BE AWARE photographers that use Adobe RGB and printers that use CMYK!!

BE AWARE that if you are taking photographs with your camera in another color space that is not sRGB, for example Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB, you MUST use Filter Forge (FF) as a plugin in your choosen software host, and never use the File-->Save As (or save) as it will convert your photos to sRGB WITHOUT asking and telling you about it.

If you use FF as standalone your photos will be converted to sRGB 8 bit and have 72ppi too.

AND even more dangerous and problematic can be if you use FF with a CMYK image that is made for printing in a CMYK printer machine, because if you use a FF filter to apply to this image in the standalone version it will convert it to sRGB and will loose all the CMYK data, and converting it back to CMYK could give problems with the colors.

TO AVOID THIS PROBLEM, USE FF ONLY AS A PLUGIN IF YOU DO NOT USE sRGB and never save the result from FF software itself, so this way FF will keep the same color space and same ppi resolution.

For more information see this other thread

Why FF converts all the images to sRGB color space WITHOUT asking?

Heh, all there years of making filters and I never even realize you can apply the filters to a CMYK image...

I suggest, if you're going for CMYK output that you do your images in Photoshop in RGB with the CMYK preview turned on and then convert to CMYK only at output stage. You have much more flexibility in RGB even inside PS.

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Skybase Why are you feeding CMYK profiles into FF? The program wasn't even designed to handle CMYK as with MANY other graphics programs like this. There is NO component in FF that even handles CMYK by default.

I have never used a CMYK image inside FF, and the first time has been today by error, that I did not remember that the one I have choosen did have CMYK, and so I knew what would happen.

When I have put the above text is not because I have used CMYK images, I was thinking that maybe someone else that could have CMYK images and wanted to use them in FF, and then when saving them, it would not be known that FF has converted it to sRGB, and could think that it is still CMYK, and could have problems because of this, so I wanted to advise and to be aware of this.

I did not know that FF would not be able to handle CMYK images, but I have never used it because I agree much with ThreeDee as follows

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ThreeDee I suggest, if you're going for CMYK output that you do your images in Photoshop in RGB with the CMYK preview turned on and then convert to CMYK only at output stage. You have much more flexibility in RGB even inside PS.

YES! I agree that you should do all the retouching and modifications, or apply any filter to the image BEFORE converting it to CMYK and this should be the final step before output, so it would not really needed that FF could handle CMYK

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Skybase FF can save 16 bit 32bit tiff, tga, and OpenEXR, png files perfectly fine. It seems to drop the color sync profile but you can reassign those later.

Thanks for explaining the technical way of the 8 bits vs 16 bits that could happen inside FF, and sorry that I said that it would convert it to 8 bit when this does not happen always as is right that you can save it in 16 bit if the filter supports it as you said.

Cambridge Color - SRGB VS. ADOBE RGB 1998

Converting a sRGB to Adobe RGB does not recover the lost information made in the conversion to sRGB by FF

Although you are right that when FF converts the color space to sRGB you can after reassign another color space back, BUT from what I know this is not good at all, because sRGB is the color space that has the narrowest gamuts of any working space, SO if you have another color space like Adobe RGB and convert it to sRGB you will loose all the information that can´t be shown in sRGB, SO if you convert it back to Adobe RGB, you will NOT get back the missing information and you would have a sRGB image with an Adobe RGB profile, so it really would not be at all a real and true Adobe RGB.

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Skybase SR, I just don't think you have the right idea for some of the technical bits and pieces here. To me all of that writing you put down sounded like you don't understand 8 bit and 16 bit workflows and the math behind it.

Yes, you are right, I have never worked with 16 bit images and really do not know the workflow between 16 bit and 8 bit, I mean that I know what they are and what it means, but I have not the technical knowledge and also have never worked with them.

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Skybase Couldn't you least keep your trouble on one forum post?

I could not keep it in one post because in the other thread I am asking WHY this happens, and as this is NOT a bug and something wrong that may be happenning and is something that is happening and is the real way in that FF works, I decided to make this other thread to warn others that do not know about this and explain it shorter than in the other thread and do not put any angry comments.

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Skybase You barely said anything more than "I had trouble with CMYK color profiles, then I realized AdobeRGB (1998) profile was converted to sRGB. You can prevent it by using the plugin version."

I have NOT said anywhere that I had trouble with CMYK with FF, and as I have said above, I have never used a CMYK image with FF until today, the real problem and trouble is that any Adobe RGB image is converted to sRGB without you knowing it, and is true that this can be prevented by using the plugin version IF YOU DO NOT SAVE it directly from the plugin and you only apply the filter to the image in the host software.

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Skybase Couldn't you least write the issue professionally?

OH YES! Absolutely true and I agree much with you here, I really should have done it much better, and from a professional way and not as I have done it here, sorry that I have it done this way, and will try to make it better for other things.

I want to thank you for all your writings and the way you think and do things, and that I agree with you most of the times, and I thank you for making me see the things in a different way, and how to do them right, and help better to others, and so making me a better person. Thanks for caring and the time you take to help me and others.

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Skybase SpaceRay, if you want people understanding you, just drop the sensationalism. It seems I'm almost always misunderstanding these kinds threads because you write in such a way that tends to throw me (and maybe others) off. It's the sensation part

OK, I agree and I think you are right, and I did not know it that I was doing it this way, but now that you say it, may be true. I have to say that I do not do it with that intention. My intention was to help others know and be aware that FF will convert any image you input into FF into a sRGB image with 72ppi (I agree that the 8 bit is wrong)

Even I had to search for it to know what is really Sensationalism From Wikipedia

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Skybase To me, I always ask the question, "Do you know what you're talking about?" People who stand up to warn others should particularly be knowledgable, experienced, and have some respect for the issue itself. So in this case I was wondering if you knew what you were talking about, and you frankly did... 50%

Yes, now that you have written all the above in all the thread, I can see the error and that I have done it again wrong, and is true that before writing I must know really about all the topic and technical implications of what I am telling and make it in a better and more professional way.

So before posting I will ask myself "I really now all involved about this topic and is sure what I am telling?" and will the reader understand it right and do not be confused?

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Skybase Mind you, I really care about this sort of thing. But technicality is extremely important here and you telling others like a tabloid magazine heading isn't helping anybody. Cool?

Yes, you are right, I think I have been contaminated by the way the magazines and newspapers tell the news and explain things, and this is not the right way, and will not help.

Thanks again.

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inujima I think FF should not be used to other images than sRGB image except special cases.

I agree with you, and is true that would be better to work only with sRGB when using FF, but the main problem is that there is no news and advice or warning anywhere in FF website telling you that is greatly recommended to use FF with sRGB images AND much more important is that if you load any non-sRGB image it WILL ALWAYS BE CONVERTED to sRGB

I would not say nothing if the FF team puts inside the website a note about this topic so anyone can know about this and then prepare their images according to this and then do not have the surprise that all the images have been converted to sRGB without any warning.

I thought I mentioned that FF standalone outputs were untagged (no embedded profile) earlier in this thread! This thread got long and that 1 mention got buried.

Inujima's statement clarifies everything here.

Seems like this thread and several other posts that appeared a week or so ago all hopped on a conclusion and just kept on driving with it. heh... just gotta be more careful with technical stuff.