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Posted on 03/04/24 2:32:29 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5301 Reply  |
8 bit or 16 bit Photoshop?
Traditionally I have always used Photoshop in 8 bit. Recently I have started trying 16 bit. Whilst in some areas under test conditions I can see improvements (decreased banding for example) for the most part I haven't found 16 bit to be evidently as superior as it's disciples and advocates sometimes claim. That being said, I don't do delicate and sensitive portraiture and retouching or fine finishing of commercial product or food photography. My main work is the creation of complex composites which is a quite different usage. However I am now starting to use 16 bit as a base standard as modern machines have the capacity to handle this. The exception being when I am working my extremely large images where I stick with 8 bit. So I am very curious what the other main users here, whose work I know well, think about this. Do you use 16 bit at all? Or only for quality driven particularly fine finishing? Or do you use it as a matter of course? _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 04/04/24 11:58:25 AM |
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Frank
Eager Beaver Posts: 1678 Reply  |
Re: 8 bit or 16 bit Photoshop?
I sometimes convert to 16 bit depending on my intentions. http://youtu.be/artV_y8A6pw |
Posted on 04/04/24 3:31:35 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5301 Reply |
Re: 8 bit or 16 bit Photoshop?
Thanks for the link Frank. It's very interesting. I had, in fact, seen it already. I watch Unmesh a lot. Not only is he very interesting and informative, but his accent and turn of phrase take me straight back to the wonderful times I had working in Bollywood! I have looked into this a bit more and viewed quite a few other videos on the subject by photographers since posting. My understanding (and this underlines what I have been told by the professional colourists I worked with when I was a DOP) in simple form is this:- The 256 gradations in an 8 bit image are already greater than the human eye is capable of discerning. So, perceptually, we cannot distinguish between an 8 bit image and a 16 bit image. The extra information is outside the range and capabilities of our vision. But when it comes to manipulating colours and densities within Photoshop itself the extra information in the 16 bits allows for much greater possibilities (particularly in extremes) without encountering problems and with greater subtlety. However once that 16 bit image is flattened it can be exported to 8 bit without perceptual loss. So (file size permitting) I am going to experiment with working in 16 bit and then creating a stamped "all visible" layer on top ( Cmd+Opt+Shift+E Mac. Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E PC. ) and using this for 8 bit export. Sounds good anyway!   _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 05/04/24 08:06:18 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6926 Reply  |
Re: 8 bit or 16 bit Photoshop?
I use 8 bit when importing images, as the extra colour information gives much better editing capability when using Camera Raw. But I convert to 8 bit for montage work, as it's much faster and some filters don't work in 16 bit. |