We’ve recommended certain colour management policies (as Adobe calls them) including:

RGB Working Space: Adobe RGB (1998); “Convert to Working Space”; “Ask When Opening” for both Profile Mismatches and Missing Profiles; Intent: Perceptual.

Click here for why we recommend these settings.

For how to set up Photoshop accordingly, click these links: Mac / Windows.

Here we’ll deal with the dialogue boxes that will open when you’re using these policies. (This is not intended as a detailed outline of Photoshop Colour Management policies. For that you should go to Photoshop Help. We’ll simply describe how you should respond to these dialogue boxes in line with our colour management policy recommendations.)

How to respond to Photoshop’s colour management policy prompts

Opening image files with no embedded profile or a different profile

When you open an image file that is not tagged with a profile, you get this:

When you open an image file that’s tagged with a profile other than the working space, you get this:

Note the different words used: “assign” the working RGB where there’s no profile to start from, “convert” to Adobe RGB where a different profile is attached.

To Photoshop, “assign” means to give the RGB numbers in the image file the same value that they have in whatever colour space you specify. Unless you know better, Photoshop has no choice but to ask your advice! If you know the history of the file, you’ll see that you have the choice of “assigning” an appropriate profile, and then “converting” to Working RGB if you wish. The file may have been stripped of its profile accidentally, or you may need to assign a profile to an image that hasn’t been tagged by your camera.

But if a profile exists, Photoshop can interpret the RGB numbers using the profile, then “convert” them into Adobe 1998. The RGB numbers will change so that the visual appearance of the file in Adobe 1998 remains the same (or as near as possible).

All this underlies (and underlines) the importance of embedding profile information in every image file. Your camera’s “generic” profile is a lot better than nothing. If you’re still not entirely happy with the results you should obtain a “customised” profile for your specific camera. This will be much more accurate again.

If you’re going to answer the dialogue the same way every time, can you get rid of the warning messages?

Yes you can, by un-checking the “Ask when opening” and “Ask when pasting” check boxes.

But that means that the process will happen automatically, and there’s no going back if you save the file (unless you have a back-up, as you certainly should). Adobe strongly recommends that you leave the “Ask” boxes checked. Maybe they’re just being cautious, or maybe you should just put up with them.

If you haven’t followed our recommendations, these warning messages can become really frustrating when you’re compiling album layouts with Photojunction, simply because there’ll be so many of them! Click here for more about colour management and Photojunction.