRGB IEC6-1966-2.1

How do you want to proceed?
___ Use the embedded profile (instead of the working space)
___ Convert document colors to the working space
___ Discard the embedded profile (don't color manage)
***************************************************
Which should I check?

[Tim_S]

Mesca,

What this is saying is that the color management profile (the ICC profile) that is part of the file you are opening, is different from the color management space (ICC profile) you have set up in Photoshop.

The quick answer is probably "Convert document colors to the working space". That assumes that you are not conversant with color spaces and don't wish to study them before trying to work on this picture.

If all of your previous work has been with the default color set up than you have always worked in the sRGB color space. You will be fine converting this file and working in that space again.

sRGB is a fine color space for work that will appear on the web. It is a color profile that is designed to fit the colors that a generic inxepensive monitor can produce.

Understanding color management is not something you can pick up in just a couple minutes, so I'd say stick with what you have been doing for now, and start to learn what all this stuff is about as you have time. There have been several threads here you should be able to look up with terms like "color management" or "ICC" Since I see you just posted this, and may still be around I will post this right away, and see if I can find some URLs to refer you to later...

Good luck.
--tks

[Mesca]

Thanks Tim...
Actually I haven't the foggiest as to what I've been working in.. I've just gotten PS and haven't done much more than look at it and try out a few of the tools. Needless to say I know nothing about color management. Don't believe it's been needed in PaintShop Pro which is what I'd been using.

I've a lot to learn. LOL

[DannyRaphael]

Mesca:

A very legit question for the forum! A+ on getting the message details. That was a lot to copy and retype! Sure makes diagnosis and recommendations a lot easier!

Tim:

A well thought out and presented reply.

If one is not necessarily creating web-destined output and is primarily into hard copy prints, what would be your recommended color management space?

~DannyR~

[Tim_S]

References for color management

Here's one that points to an off site article...Here

Adobe's guide to color management: Here This is a complete, if not easy to read introduction to the subject...

For a good tutorial on basic color theory go to

Here and click on the link Basic Color Theory. The section on color models is pretty good...

Ian Lyons has many great tutorials and articles on his site, but for color managements see:
Photoshop 7

Photoshop 6

Also check out the "Intro Series" at Color Remedies

Since that is a huge pile of information, let me suggest that the quickest way to find out about the choices Photoshop was offering you, and why you would choose one over the other, is to go straight to the Ian Lyons article appropriate for your version of Photoshop.

Does anyone else have a favorite color management tutorial or web site?

--tks

[Tim_S]

Mesca:

If you just got PS and never changed the default settings you have been working in sRGB. After reading the Ian Lyons article you may decide to change that. Still, don't forget to convert your challange pictures to sRGB before posting them. That way anyone that looks at them will see pretty much the same thing, wheather they have a high-end calibrated monitor or not (lets not talk about gamma for Mac vs PC it hurts my head).

Danny:

Um, it depends. I hate to give a hard and fast answer to this because it depends on your situation. Remember we are only talking about a working space. The space where you edit and shape your colors to get the best picture possible on screen. This will (or should be ) converted to the ICC profile of the print device before sending it to the printer.

To get the best results you want your working space to be as large or larger than the printer color space. This is usually not a problem since printers are actually fairly limited in their color gamut compared to a monitor. On the other hand if the the color space is too large (say you are using 8bit/color in Kodak's ProPhoto color space) color adjustments get a bit tricky because you are spreading the same number of colors over a wider area, so you could be more prone to problems like posterization.

Since you are probably working with 8bit/color files, and printing to an inkjet printer, Adobe RGB, or Bruce RGB are probably appropriate color spaces. Bruce Fraser (the Bruce of Bruce RGB) makes a pretty good case for using his space in this article, but even he admits that it is not the right choice for all situations.

I use Bruce RGB. There I said it. It may not be the best choice for you, but it is what I do.

--tks

[DannyRaphael]

Tim:

The "BruceRGB" article was a real eye opener. The more I learn about color management, the more I realize I don't understand... but I'm moving in the right direction.

Exceptional information. Many, many thanks.

~Danny~

[Mesca]

Lordie Mercy..... The more I learn... the more I find I need to learn. Guess I'll spend the day trying to learn something about color management. Thanks for all the help and guides to help Tim. If I find it's beyond my scope at the moment.... I'll copy your post and save it and the "go to's" for future use.

I will add for that for the present time all my work is only for the web. My printer went out and I think I made a mistake buying a used one off Ebay. It's an Epson Sylus Photo 1270. I had seen Doug's high recommendation on it and when I saw one offered on Ebay for $200 I snatched it up. ( He SAID it was only a year old and in excellent working condition but heads probably needed cleaning since it'd sat up for a couple of months. - Leave it to me to be gullable.) Well, I tried cleaning heads... bought new cartridges... did everything I could find to do with the online help but for some reason can only print in red or yellow. He failed to send the manual so at present I'm at a loss and he hasn't responded to my emails.

[jeaniesa]

Mesca,
Sorry to hear about your printer woes. Most manufacturers put manuals and other helpful documents on the web these days. The Epson 1270 document page includes the manual as well as tons of other related documents. One looks like a troubleshooting guide, so that might help as well.

I could never wrap my mind around color management until the last week when I bought a new printer and was getting crappy prints from it. (Talk about depressing!) After about two days of reading, I finally understood the concept and started getting beautiful prints. But, it wasn't until I was up against a wall and had to understand it that I finally made myself take the time to learn it.

Tim, Thanks for those links. I get the feeling I can never know too much about color management.

Jeanie

[winwintoo]

Mesca, If you have never gotten that message before and just started getting it after you installed the Epson 1270 printer, it could be the printer drivers that are confused. I suspect you're using a Mac too.

I don't understand color management, but I do know that Macs (and probably Windows too), PhotoShop and Epson all try to manage the color and they fight amongst themselves until your output is unrecognizable.

I found this article by Russell Brown "Four Easy Steps to Epson Printing" and followed his advice and finally I get good prints. He also shows what to do with that message you've been getting.

http://www.russellbrown.com/tips/photoshop.html

Scroll way down to find the article.

I'm sorry to hear about your new printer - there's nothig worse than to get an eagerly awaited new toy and then find that the wretched thing doesn't work. Not getting the manual probably won't make a difference - it has next to nothing in it.

Good luck,
Margaret