Practical Workflow for Photography Color Space Conversion: Lightroom, Web Export, and Printing
Differentiate between the preview space and output profile in Lightroom Classic, and choose the conversion and soft-proofing workflow according to web or print targets; conclusions are limited to the referenced Adobe documents and do not provide general rendering intent recommendations.
First, distinguish between editing preview and export configuration
Color spaces and profiles determine how RGB values correspond to colors. The Develop module in Lightroom Classic displays previews in ProPhoto RGB by default; the Library, Map, Book, and Print modules use Adobe RGB. This difference describes the preview workflow in Lightroom Classic and does not imply that all software or cameras use the same working space. [G-PC-01]
Choose output space according to the target when exporting
When exporting in Lightroom Classic, you can select sRGB, HDR color space, Adobe RGB, ProPhoto RGB, or other profiles; the exported file will include the selected color profile. Confirm the delivery target and recipient requirements before choosing the output space, and do not mistake the editing preview space for the final file configuration. [G-PC-02]
Web delivery: convert to sRGB according to Adobe's recommendation
For documents only viewed on the web, Adobe recommends using sRGB. If a different RGB profile is currently embedded in the image, Adobe suggests converting the colors to sRGB before saving the web file. Uncalibrated monitors, browsers, and platforms may cause variations, so sRGB cannot guarantee completely consistent display on different devices. [G-PC-03]
Retain profile information
Embedding a color profile when saving a file helps other applications recognize the image colors; without an embedded profile, software may interpret the colors differently, causing color deviations. Photoshop offers an option to embed profiles in supported PSD, TIFF, JPEG, PDF, and PSB formats. Upload platforms may recompress or process images, so check the actual delivered file after export. [G-PC-04]
Printing: use paper profiles for soft proofing
When preparing output for specific paper, Lightroom Classic recommends using the printer ICC profile for that paper for soft proofing and selecting the same profile when printing. Soft proofing previews the range that the printing device can reproduce and allows for image adjustments; the final result is still influenced by the printer, paper, profile, and monitor conditions. [G-PC-05]
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