Datasheet

20
Welcome to Adobe Photoshop CS4
Part I
Before you begin working on an image, you can specify the color spaces (also called color profiles or
gamuts) for various types of images, such as RGB, CMYK, Grayscale, and Spot Color. This enables
Photoshop’s color management functions, which attempt to keep colors accurate across devices,
such as a monitor, a desktop printer, and a printing press.
To specify color spaces, choose Edit ➪ Color Settings (see Figure 1.17). If you are working on
images for the Web, the sRGB color space is a good set of RGB colors to work in because it resem-
bles the set of colors available for display on many monitors.
If you are working on images for printing on a sheetfed press on coated paper, you may want to
choose the CMYK color space U.S. Sheetfed Coated. Custom color profiles (color spaces) may also
be created and loaded.
FIGURE 1.17
The Color Settings dialog box
You can change an image’s color profile by choosing Edit ➪ Assign Profile or Edit ➪ Convert
Profile. Assign Profile uses a conversion method that pays more attention to keeping the color’s
numeric values the same and does not prioritize keeping the color’s appearance consistent from one
color space to another. Convert Profile attempts to keep the color’s appearance the same from one color
space to another and does not prioritize keeping the color’s numeric values the same.
Color management is not a perfect system. With that in mind, you may also choose not to use color
management by clicking the More Options button in the Color Settings dialog box, then selecting
Color Management Off in the Settings menu.