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JPEG workflow question

JPEG workflow question

2006-12-20 by Stephen Kobrin

Up to this point my inputs to B&W processing have been limited to
scanned film and raw files.  However, I have a new camera that does
not have a raw option.  Am I correct that the first steps in a JPEG
workflow should be to save the file as tiff and then change the mode
to 16 bit?

Steve

Re: [Digital BW] JPEG workflow question

2006-12-20 by Patrick Carr

Stephen Kobrin wrote:
> Up to this point my inputs to B&W processing have been limited to
> scanned film and raw files.  However, I have a new camera that does
> not have a raw option.  Am I correct that the first steps in a JPEG
> workflow should be to save the file as tiff and then change the mode
> to 16 bit?
> 
> Steve
> 

Yes, lacking a raw or .tif option you'll want to start with the highest 
quality jpeg, convert to 16-bit (if you plan on extensive editing, 
otherwise this move is of questionable value)and save as .psd file (if 
using Photoshop), or as a .tif.

Patrick Carr
-- 
Carr Imaging
patcarr@...

Re: [Digital BW] JPEG workflow question

2006-12-20 by Alan Kearney

Patrick is right, although a TIFF file will usually be quite a lot  
larger than a Photoshop native PSD file.

I wonder if upscaling from 8 bits to 16 bits will improve your images  
or not. Your asking PS to "make up" pixel data, I think??

Alan
Show quoted textHide quoted text
On Dec 20, 2006, at 7:09 AM, Stephen Kobrin wrote:

> Up to this point my inputs to B&W processing have been limited to
> scanned film and raw files. However, I have a new camera that does
> not have a raw option. Am I correct that the first steps in a JPEG
> workflow should be to save the file as tiff and then change the mode
> to 16 bit?
>
> Steve

Re: [Digital BW] JPEG workflow question

2006-12-20 by Patrick Carr

Alan Kearney wrote:
> Patrick is right, although a TIFF file will usually be quite a lot  
> larger than a Photoshop native PSD file.
> 
> I wonder if upscaling from 8 bits to 16 bits will improve your images  
> or not. Your asking PS to "make up" pixel data, I think??
> 
> Alan
> 

True and I wonder the same thing, however, there are those who claim a 
change to 16 bit is better than leaving at 8 bit for large image 
adjustments. I haven't done any A-B testing since I process at native 16 
bit but it's not going to hurt anything--except for doubling the size of 
the file and slowing everything down.

My intuition says it won't make a lot of difference, but my intuition is 
wrong all the time!

Patrick Carr

-- 
Carr Imaging
patcarr@...

Re: [Digital BW] JPEG workflow question

2006-12-20 by Stephen Kobrin

Thanks Guys,

Looks like converting to 16 bit won't hurt and may even help.  I have
the disk space.

Steve

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Patrick Carr
<patcarr@...> wrote:
>
> Alan Kearney wrote:
> > Patrick is right, although a TIFF file will usually be quite a lot  
> > larger than a Photoshop native PSD file.
> > 
> > I wonder if upscaling from 8 bits to 16 bits will improve your
images  
> > or not. Your asking PS to "make up" pixel data, I think??
> > 
> > Alan
> > 
> 
> True and I wonder the same thing, however, there are those who claim a 
> change to 16 bit is better than leaving at 8 bit for large image 
> adjustments. I haven't done any A-B testing since I process at
native 16 
> bit but it's not going to hurt anything--except for doubling the
size of 
> the file and slowing everything down.
> 
> My intuition says it won't make a lot of difference, but my
intuition is 
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> wrong all the time!
> 
> Patrick Carr
> 
> -- 
> Carr Imaging
> patcarr@...
>

RE: [Digital BW] JPEG workflow question

2006-12-20 by Eric Neilsen Photo

With the ability that Lightroom offers to develop images, I'd advise you to
take your JPEG into Lightroom and process it in there. After you make sure
the file is good, detail in highlights/shadows, I'd then export to PS or ?
during which time you can export as PSD, TIF, to the size that you want as
well as 16 or 8 bit. I recently received some rather poorly processed JPEGS
to make prints from and was able to recover the detail much easier in
Lightroom than a few hours of mucking around in PS would have brought me. We
all know that in camera JPEG compression can be a problem, so there is my 2
cents. 

 

Eric

 

Eric Neilsen Photography

4101 Commerce Street, Suite 9

Dallas, TX 75226

214-827-8301

http://ericneilsenphotography.com

 

Skype : ejprinter

  _____  
Show quoted textHide quoted text
From: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Patrick
Carr
Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 11:40 AM
To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Digital BW] JPEG workflow question

 

Alan Kearney wrote:
> Patrick is right, although a TIFF file will usually be quite a lot 
> larger than a Photoshop native PSD file.
> 
> I wonder if upscaling from 8 bits to 16 bits will improve your images 
> or not. Your asking PS to "make up" pixel data, I think??
> 
> Alan
> 

True and I wonder the same thing, however, there are those who claim a 
change to 16 bit is better than leaving at 8 bit for large image 
adjustments. I haven't done any A-B testing since I process at native 16 
bit but it's not going to hurt anything--except for doubling the size of 
the file and slowing everything down.

My intuition says it won't make a lot of difference, but my intuition is 
wrong all the time!

Patrick Carr

-- 
Carr Imaging
patcarr@swcp. <mailto:patcarr%40swcp.com> com

 



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

RE: [Digital BW] JPEG workflow question

2006-12-20 by Alan Kearney

I agree that working in 16 bit does less damage overall, you can see it in
the Histogram. And I guess with my workflow I'm up sampling anyway, my D2x
shoots in 12 bit and up samples to 16 in PS or other software.

 

Alan

 

  _____  
Show quoted textHide quoted text
From: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Patrick
Carr
Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 9:40 AM
To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Digital BW] JPEG workflow question

 

Alan Kearney wrote:
> Patrick is right, although a TIFF file will usually be quite a lot 
> larger than a Photoshop native PSD file.
> 
> I wonder if upscaling from 8 bits to 16 bits will improve your images 
> or not. Your asking PS to "make up" pixel data, I think??
> 
> Alan
> 

True and I wonder the same thing, however, there are those who claim a 
change to 16 bit is better than leaving at 8 bit for large image 
adjustments. I haven't done any A-B testing since I process at native 16 
bit but it's not going to hurt anything--except for doubling the size of 
the file and slowing everything down.

My intuition says it won't make a lot of difference, but my intuition is 
wrong all the time!

Patrick Carr

-- 
Carr Imaging
patcarr@swcp. <mailto:patcarr%40swcp.com> com

 



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re: [Digital BW] JPEG workflow question

2006-12-20 by Clayton Jones

>Looks like converting to 16 bit won't hurt and may even help.  

It definitely helps.  First thing I do to a jpeg is convert to 16 bit
and save as PSD (smaller than TIF).  Try making some adjustments to a
copy of a jpeg (levels, adj curve, etc).  Then make a 2nd 16 bit/psd
copy of the original jpeg and apply the same adjustments to it, and
then compare the two histograms.  You will be convinced.

Regards,
Clayton


Info on black and white digital printing at    
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm

Re: JPEG workflow question

2006-12-21 by Mike

I wonder if upscaling from 8 bits to 16 bits will improve your images 
or not. Your asking PS to "make up" pixel data, I think??
 Alan


In a class I took at santa fe I was told there was no point in going 
from 8 to 16 bit in Photoshop because the end result had no more pixel 
info than the original.  You simply double the same info and get a 
bigger file.  
Another option is CS3 with Bridge CS3, now available free as a Beta 
version for PS users who have CS2.  It lets you run a JPEG file through 
the RAW converter. Scot Kelby did a demo video and I think it's on this 
week's Photoshop TV.  I don't know how the end result will compare with 
the other suggestions with respect to "damage" to the file caused by 
large amounts of manipulation.  
Mike

RE: [Digital BW] Re: JPEG workflow question

2006-12-21 by Eric Neilsen Photo

Two things, That sounds just like what Lightroom allows you to do and it is
free in beta form to anyone, CS, CS2 or nothing. And two,  I'd say that
simply converting to 16 is not the question. It is what you do with the file
after you convert it. Simple tone corrections will not really benefit, but I
think you'll find that the more adjusting the file needs the better off you
are working in 16 bit. I believe that is also true with the finer you are
cutting and pasting but some of that is pixel size as much or more than
depth. 

 

Eric Neilsen Photography

4101 Commerce Street, Suite 9

Dallas, TX 75226

214-827-8301

http://ericneilsenphotography.com

 

Skype : ejprinter

  _____  
Show quoted textHide quoted text
From: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Mike
Sent: Thursday, December 21, 2006 11:18 AM
To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Digital BW] Re: JPEG workflow question

 

I wonder if upscaling from 8 bits to 16 bits will improve your images 
or not. Your asking PS to "make up" pixel data, I think??
Alan

In a class I took at santa fe I was told there was no point in going 
from 8 to 16 bit in Photoshop because the end result had no more pixel 
info than the original. You simply double the same info and get a 
bigger file. 
Another option is CS3 with Bridge CS3, now available free as a Beta 
version for PS users who have CS2. It lets you run a JPEG file through 
the RAW converter. Scot Kelby did a demo video and I think it's on this 
week's Photoshop TV. I don't know how the end result will compare with 
the other suggestions with respect to "damage" to the file caused by 
large amounts of manipulation. 
Mike 

 



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re: JPEG workflow question

2006-12-21 by Nick H. Nugent

Hello Steve,

The most important advantage to a RAW capture is you have the ability
"develop" the frame during editing and change things like ISO, white
balance, etc., within limits. Once you're happy with the file, you can
transfer it to Photoshop in 8-bit mode and edit without fear.

If you're going to print the image without any further editing, stay
in 8-bit. If you're going to use the edited file for further
manipulation in another edit, you can still edit in 8-bit, save a
flattened copy of it in 16-bit, or "apply image" it to the subsequent
16-bit edit session.

In other words, only use 16-bit edits when you absolutely have to.
Within the confine of an 8-bit layered PS file, Photoshop always use
highest precision math operations (unless their engineers perform some
funny data conversion to their programming buffers). It's when it
saves it to jpeg, tiff, or flattened PSD that it saves the final
computed value and you lose the 8 LSB (least significant bits) that
would otherwise still be there if you save in 16-bit. This precision
loss will also happen if the file is "copy merged" or "apply image" or
"duplicate flattened" to be used in another document.

So in your case,

1. edit in 8 bit and save as 8-bit layered PSD, or 16-bit flattened
PSD or TIFF for future edits.
2. edit in 8 bit and save as 8-bit as a final version for printing or
web slideshow, etc. (but keep the original jpeg around).

Even for folks that start out with RAW, edit in 8-bit any way, and
when problem is detected, convert to 16-bit then apply image from the
16-bit redevelopment from RAW (unless you have accidentally deleted
it). All adjustment layers still apply.

--nick

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Stephen Kobrin"
<kobrins@...> wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
>
> Up to this point my inputs to B&W processing have been limited to
> scanned film and raw files.  However, I have a new camera that does
> not have a raw option.  Am I correct that the first steps in a JPEG
> workflow should be to save the file as tiff and then change the mode
> to 16 bit?
> 
> Steve
>

RE: [Digital BW] JPEG workflow question

2006-12-26 by daniel@petraflux.com

I usually do extreme adjustments to my images, with multiple sets of masked
curve adjustment layers. 

Starting with an 8bit file and adding all the adjustment layers I've seen
very bad posterization. Converting the 8bit image to 16bit and adding the
same adjustments solved the posterization. Huge difference.

I reccommend doing all adjustments in layers. Then it's very easy to convert
without redoing the whole file.

--
Daniel Staver
http://daniel.staver.no

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