P: Incorrect value for EXIF:ColorSpace in exported TIFFs

[johnrellis]

When you export a TIFF or JPEG with Color Space: AdobeRGB (1998), LR 5.7.1 includes an incorrect value for EXIF:ColorSpace. It should be set to Uncalibrated. But on Windows, it is set to sRGB, and on Mac it is missing entirely. (Note that when Photoshop CC 2014 saves a file in AdobeRGB (1998), it correctly sets EXIF:ColorSpace to Uncalibrated.)

This bug probably has very small impact in most cases, since it's likely that most color-managed applications ignore EXIF:ColorSpace when an ICC_Profile is present. But this did cause confusion for one person examining the color space with Windows File Explorer, which shows EXIF:ColorSpace but not ICC_Profile in its Properties window:

https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1806639

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Hmm. AdobeRGB should set the EXIF colorspace to 2 (Adobe RGB), and sRGB should always be set to EXIF colorspace 1 (sRGB). Only other colorspaces not represented in EXIF should have the colorspace value set to 0.

The inconsistency may not be in the files, but the different utilities used to view them -- MacOS follows the profile, while Windows follows the EXIF data more closely.

But the LR team will have to let us know exactly what is happening.

[johnrellis]

The inconsistencies are definitely in the file, as verified by Exiftool for three files, written by Mac LR, Windows LR, and Mac PS:

$ exiftool -a -G -colorspace -profiledescription test.mac.lr.tif


[ICC_Profile]   Profile Description             : Adobe RGB (1998)


$ exiftool -a -G -colorspace -profiledescription test.windows.lr.tif


[EXIF]          Color Space                     : sRGB


[ICC_Profile]   Profile Description             : Adobe RGB (1998)


$ exiftool -a -G -colorspace -profiledescription test.mac.ps.tif


[EXIF]          Color Space                     : Uncalibrated


[ICC_Profile]   Profile Description             : Adobe RGB (1998)

The EXIF 2.3 spec doesn't define the encoding of AdobeRGB with ColorSpace=2/Interopindex=R03, but whether LR chooses to use that encoding is a separable issue (Photoshop CC 2014 doesn't use it).

[johnrellis]

Also, note that when a photo is exported in ProPhoto RGB on Windows LR, the exported EXIF:ColorSpace is also sRGB.

[Kelly Castro]

Thanks John. We are looking into this issue and a bug report has been filed.

[johnrellis]

Thanks much for the update.

[JohnRolfeEllis]

Not fixed in LR 6.0.1 (didn't really expect it to be since it was reported right before the 6.0 release).

[J453]

This issue should be fixed in today's Lightroom CC 2015.5/6.5 update.

[johnrellis]

Great, thanks for the update.