CRW to Exif-TIFF (8bit/ch) or TIFF (16bit/ch)?

[Aylwin]

I'm starting to shoot RAW pictures (always been happy enough with JPEG). When I use the included File Viewer Utility to convert CRW to TIFF I have 2 choices: Exif TIFF (8bit/ch) and TIFF (16bit/ch).

I figure the second choice is better (more bits/ch) but Photoshop Elements 2.0 doesn't support the format and down converts it (I guess) to 8bit/ch.

I tried on a friend's Photoshop and the format is supported but I can't create layers without first changing to 8bit/ch.

What's the difference between the 2 TIFF options? Is there any significant difference in quality? What's the point of 16bit/ch TIFF if you can't really "play" with the it?

[Roger_Cavanagh]

16-bit files contain more information than 8-bit ones, but, unfortunately, not all software supports 16-bit. Photoshop has many functions that will work on 16-bit images, though not layers. It is better, if you can, to make global changes to levels, curves and saturation in 16-bit as these edits will benefit from the extra data. Sometimes you can tell the difference, and sometimes you cannot.

One solution is to use the Capture One DSLR converter. It's much easier to make adjustment to exposure, levels, curves, gray balance and saturation during conversion. The need for these edits in post-processing is consequently reduced, so you can output 8-bit files that Elements will handle.

Regards,

[madhg]

Breezebrowser RAW conversion allows you to adjust levels and gamma individually for each image.

Or, Picture Window Pro (http://www.dl-c.com) is an alternative to Photoshop which handles 16-bit TIFF. It is aimed entirely at photographers (which PS isn't), has many good features and first-class support, and costs a fraction of the price of PS. The interface is rather different from PS, but now that I'm used to it I find it fast and good.

[rayw1]

I have just d/loaded Picture Window Pro demo, and it dosn't seem to support crw files ?? or am I missing something ?
Ray

[madhg]

rayw1 wrote:
I have just d/loaded Picture Window Pro demo, and it dosn't seem to support crw files

That's correct. It edits, and converts between TIFF, JPG and other standard file formats. But each brand of camera has its own RAW file format ("CRW" for Canon) and the camera comes with conversion software. There is also third-party conversion software.

I use Breezebrowser to convert RAW to TIFF and then edit the TIFF files with Picture Window Pro. Some graphics editors have plugins to do the RAW conversion. As far as I know PWP doesn't.

Hope this helps to clarify,
David

[rayw1]

Thanks David,
I am a new user of digital cameras, so I am still learning about all the different sofware etc. and have found it a little frustrating, having to use different programs to download, convert, edit , print and so on , so when I saw your post about Picture window, and that it was aimed entirely at photographers, I thought maybe it could do everything I want to do !! no such beast I guess ,
Ray.