Hollywood uses P3 for mastering because it’s the final output space of motion pictures delivered to digitally equipped movie theaters. P3 is based on the color gamut produced by the xenon bulb used in digital cinema projectors. But this P3 color gamut is less well known what is it and where did it come from? Wait…what is the P3 color gamut?Ī lot of people have heard of the sRGB color gamut that most computer displays and mobile device displays are based on, and many photographers and designers know that the Adobe RGB gamut covers a significantly larger range of colors. Update: My comments about the P3 color gamut in this article also apply to the 2016 MacBook Pro, which introduced the P3 gamut display to Apple laptops. While using a wide gamut monitor is generally a good thing, it can involve certain color challenges. But now the P3 display is built into all of the new 4K and 5K Retina iMacs, so Retina iMac buyers will now be working with a wide gamut display whether they know it or not.

I made that choice when I connected a wide gamut NEC PA272w to my Mac Pro. Up to this point it’s been a conscious choice to buy a wide gamut monitor. I had questions about the P3 color gamut of the new iMac, so I went over to my local Apple Store to check it out. The Late 2015 Retina iMac includes the first wide gamut display that Apple has made for a Mac, able to reproduce colors well outside the sRGB color gamut.

Late 2013 imac display