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MJCarnegie
8th of February 2004 (Sun), 10:32
Hey Gang,

Pardon my ignorance, but could someone please explain 16-bit vs. 8-bit capabilities as well as RGB vs. sRGB as it relates to imaging software and printing? I still have yet to decide on which software program to purchase (PSE 2.0, PSP, or PIXL 8.5), and I'm not even sure whether or not my current choices in software support those capabilities. How often are these features used, and when is one preferred over another? Thank you for your patience.

Mike
CyberDyneSystems
8th of February 2004 (Sun), 11:12
16Bit only matters if you are shooting in RAW format.

The color info from the camera in RAW is 12 bit... jpegs are are 8 bit,. so if you are shooting jpeg,. 15/16th of the color info is thrown out before you even see the image!!!!!!!!!! (you retain only 256 levels out of 4096)

By shooting RAW you can retain all 12 bits of color info by selecting a 16 bit image in the RAW conversion.
MJCarnegie
8th of February 2004 (Sun), 11:16
Thank you for the speedy reply. Yes, I have been shooting everything in RAW as that seems to be the preferred method from what I can gather.

Mike
CyberDyneSystems
8th of February 2004 (Sun), 11:23
For further info,. read this article,

http://www.rogercavanagh.com/helpinfo/35_rawor.htm

In fact,. read the whole web site! :)

Roger also goes into your color gamut question to some extent. (RGB Vs. Adobe RGB etc.)
john_houghton
8th of February 2004 (Sun), 11:32
Even when processing 8-bit images, it can be advantageous to temporarily convert to 16-bit while you make adjustments such as curves and levels. This will minimise banding effects, which can become visible in otherwise smooth areas like the sky. If you make such changes exclusively in 8-bit mode and then display the histogram of the image, you may well see a comb effect that is indicative of banding. Doing the same changes in 16-bit and then converting back to 8-bit will largely avoid this effect.

John
CyberDyneSystems
8th of February 2004 (Sun), 11:42
You know,. as I learn this stuff, I am able to go back to my RAW images and reconvert them using the new tricks... the finalized files just keep getting better and better! :)
ssim
8th of February 2004 (Sun), 18:52
You know,. as I learn this stuff, I am able to go back to my RAW images and reconvert them using the new tricks... the finalized files just keep getting better and better! :)

I have done this alot lately and you are right, it just amazing as to the improvements one can make after being at this for awhile.