sRGB or Adobe RGB? What Are They And When To Use Them?

Red is red, green is green, and blue is blue. Right? Maybe not. The entire spectrum of colour as you see it on digital screens has been the source of contention among photographers for some time now. Since the mid-90s, how we perceive colour digitally has largely been defined by just one colour space, so why would you even consider using something else? What does this mean for the budding photographer? What exactly is sRGB and Adobe RGB, and when should you use one over the other?

These are the kinds of questions that beginner photographers ask themselves all the time, and while the long-winded explanations can be off-putting, it comes down to just a few very basic ideas. Let’s look at what each colour space means individually, and then you’ll have a firm foundation in place to support your decision.

sRGB

The abbreviation for standard Red Green Blue, sRGB is a colour space first developed jointly by Microsoft and Hewitt Packard (HP). In 1996, the two computer titans cooperatively developed the sRGB colour space in an attempt at uniformity for the way colour was displayed concerning computer monitors and any printers printing hard copies of what you saw on the screen, and online.

By digitally defining the chromaticity of primary colours (or in basic terms, objectively specifying colour quality), Microsoft and HP successfully standardized colour usage around the world. For this very reason, sRGB is frequently the default colour space used in digital cameras and scanners. This means that more than likely when you purchase a new digital camera, switch it on, and take that very first photo without changing any of the settings, what you see displayed on the screen is defined by Microsoft and HP’s original colour triangle.

Many people believe that sRGB is the default for the simple reason that it’s better, but that’s not necessarily true. Sure, it’s basically everywhere you look digitally-speaking since browsers and apps use it all the time alongside digital cameras. A lot of times it doesn’t even matter if a photo displayed online was originally taken in another colour space because a browser is just going to show it in sRGB anyway.

This kind of uniformity does have a lot of benefits, mainly because it’s going to simplify any work that photographers have to do. It’s just one less thing that you need to focus on so that you can then concentrate on lighting, composition, and everything else in between.

However, in comparison, sRGB does have a much more narrow spectrum of colours. Before we get to why that matters, let’s take a look at the big competitor, Adobe RGB.

Adobe RGB

Pretend that it’s 1997 and Adobe Photoshop is booming. It’s quickly becoming an industry-standard in how people develop and manipulate digital images. It now has a colour management feature that is impressing consumers even more. Around this time, Adobe was thinking about characterizing their own colour space that would work alongside their colour management system. The colour space allowed for a wider colour profile, which their customers loved, but there was a problem with adhering to certain colour standards.

After trouble-shooting, Adobe actually chose to retain the originally developed profile and named it Adobe RGB. This colour space has the same number of colours as sRGB but spreads them out more, thereby providing the wider range that users enjoy.

Why is this good? Well, for starters, with Adobe RGB digital photographers can work more easily with highly saturated colours. This is preferred in professional-grade photography. Graphic artists are also known to want this colour flexibility.

What is colour space?

There are literally millions of colours perceived by the human eye, so why are we talking about just three of them? Put simply, red, green, and blue in combination can determine an entire spectrum.

For our purposes in comparing sRGB to Adobe RGB, the short explanation is that it’s the range of colours that you see in a digital photo, either on the screen or printed out. Colour space is a closely defined set of parameters. It’s the reason why, that when we see a specific photo, we can all agree red is red, green is green, and blue is blue.

The next question you might be asking is, “Why do I care?” Well, many don’t and it’s the reason why the sRGB default setting remains that way. There’s a very simple logic behind it too. If a screen is only going to render in sRGB anyway, what’s the point in working with any other colour space?

If you’re a novice and you’re curious about the visual difference in the final product, then try switching between the settings. The differences can be subtle, but just as often they can be quite dramatic. It really depends on your particular shot and what the saturation turns out to be. A simple portrait, depending on the lighting, can dramatically become darker and illicit a very different feel.

Which should I use?

Ultimately, the choice between sRGB and Adobe RGB (or even another colour space like ProPhoto RGB) is dependent on how and where you want to use the final image. Since sRGB is the main default for browsers and applications, then it becomes a very simple choice for things like online publishing, social media and even some simple printed material.

So it’s really a question of quality. The standard sRGB setting is called standard for a reason. Because it is used most widely. If you’re only printing photos to share with your family and friends, then sRGB will be fine. But if you’re trying to work professionally, artistically, or even trying to win a competition, consider the wider range that Adobe RGB offers.

Hopefully, you are now a bit more prepared in deciding which colour space to use for your work. Keep in mind that you can change the colour space you are using for an image using editing software. So, you can always save a copy of your image for online using sRGB and for printing as Adobe RGB.

Photo credits: Kav Dadfar – All rights reserved. No usage without permission. Dreamstime.