A colour space frames the range of colours that an artist, designer or technician has available to work with.
A colour space may aim to restrict the number of colours or establish the widest possible gamut to work with.
A colour space is partly predetermined by factors such as the colour theory and the colour model underpinning a workflow.
Colour spaces are an important part of colour management and are particularly useful when working with a range of equipment across a digital environment.
Digital colour spaces are commonly used to select and work with a range of colours that can be displayed and output to digital screens and printers in a consistent or predictable way.
When a selected colour space is to be matched with a specific digital device such as a projector or printer, the type and model can be specified during the editing process.
When the future handling of an image is uncertain, colour profiles dedicated to sRGB or Adobe RGB can be added to a digital file to ensure accurate colour reproduction.
A colour profile is a program that allows a piece of equipment such as a digital printer to know how to handle and process the colour information it receives so that it produces the intended colour output.