Optimizing Photos for Web

Color space gurus agree that working in sRGB from start to finish produces optimal web display of your photos. sRGB has a smaller color gamut than Adobe RGB. This means that working in Adobe RGB and later converting to sRGB for online viewing may result in color loss. However, if you work in sRGB from beginning to end, your photos will look pretty much the same anywhere. This means no surprises when you upload to a site or order a print.


Shooting RAW

If you shoot in RAW, your in-camera color space settings are irrelevant. Your RAW files can be set to sRGB once you import them into ACR (Adobe Camera Raw) or Lightroom, Here is a screenshot of what the settings should look like in ACR:




Photoshop Settings

Are your photos tagged as sRGB? Here’s how you can tell:

To work in sRGB, go to
Edit > Color Settings > North America General Purpose 2

To convert files to sRGB upon import to Photoshop, select “Convert to Working RGB” under Color Management Policies in the same window.


Additional Tips

*To ensure proper color, re-calibrating your monitor every month is vital.
*To color manage your screenshots, go to New > Advanced > Color Profile > {Select your monitor’s calibrated profile}


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