sRGB, DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, explained
Colour-gamut figures only mean something once you know the colour space behind them. A plain guide to sRGB, DCI-P3, Adobe RGB and Rec. 2020, and which one your work uses.
When a display specification says "99% DCI-P3", it is describing how much of a particular range of colours, a colour space, the display can show. The percentage matters, but the name of the space matters more.
sRGB
The standard for the web, most software interfaces, and everyday photos shared online. It is the smallest of the common spaces. Nearly every modern display covers it.
DCI-P3
Defined for digital cinema projection and now the target for most HDR video, streaming and modern phone and laptop screens. It extends noticeably further than sRGB into saturated reds and greens. Nocturne 49 and Atelier 40 cover 99% of DCI-P3; Solitaire 27 covers 98%.
Adobe RGB
Designed for print. It extends further into greens and cyans that printing presses can reproduce. Photographers who print their work care about it. Nocturne 49 covers 99% of Adobe RGB.
Rec. 2020
A very wide space defined for future ultra-high-definition video. Few displays cover much of it today. It is mostly used as a container for HDR content mastered within P3.
Which do you need?
- Web, interface and social work: sRGB, which any good display covers.
- Video, film, HDR and modern digital work: DCI-P3. Choose a display that covers nearly all of it.
- Print photography: Adobe RGB matters alongside P3.
Coverage is not accuracy
Gamut tells you how wide a display's range of colours is, not how accurately it hits a given colour. For colour-critical work, use a hardware calibrator and colour-managed software with a profile for your display. A wide gamut gives calibration more room to work with.
Depth
Colour depth is separate from gamut. A 10-bit panel, like Nocturne 49 and Solitaire 27, addresses 1.07 billion colours, which keeps gradients such as skies and skin tones smooth across a wide gamut.
