Choosing an RGB Working Space
The first order of business is to pick that idealized version of RGB (known as your RGB working space) out of which we'll make our images. Picking a working space is just like picking which brand and type of film to use for a 35mm camera. If there was one best choice in that area, then that would be all that's available. A lot of people just grab Kodak 400-speed film, but there are legions of photographers who will happily debate the merits of each film type. It's the same with RGB working spaces. One might be better for your specific situation than another, but they will all work. Let's see what's available: To see your choices, choose Edit > Color Settings (Photoshop > Color Settings on Mac in CS) and click on the RGB pop-up menu (Figure 7.10). Here's my general take on this menu: With most of the choices, equal amounts of R, G, and B make gray. The main difference is in the range of colors that you can create (also known as gamut). Don't stress about it. It's just like film for a camera—they all take OK photos, but there might be one that's better for your specific needs. Here's how I think about each of the RGB Working Spaces you can choose from:
