![]() ![]() Should CMYK be 8-Bit, 16-Bit or 32-Bit Depth?. ![]() This was only corrected with Photoshop CC v14.1 or later. Also, 32-bit removes options for just about every filter, and adjustment layer. If you add a few adjustment layers, it can bring your computer to a severe slow down. However, it is this author’s professional opinion that 32-Bit Depth is overkill, and leave you with huge files with little benefit. Obviously, 32-Bit will hold many more colors. Which is better, 16-Bit or 32-Bit Depth?.With 65,536, banding has been eliminated as a possbile limitation in your images. Now, I am sure you can image that with only 256 shades of grey, you can see the banding (sometimes). It is the same as 8-Bit, except that you now have 65,536×65,536×65,536=281 Trillion Colors. If you can see them, it is refrerred to as banding. However, it is actually possible to see the 256 shades (steps). The math is 256x256x256=16.7 Million Colors possible. ![]() This means that Red has 256, Green has 256 and Blue has 256. There are 256 shades of grey between Absolute Black and Absolute White. Cameras that save in RAW format save that data with either 12-bit, or sometimes 14-bit.Įach Color of an image in RGB (Red, Green, Blue) is created from a gradient from black to white. ![]() The camera did a good job, the first time around. The issue comes in when we, the retouchers, start messing with things, and accidentally cause the banding. Don’t forget, we can only see a fraction of the 8-bit bit depth anyway. It does not need to (or can not) make the extra jump to 16-bit. If a camera takes a picture, and saves as a jpg, it is good with 8-bit. So then, why do cameras still work in 8-bit bit depth? This is because 8-bit bit depth is old school, and the only one supported by JPGs. It was only needed to avoid banding or other color corruption before the CMYK conversion. At this point, all the color changes are done, so no need to have all that extra data. When we want to send the file off to the prepress house, or magazine printer, simply go back to Image – Mode – 8-Bits/channel and save the flattened file for them. Once we have turned the 8-bit image into a 16-bit image, then we can make all of our Adjustment Layers and save our layered PSD or TIF file. I mean, if 16-bit is already trillions of colors, and can save the example in the video tutorial, isnt 32-bit just complete overkill? I sure think it is. But, wait, you ask… what about that part, just below, that says 32-Bits/channel? Why talk about 16-bit when we can clearly select 32-bit and bask in all its glory? Well, settle down there, sparky. Suddenly, you are whisked away to the wonders of color perfection. just go up to the pull down menu and select Image – Mode – 16-Bits/channel. Then what should you do to properly make an 8-bit to 16-bit conversion? Well, thats easy. Once you have watched the tutorial, I am sure you will be convinced. This very quick Digital Fundamentals tutorial is only a few minutes long, but guarantees you will never work in the 8-bit bit depth again! With two adjustments using the levels tool, you will see that using the 16-bit bit depth is the only way to go, if you want to achieve the best results possible. Since 8-bit already exceeds 16 million colors, why in the world do we need to work in a bit depth that moves us into trillions of colors? Visually, they both look the same, why use the higher resolution? This is because humans can only see less than 10 million colors. While it should be obvious that 16-bit color is twice as good as the 8-bit color, it just doesn’t seem that way to the naked eye. This Digital Fundamentals tutorial is on the difference between editing images in 8-bit color and 16-bit bit depth. This video is available with Free For All. What is the Difference of 8-Bit and 16-Bit Images – Bit Depth and Color Range ![]()
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