Hello everybody

If I am post processing a JPEG(Fine) file from my Nikon D5100, does it matter whether it should be done in 8 bits or 16 bits? I am having Photoshop Elements 8 and it is 8 bits only. My RAW files are edited with Lightroom 3.6 and ultimately saved as a JPEG file.

I also use GIMP 2.6 which is also 8 bits. But GIMP 2.8 (the latest release) is 16 bits but is having lot of problems in 64 bit Windows 7. So I am forced to use GIMP 2.6 only.

Does it matter for a JPEG file whether it is edited in 8 or 16 bits?

Thanks in advance
PRSS

Actually, converting an 8-bit color image to 16-bit for image editing has some benefit. It doesn't give you more color depth since the source file is 8-bit but it gives you more latitude when editing since the whole issue of image degradation has to do with the truncation of numerical color values.

Are you sure Elements is 8-bit only? I was under the impression that some tools are available in 16-bit.

Anyway, here is a link to an excellent article on this subject by Bob Johnson:

http://www.earthboundlight.com/phototips/is-there-any-going-back-after-converting-to-8-bit.html

Ernesto Santos

esartprints.com Ernesto Santos Photography
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Thank you esantos. I shall go through the link. As fas as I know Photoshop Elements 8 is 8 bit while 9 and 10 are 16 bit.

With best regards
PRSS

> "As fas as I know Photoshop Elements 8 is 8 bit while 9 and 10 are 16 bit"

The raw engine (ACR) works with 16-bits, but in Elements proper only a very limited subset of features support 16-bit operation. Unless you start in ACR, you can call Elements an 8-bit program. And if you bring a photo to Elements via ACR, the 16-bit operations you can use are such that you could have done the same adjustments in ACR.

For all practical purposes, Elements is an 8-bit program. But with a carefully thought out workflow, this may not be a significant limitation. It is important that the major tonality or saturation adjustments are made in a 16-bit space to avoid banding or posterization. With the big adjustments done, fine-tuning can be done in 8-bit mode without incurring posterization.

Regards, Antero

Thank you Antero52

The info is very useful. I did not know that Elements 8 could do some 16 bit processing also. I shall research on it on my own and find out.

wuth best regards
PRSS