Embedded Profile Mismatch prompt appears inconsistently across team workstations

Symptom

When opening client-supplied images whose embedded ICC profiles differ from the configured working RGB space, some workstations display the Embedded Profile Mismatch dialog while others silently apply a color management policy without prompting. The inconsistency makes it difficult to enforce a predictable color-handling standard across the team.

Context

Photoshop's Color Settings dialog controls both the RGB working space (for example, sRGB IEC61966-2.1 or Adobe RGB (1998)) and the RGB color management policy (Convert to Working RGB, Preserve Embedded Profiles, or Off). The Ask When Opening: Profile Mismatches checkbox gates whether the per-document prompt appears. When prompting is disabled, Photoshop applies the selected policy automatically, which can change pixel values or assign a new profile without conversion depending on the policy choice.

Unresolved decision

The team needs a single, documented policy that balances three outcomes: converting remaps pixel values to preserve appearance in the working space; preserving the embedded profile keeps original numbers but may render inconsistently alongside other open documents; discarding assigns the working space without conversion, shifting appearance. The correct choice depends on whether the downstream pipeline targets web export, print handoff, or a mixed workflow.

Which RGB color management policy and Ask When Opening setting combination should be standardized so that every workstation behaves identically? How can the chosen policy be validated against a known color reference before deployment? Should the same policy extend to the Paste Profile Mismatch prompt for compositing operations?