PhotoShop Color Space Changing

[robreesesheppard]

I have been dealing with an issue where my PhotoShop color space changes when the PS file is opened on another computer.

We are exporting raw images from Capture One into PhotoShop using the Adobe RGB 1998 ICC Profile, because we need it to be in this profile for our printing format. After we save that PS file and send it to somebody else to work on, the Working Color Space changes itself to sRGB, instead of the Adobe RGB 98 that we need it to be in. This has not happened in the past, but even after trouble shooting with Adobe, we were not able to solve the problem.

Looking for any reasons as to why this is happening and I am happy to post screenshots of our exports settings or anything else that you feel would be appropriate. I can't find anything else related to this issue on this internet or forums.

Thank you!

[Michael Bullo]

Hi robreesesheppard,

Have you checked whether the Adobe RGB 1998 profile is getting saved with the Photoshop file? For example within the Save As dialogue box there is a check box for embedding the color profile.

Without an embedded profile Photoshop opens such files as Untagged and will render the file using the settings in the Color Settings dialogue box. If another person's Photoshop was using sRGB as their default then a colour shift would occur in your files.

Michael

[robreesesheppard]

Hey Michael,

The profile is being embedded when saving the file. The profile itself stays as 1998, but the Working Color Space switches itself to sRGB. I guess a follow up question would be, is it okay if the Working Color Space changes and then is changed back to 1998 after opening the file? Meaning, will it change the color data in anyway on the file?

[mglush]

Hi!

It would be great if you could post the screenshots so we could see your settings. Also, how are you assigning the color profiles to your images? Is the computer that's opening them cross-platform from yours? Have you upgraded anything before this started happening?

Thanks!

Michelle

[robreesesheppard]

So here are the settings that we have set when exporting the raw photo from Capture One into PS.

And when in the PS file that was created, all is correct.

After sending the PS file over to our retouchers or any other computers, the PS file changes its working Color Space to sRGB.

So I guess my question now is, will the actual color data be changed when this happens? Or is it okay to just switch the working RGB back to Adobe RGB 1998, because the actual Profile itself is still Adobe RGB 1998?

[davescm]

Whoa - stop

Never use Assign profile unless you know a profile to be incorrect or there is no profile and you want to assign the correct one.

In the Assign profile dialogue  - working profile is not the current document profile - it is just the default profile you have set in colour settings for new documents

So in Colour settings make sure that Preserve embedded profiles is checked.

Then to check a document profile - open the document and go the the bottom left of the window and look here. If you don't see it click the arrow key and choose document profile from the menu

Dave

[robreesesheppard]

Not sure if this will help with anything, but here's my Color Settings.

Everything is correct on my side with the PS file when it comes to the Color Profile and the Color Space. We're just having issues where when another person opens up the PS file on their computer after we've e-mailed it or AirDropped it, the Working Space changes over to sRGB automatically. If that causes an actual change to the color of the PS file itself, we can't have that happening because we want it to stay the color that it is.

If that's just something that needs to be changed on their end, so that it opens up in the 1998 Working Space, then great. Or as I've said in some other comments, if the Working Space is able to change without causing damage or changes to the original color, then that's great too and my question is answered. We were just hoping there was a way to have it automatically open up for other people with the same Working Space that was set on my computer when we made the PS file.

[robreesesheppard]

Another user clearly stated answers to what I was asking. Thanks for your help

[davescm · Accepted solution]

The working space is just a default for new documents, provided the other user does not have convert to working RGB  set as their colour management policy.

It is the document profile that is important for an open document. Use the info at the bottom left of the window to confirm that profile.

Dave

[D Fosse]

The working space is just a default for missing profiles and new documents. It doesn't really matter; what matters is that you keep color management policies set to "Preserve Embedded Profiles". This is the default - never change it, not for any reason.

With this default setting, the working space will not affect files that already have a profile. The embedded document profile will always override the working space.

[robreesesheppard]

Perfect. Thank you so much!

[robreesesheppard]

And I'm not sure if I said this in that last reply, but the Color Profile stays the same when others open the PS file, but the WORKING COLOR SPACE changes over to sRGB. I don't understand why it doesn't stay the same. I don't have a strong enough understanding of the difference between Profiles and Color Spaces to know if that happening is an issue that could change the actual color of the photo permanently.

[D Fosse]

This cannot happen as long as you

• embed the profile
• make sure color management policies are always set to Preserve Embedded Profiles

It's one of those two.

[Test Screen Name]

Don't forget it's the settings on the OTHER computer you need to look at for Preserve Embedded Profiles. You can't force it by how you save your files. Converting to working space is many people's preferred way of working. Not sure why you say you need the profile to not change "for your printing format" to be honest, the point of profiles is that it can be converted.

[faheena94322988]

embed the profile, make sure color management policies are always set to Preserve Embedded Profiles

[Link removed by moderator]

[Test Screen Name]

Looking closely, I think you're completely misinterpreting what you see:

So this is what you see on your computer. I hope you never actually USE Assign Profile. But it's telling you that your working space and the document profile are both Adobe RGB.

Now this. Again, I that on the other computer they NEVER USE ASSIGN PROFILE. But this is telling you that the document profile is Adobe RGB, just like you said. No problem. It also so happens that Photoshop's working profile, its default profile, is sRGB. This is a matter of no interest UNLESS you change the profile. DON'T. You made an Adobe RGB document. That's what it still is.

[robreesesheppard]

Great. That's all I needed to know. Was just concerned that the color data was permanently changing through the opening of the file on the other end. Thanks a bunch.

[Test Screen Name]

I’ve never thought about it but on reflection “working space” is not a good name for a space which may have no connection to open documents. “Default space“ might be better. I wonder if the term predates embedded profiles...

[D Fosse]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Test+Screen+Name  wrote

I’ve never thought about it but on reflection “working space” is not a good name for a space which may have no connection to open documents. “Default space“ might be better. I wonder if the term predates embedded profiles...

You're absolutely right; it does. I can't recall which version exactly, but at some point Photoshop had this new feature called "multiple working spaces". That was embedded profiles.

There's lots of legacy stuff in there. I've talked about "Convert to Working" several times lately, that's one. Not to mention "Off". If Photoshop had been designed from scratch today, those two options wouldn't even have been on the table. But presumably, there's one or two people out there who still live in 1998.

[ezestuff]

Quick question Dave, the packaging photographers I work with save in Adobe 1998, I retouch and design in 1998 and send to the printer in 1998. What do I do when an outside source (freelancer) saves the file with an embedded sRGB profile and I need to do additional work on it? Am I stuck with the file being sRGB? Thanks in advance !!!

[D Fosse · Accepted solution]

You can convert to Adobe RGB if you need to. That is, if you are making edits that go beyond the sRGB gamut. If not, there's absolutely no point. It will be correctly handled in either case, as long as you haven't changed the "preserve embedded profiles" policy.