Image color profile or color space is the range of colors that can be produced in an image. Common color profiles in photography include sRGB, Adobe RGB, or ProPhoto RGB. RGB stands for red, green, and blue (the primary colors used to display color on screen and in print). In this article, we will go over the differences in color profiles, Pic-Time’s recommended color profile, and what Pic-Time’s partner labs recommend or require.

sRGB is the standard color space for use on the web and most print labs accept files in this color space.

Adobe RGB is a larger color space than sRGB and is often used for professional printing. Adobe RGB is too large of a color space for the web, but it can be converted to sRGB for online publishing.

ProPhoto RGB is the largest of these three color profiles. ProPhoto RGB can be converted to sRGB for publishing images online and can also be converted to Adobe RGB. If you plan to use ProPhoto RGB, you will need to shoot in RAW. Not all printers can print ProPhoto RGB, so it’s important to check if your preferred print lab is able to print ProPhoto RGB files.

Pic-Time recommends uploading images with an sRGB profile. sRGB is currently the recommended color profile for screen viewing and commercial printing. Using this profile as the delivery profile is safest when it comes to your clients getting the same colors you intended on screen and in print.

That being said, Pic-Time supports photos with the Adobe RGB profile and will preserve and use the profile correctly through the gallery display and production process. It is important to note that many monitors on the market today don’t support larger color gamuts than sRGB, therefore some color variation might occur when viewing.

If you shoot in RAW, you will choose a color space when you upload your images to Lightroom or Photoshop for editing.

If you do not shoot in RAW, you will choose your color space in your camera settings.

Pic-Time’s partner labs print sRGB and Adobe RGB files, so you will want to make sure you use one of these color spaces. Before deciding on a specific color space within RGB, check the links below to see what Pic-Time’s partner labs recommend or require for their specific printing process: