Do I need a wide gamut display?

[Meandmypup403]

Hi everyone! New guy here, thought I'd pick y'all's expert brains about photo editing hardware (I did a quick search through old posts and didn't find an answer, so hopefully I'm not being repetitive).

So first, a bit of background. I'm new to digital photography. I used to be a hobbyist in the film days, but took a hiatus for a while. Now I'm jumping back in, so I need to gear up again... Specifically, I'm looking for a good editing laptop (not a desktop, due to my nomadic life ).

The one issue that I'm spending way too much time agonizing over is whether I need to get a wide gamut display, or if I would be happy with just sRGB coverage. I'm guessing that 90% of what I do will be web-based, and whatever printing I do will be done at outside labs. A lot of desktop monitors can switch between color spaces, but with laptops, you have to pick either sRGB or Adobe RGB (the latter would pretty much limit me to a XPS 15 or a Zenbook Pro).

I would like to get something that I won't outgrow for a couple of years as I climb the learning curve, but on the other hand, everything I've read is that using the wider gamut screens really complicates the whole color management thing.

So what do you think? Is 100% sRGB enough for a semi-serious amateur? Do you use Adobe RGB on a regular basis? Any input would be greatly appreciated!!

[Manfred M]

Hi Raphael - I have been using an AdobeRGB compliant screen for over 10 years now and for me it was the only way to go as I do a lot of printing. Preparing an image for print, regardless of whether you print your own or use a commercial service provider is very much the same process. If you are just starting out, that is a whole different skill-set. Understanding colour spaces and rendering intents is a bit confusing at first...

If you are planning to primarily post to the internet, then a sRGB compliant screen will certainly be sufficient for what you are doing. Use the money that you save by going to an sRGB compliant screen(vs AdobeRGB) and buy yourself a hardware calibration / profiling tool (xRite or DataColor) to ensure that your display is showing the colours accurately.

Wide gamut screens do not complicate anything and converting from either ProPhoto RGB (which I generally use) or AdobeRGB to sRGB is quick and easy.

[DanK]

I’m doing a lot of printing now and for that reason splurged on a wide gamut monitor that will finally arrive in a few days. However, I wouldn’t put this at the top of he list. I have been editing for printing with an sRGB monitor for years, and I have been able to manage fine. Sometimes it won’t show colors in the print as well, but I have rarely been dissatisfied with a print as a result.

You can always get one later.

Re sending prints to a lab: some will accept adobe RGB files, but some require sRGB, and in that case, a wide gamut monitor isn’t a help.




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[Meandmypup403]

Thanks for the info, I'm just a bit confused about switching between gamuts. If I understand things correctly, Lightroom (that's what I mostly use) internally uses the ProPhoto gamut, but actually displays the images using the gamut that the screen has been profiled to. So if you have a Adobe RGB display, you'll see Adobe RGB colors, if your display is sRGB, then it adjusts the image to fit sRGB, right? But what happens if you process an image on an AdobeRGB display, then export the image as a sRGB JPEG? You'll be losing some of the out-of-gamut colors, so the output will look different from what you were seeing while you were editing. So do you then re-adjust it, export again, and keep using trial and error until you get what you want? If that's the case, I would probably be better off getting a sRGB laptop...

[Meandmypup403]

BTW, I'm definitely going to calibrate whatever display I'll end up getting, already have a Spyder 5Pro

[Manfred M]

Thanks for the info, I'm just a bit confused about switching between gamuts. If I understand things correctly, Lightroom (that's what I mostly use) internally uses the ProPhoto gamut, but actually displays the images using the gamut that the screen has been profiled to. So if you have a Adobe RGB display, you'll see Adobe RGB colors, if your display is sRGB, then it adjusts the image to fit sRGB, right? But what happens if you process an image on an AdobeRGB display, then export the image as a sRGB JPEG? You'll be losing some of the out-of-gamut colors, so the output will look different from what you were seeing while you were editing. So do you then re-adjust it, export again, and keep using trial and error until you get what you want? If that's the case, I would probably be better off getting a sRGB laptop...

You've more or less got it right. The screen driver that ships with your computer screen, in conjunction with your computer's graphics card, takes care of a lot of the details for you without any action required on your part. Some systems are more flexible than others; my screen can be set to display in Adobe RGB, sRGB or B&W modes.

The second part of the issue is the software used to manipulate image data. If it is "colour managed", it can read the colour space information embedded in the image file and display the colours correctly, regardless of the actual colour space used. The screen uses the "relative colorimetric" rendering intent to handle out of gamut colours. If there is no colour information embedded in the image file, most software will assume the file uses the sRGB colour space and displays the file as sRGB files. If they happen to be a wide gamut colour space, then the colours will look rather muddy.

Unfortunately, not all image software is colour managed so avoiding it is highly recommended. When posting to the internet, convert wide gamut colour space images to sRGB so that they will display properly, regardless of the image viewing software (including web browsers) that are being used by the end user.

The one thing to remember is that while sRGB can only handle around 35% of the visible colours people can see, it includes most of the shades we see most often. The wide gamut colour spaces reproduce the more vivid colours, so it may not make a lot of difference unless you happen to be shooting a scene with those very vivid colours.

[DanK]

So do you then re-adjust it, export again, and keep using trial and error until you get what you want?

I believe this depends on the monitor. Manfred has a BenQ, which allows you to switch between Adobe RGB and sRGB, so there is no need for trial and error. I am getting a NEC, and I don't know whether it makes it easy to do this. If not, I will create a copy with the sRGB profile. Ask me in a few weeks...

[Meandmypup403]

Great, perfect... I guess for now I'll start off with a sRGB setup. Later, if/when I decide to do some more serious printing, I'll splurge on a big wide gamut external monitor. Thanks for helping me make up my mind!! (You guys have been way more helpful than anything else I've read on the topic)

[DanK]

Great, perfect... I guess for now I'll start off with a sRGB setup. Later, if/when I decide to do some more serious printing, I'll splurge on a big wide gamut external monitor. Thanks for helping me make up my mind!! (You guys have been way more helpful than anything else I've read on the topic)

That's exactly what I would do. But by all means go ahead and calibrate your sRGB monitor, as you suggested. That can make a BIG difference, although it doesn't always.

[pschlute]

I believe this depends on the monitor. Manfred has a BenQ, which allows you to switch between Adobe RGB and sRGB, so there is no need for trial and error. I am getting a NEC, and I don't know whether it makes it easy to do this. If not, I will create a copy with the sRGB profile. Ask me in a few weeks...

I use a wide gamut monitor, but to be honest I don't need it. I process raw files in AdobeRGB then convert to sRGB before saving as .jpg

The printing service I use requires either paper profiles or sRGB and don't accept Adobe RGB at all.

So it is a nice extravagance, but for an amateur like me there is no real need.