If you've ever exported an image and thought "the colors look off," you're not alone. The culprit is almost always a color profile mismatch.
Here's what actually matters:
sRGB is the lowest common denominator. Every screen supports it. Every browser defaults to it. If your image is going on the web, this is what you want. Period.
Adobe RGB has a 35% wider gamut — mainly in greens and cyans. It's useful for print workflows where your printer can reproduce those extra colors. But here's the trap: if you upload an Adobe RGB image to the web without converting, browsers clamp the gamut to sRGB and everything looks desaturated.
Display P3 is Apple's standard. iPhones shoot in P3. MacBooks display P3. It sits between sRGB and Adobe RGB in gamut size.Most social media platforms now handle P3 correctly, but random CMS systems? Hit or miss.
My rule of thumb after years of exporting:
- Print → Adobe RGB or CMYK, ask your printer.
- iOS photos to stay on Apple devices → P3 is fine.
- Client delivery → sRGB unless they specifically ask otherwise.
The simplest workflow: work in whatever space you want, but export a final sRGB copy for the web. Tools like U-Ultra/Unity let you convert color profiles and formats in one step without installing anything.
One more thing — check your Export As / Save for Web dialog. If "Embed Color Profile" is checked and the platform strips it,you're back to square one. Uncheck it and convert to sRGB explicitly.
What profile do you default to? Have you been burned by a mismatch before?
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