There are major advantages to converting 'raw' scanner or camera RGB images into an 'RGB working space' prior to retouching, but which RGB space should you use?
Learn here why a "wide-gamut" space is better for demanding users than a "small- gamut" space. Download our FREE wide-gamut RGB spaces and see for yourself.

Choosing a Photoshop Working RGB color space
A well-chosen Photoshop RGB working space should encompass the full gamut of BOTH the source device (e.g. a camera or scanner) AND the destination device (e.g. a press), otherwise some of the colors achievable on one or both devices may be clipped or distorted.
A common misconception is that converting a raw image from a wide-gamut scanner or digital camera profile into a small working space like sRGB or Adobe RGB will improve the final conversion into printer space. Sadly this is false, because unlike printer profiles, Photoshop-style 3x3 matrix RGB working spaces do not support gamut compression, hence conversion to a small-gamut RGB space can cause 'clipping' or other color errors (see example below).
If the raw image is instead converted into a wide color space, like DonRGB or BestRGB, its full color gamut will be preserved and saturated colors will have a better chance of accurate reproduction in the final output conversion, even after extreme editing such as the example below.

Example of color space clipping

This raw scan of a severely underexposed transparency was converted from scanner space into DonRGB (left) and Adobe RGB (right) prior to editing. Both versions were then lightened identically using Photoshop Levels and Curves. Note how the Adobe RGB version loses detail and plugs saturation in reds, oranges, magentas, cyans and blues, while the DonRGB version preserves all the subtle color detail in the original.

(Gamut clipping is determined when any RGB channel reaches 0 or 255.)

Both the above images were converted to sRGB for accurate web viewing. Click on either image to download the original. Open it in Photoshop and accept the embedded profile to see it in accurate color.

NOTE: The down-loaded images will NOT display correctly in your browser unless the browser is ICC-compatible and color management is enabled.

Free RGB color spaces

Serious imaging professionals should select a wide-gamut RGB working space in their Photoshop Color Settings, even if the final destination device has a relatively narrow gamut. Suitable spaces include DonRGB, BestRGB, or MaxRGB which you can download below. (You'll need Allume Systems' Expander™ utility to open these.)

DonRGB4 (4 K)
An excellent wide-gamut working space featuring industry-standard D-50 white point and 2.2 gamma. Captures the Ektachrome color gamut with virtually no clipping. Known as "DonRGB4" because I tested three slightly different coordinate sets before settling on this one. Used successfully for many years by a number of high-quality photographers and prepress houses, and now included with CREO (Leaf) digital camera software.

BestRGB (4 K)
 BestRGB is almost identical to DonRGB4 except for (a) a modified red coordinate which helps encompass the supersaturated reds and magentas in Fujichrome Velvia, and (b) a slight increase in green saturation. This is the best color space I can suggest if you want maximum gamut without exceeding the legal CIEYxy diagram.

MaxRGB (4 K)
If you can accept 'illegal' colors (outside the CIExyz limits) then try the outrageously saturated gamut of MaxRGB. Not that you gain anything useful, but at least you can say you have the biggest Photoshop-compatible tri-coordinate RGB working space on the planet!
Even so, plotting MaxRGB on the Yxy diagram (in CHROMiX ColorThink or RGB Coords) you can see why no tri-coordinate color space can contain the whole visible gamut without exceeding Photoshop's arbitrary requirements that (a) no x or y number may be negative, and (b) the sum of x and y for any point must not exceed 1.0.

MaRGBta (104 K)
Got the Red and Green Blues? Don't worry, relax! Give your spirits a lift by viewing this liquid color space in 3-D in CHROMiX ColorThink. (But don't try this one in Photoshop!)

Wirephoto Color Spaces (4 K)
When opening an RGB image from an unknown source, such as a digital camera, a Photo CD or the web, what source profile should you assign? Try one or more of these spaces until you find one that makes the picture look pleasing on the monitor, then use that as the source profile. They are equally suitable for use with digital camera files or any RGB image for which you don't have a true source profile.
These color spaces were originally developed for newspapers and magazines to simplify the reproduction of RGB wire-photos. All are based on typical phosphor coordinates and a white point of D-50.
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RGB color space profiles