the new Adobe Photoshop CS RAW converter allows you to look at the histogram as you are converting an image and to choose a color space. it doesn't support the PEF format yet, but i have a lot of Nikon NEF files lying around to try it on. one of the advantages of the converter is that, for supported cameras, you can choose to reinterpret the data in a different color space, something that the Nikon software doesn't do. when Adobe ships an update that supports PEF, as they rumored to be doing, then it doesn't matter what color space is set on the camera. i can read the data and map it to the color space i want to work in at conversion time. the Pentax software forces you to make the decision in the camera and doesn't allow you to change it. you have to wait until it is loaded into Photoshop before changing.
the immediate practical difference i see when working in Adobe RGB is that i pull in more shadow detail and it survives manipulation without posterization better. the losses i used to observe probably are no worse than working in 8-bit/channel mode. Photoshop CS has a couple of very important functions for working with photographs that simplify a lot of editing chores, some of which i used to do with third party plugins. the plugins still have some advantages, but they aren't so important anymore. the RAW converter does a better job of getting good color and shadow detail out of the RAW files without setting changes than the Nikon software does. it should be a lot better than the Pentax software when that gets done. Herb.... ----- Original Message ----- From: "Shel Belinkoff" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, January 03, 2004 2:49 PM Subject: Re: January PUG Comments Part I > Sh!t yes! Get a copy of Photoshop or something else that allows color spaces to > be viewed and try it. The difference between sRGB (the default "standard") and > Adobe RGB is substantial, providing, of course, you have a decent monitor and > video card. I've an older card on the email machine, and, while I can still see > the difference between the color spaces, the differences are not as great as on > the newer PS machine with the calibrated monitor.
