So IF we think turning Photoshop's Color Management "OFF" and/or ignoring embedded profiles do not change the tagged or untagged file — we are sorely mistaken — because these moves DO change the color!

Please PROOF my point in your color-managed web browser tutorial HERE gballard.net.

*The fact is:

IF Adobe Photoshop Creative Suite CS4 CS3 CS2 CS does not know the file's SourceSpace -- by Honoring an embedded profile, or by us Assigning a profile -- Photoshop will ASSUME-DEFAULT-ASSIGN-APPLY Photoshop's WorkingSpace to the file — in essence — PS Assigns its WorkingSpace to untagged SourceFiles.

Please use my Assign Versus Convert tutorial gballard.net to PROOF my point in Photoshop.

FOR EXAMPLE:

If Photoshop's ColorSettings> WorkingSpaces> RGB is set to sRGB (i.e., WorkingRGB), and you ignore my embedded AdobeRGB tag — you hose the file the moment you open it.

In this example, in essence:
This is the same as opening my AdobeRGB file and Image> Mode> Assign Profile: sRGB — This is WRONG! — We just (wrongly) told Photoshop that the AdobeRGB file is sRGB — and there is a big color difference between the two ColorSpaces.

This means:

1) Photoshop's File> MonitorRGB Conversion is inaccurate to the file!
(The monitor is not displaying the color accurately.)

2) All RGB> CMYK Conversions are inaccurate to the file!

3) All File> PrinterPaperInk Conversions are inaccurate to the file!

4) All File> TargetRGB Conversions are inaccurate to the file!

In fact, in this example:
All Conversions are inaccurate because Photoshop is incorrectly basing the Conversion on its Assumption that my AdobeRGB is in its WorkingRGB ColorSpace (because some genius ignored my tag).

The only chance we have of Photoshop NOT hosing an UnTagged (or UnManaged) file is:

1) If we Image> Mode> ASSIGN Profile (the file's actual SourceSpace), or

2) If the file was last saved in our Photoshop WorkingSpace (SourceSpace = WorkingSpace).

The simple truth is:
Photoshop canNOT make any accurate Conversions unless it knows the file's SourceSpace.

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If we are forced to work with someone who's ignorant to color management, or does not want a profile embedded, my best advice would be to have the person open his Photoshop Color Settings, and tell you exactly what his Working Spaces RGB and CMYK are.

Then Image> Mode> (or Edit>) Convert to Profile (right into his native working space), and hand it off to him.

If he's using a Working Space not included with Photoshop, have him locate the Working Space CMYK or RGB profile on his hard drive and email it to you so Photoshop can Convert to it. (If Photoshop is listing it as a working space, he has a profile for it on his hard drive.)

At that point, even if he ignores the embedded profile or the file is UnTagged, there's no problem because we have Converted our file into his native working space — Photoshop will make the correct assumption about the document (and not hose it).

However, the problem is resurrected if/when he hands the file off to another ignorant user who needs to edit or SoftProof it....

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Photoshop's Back Door:

HOW users (and Adobe's default) BREAK Photoshop, IMO.
Photoshop's Color Management Policies:

Note: Photoshop CS2 PS9 changed Settings "US Prepress Defaults" to North America Prepress 2 (as noted in above picture).

I most highly recommend reading Bruce Fraser creativepro.com and taking his advice:

"The safest starting point is to set all Color Management Policies to Preserve Embedded Profiles, and to turn all warnings on. The other two policies change either the numbers in the images or the interpretation of those numbers automatically, which is great if that's something you understand and want to happen, but confusing at best and disastrous at worst when you don't. The warnings give you a moment's pause to consider the situation, and to act accordingly," Bruce Fraser wrote.

We need to get Photoshop's Color Management Policies functioning.
Then learn what the warnings are trying to tell us....

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CMYK is just as susceptible to these broken WorkFlows.

Unless Photoshop CS2 PS 9 6 7 8 CS knows the SpecificCMYK, Photoshop canNOT make any accurate Conversions...like UntaggedRGB, Photoshop canNOT display CMYK accurately unless it knows the SourceSpaceCMYK.

UnTaggedCMYK can go to print quite safely, though (unless someone down the line messes with it).

The problems occur when we want to see UnTaggedCMYK color accurately on screen, or we want to SoftProof a target profile or ColorSpace on screen .

Unless the UnTaggedCMYK equals Photoshop's ColorSettings> WorkingSpaces> CMYK (i.e., WorkingCMYK), any Conversion will hose the file, and the monitor will not be accurate to the file.

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My point is:

If Photoshop doesn't know the file's SourceSpace (by honoring an embedded profile, or by Image> Mode> (or Edit>) Assign Profile, or by SourceFile equals WorkingCMYK or WorkingRGB):

• The monitor is NOT accurate to the file, and
• ALL Conversions are NOT accurate to the file, including RGB> CMYK .

So burying our heads in the sand and blaming the (good) file is nothing less than a poor excuse.

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