Which free software could acquire 48 bits color depth pictures from a scanner ?

Hi all,

I need to scan some old films using a 48 bits color depth (in order to keep
the quality after some graphical process).
My Canon CS5200F does it well but none of my graphical softwares can handle
48 bits picture.

The GIMP 2.6.2 translated my pictures from 48 to 24 bits.
IrfanView does the same as the GIMP (48 = 24).
I also tried XnView which is supposed to handle 48 bits pictures but when
the picture is transfered from the scanner, I get a black screen (I tried
in 24 bits and got the correct picture so this is really a color depth
problem).

I heard that the GIMP 2.6.2 was using a module called GECL which handles 48
bits pictures but I did not find any to configure/activate it : my pictures
are always handled as 24 bits picture.

I do not want to buy any graphical software because many free ones exist.

= Do you know any free software or plugin which could work with 48 bits
pictures acquired from a scanner ?

Thanks in advance for your help.

In article , Guilbert STABILO
wrote:

= Do you know any free software or plugin which could work with 48 bits
pictures acquired from a scanner ?

try the 30 day free trial of adobe photoshop cs4.

On 16 Nov 2008 17:11:01 GMT, Guilbert STABILO
wrote:

Hi all,

I need to scan some old films using a 48 bits color depth (in order to keep
the quality after some graphical process).
My Canon CS5200F does it well but none of my graphical softwares can handle
48 bits picture.

The GIMP 2.6.2 translated my pictures from 48 to 24 bits.
IrfanView does the same as the GIMP (48 = 24).
I also tried XnView which is supposed to handle 48 bits pictures but when
the picture is transfered from the scanner, I get a black screen (I tried
in 24 bits and got the correct picture so this is really a color depth
problem).

I heard that the GIMP 2.6.2 was using a module called GECL which handles 48
bits pictures but I did not find any to configure/activate it : my pictures
are always handled as 24 bits picture.

I do not want to buy any graphical software because many free ones exist.

= Do you know any free software or plugin which could work with 48 bits
pictures acquired from a scanner ?

Thanks in advance for your help.

While not free, it's relatively inexpensive. Photoline www.photoline.com From
what I recall the free demo doesn't really expire nor cripple itself, you just
get a longer nag screen after 30 days.

If you save your scans in CMYK format then it will even properly handle 64-bit
color-depths. It's the only software that I know of that can do this. PhotoShop
still only uses 16-bit math for most of its tools and functions. Wholly
incapable of retaining all that extra data during any processing of these larger
bit-depths. This has been a thorn in the side of the "pro" world for the last 2
decades of using PhotoShop, but they all seem to ignore it and live with it.
Only recently has Adobe started to add in some 32-bit math routines to only some
of their tools and features, but by no means do all PhotoShop tools and filters
use 32-bit math. They're still working on it. Photoline has been a fully 32-bit
math platform for the last 15 years.

In article , mark raif
wrote:

If you save your scans in CMYK format then it will even properly handle 64-bit
color-depths. It's the only software that I know of that can do this.
PhotoShop
still only uses 16-bit math for most of its tools and functions.

that's totally false.

Wholly
incapable of retaining all that extra data during any processing of these
larger
bit-depths. This has been a thorn in the side of the "pro" world for the last
2
decades of using PhotoShop, but they all seem to ignore it and live with it.
Only recently has Adobe started to add in some 32-bit math routines to only
some
of their tools and features, but by no means do all PhotoShop tools and
filters
use 32-bit math. They're still working on it. Photoline has been a fully 32-bit
math platform for the last 15 years.

not that i believe photoline existed 15 years ago, but photoshop has
been 32 bit since it's debut in 1990.

Sorry, wrong link.

Photoline is at www.pl32.net




On 16 Nov 2008 17:11:01 GMT, Guilbert STABILO
wrote:

Hi all,

I need to scan some old films using a 48 bits color depth (in order to keep
the quality after some graphical process).
My Canon CS5200F does it well but none of my graphical softwares can handle
48 bits picture.

The GIMP 2.6.2 translated my pictures from 48 to 24 bits.
IrfanView does the same as the GIMP (48 = 24).
I also tried XnView which is supposed to handle 48 bits pictures but when
the picture is transfered from the scanner, I get a black screen (I tried
in 24 bits and got the correct picture so this is really a color depth
problem).

I heard that the GIMP 2.6.2 was using a module called GECL which handles 48
bits pictures but I did not find any to configure/activate it : my pictures
are always handled as 24 bits picture.

I do not want to buy any graphical software because many free ones exist.

= Do you know any free software or plugin which could work with 48 bits
pictures acquired from a scanner ?

Thanks in advance for your help.

While not free, it's relatively inexpensive. Photoline www.photoline.com From
what I recall the free demo doesn't really expire nor cripple itself, you just
get a longer nag screen after 30 days.

If you save your scans in CMYK format then it will even properly handle 64-bit
color-depths. It's the only software that I know of that can do this. PhotoShop
still only uses 16-bit math for most of its tools and functions. Wholly
incapable of retaining all that extra data during any processing of these larger
bit-depths. This has been a thorn in the side of the "pro" world for the last 2
decades of using PhotoShop, but they all seem to ignore it and live with it.
Only recently has Adobe started to add in some 32-bit math routines to only some
of their tools and features, but by no means do all PhotoShop tools and filters
use 32-bit math. They're still working on it. Photoline has been a fully 32-bit
math platform for the last 15 years.

On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 12:53:17 -0500, nospam wrote:

In article , mark raif
wrote:

If you save your scans in CMYK format then it will even properly handle 64-bit
color-depths. It's the only software that I know of that can do this.
PhotoShop
still only uses 16-bit math for most of its tools and functions.

that's totally false.

I guess that's why everyone is raving about CS4 finally supporting some 32-bit
math in some of its functions.

Go back to kindergarten, would you?



Wholly
incapable of retaining all that extra data during any processing of these
larger
bit-depths. This has been a thorn in the side of the "pro" world for the last
2
decades of using PhotoShop, but they all seem to ignore it and live with it.
Only recently has Adobe started to add in some 32-bit math routines to only
some
of their tools and features, but by no means do all PhotoShop tools and
filters
use 32-bit math. They're still working on it. Photoline has been a fully 32-bit
math platform for the last 15 years.

not that i believe photoline existed 15 years ago, but photoshop has
been 32 bit since it's debut in 1990.

In article , NeilMolon
wrote:

I guess that's why everyone is raving about CS4 finally supporting some 32-bit
math in some of its functions.

actually they're raving about cs4 being *64 bit*.

Guilbert STABILO added these comments in the current discussion
du jour ...

Hi all,

I need to scan some old films using a 48 bits color depth (in
order to keep the quality after some graphical process).
My Canon CS5200F does it well but none of my graphical
softwares can handle 48 bits picture.

Just curious as to why you think you need it. I obviously have not
seen your negs but I'd be surprised if any "old films" have nearly
enough dynamic range to begin to exceed 16.7 million color
capability. Besides which, isn't 48 bit color - 16 bits/channel,
along the lines of 4 bits of noise, maybe more?

The GIMP 2.6.2 translated my pictures from 48 to 24 bits.
IrfanView does the same as the GIMP (48 = 24).
I also tried XnView which is supposed to handle 48 bits
pictures but when the picture is transfered from the scanner,
I get a black screen (I tried in 24 bits and got the correct
picture so this is really a color depth problem).

I heard that the GIMP 2.6.2 was using a module called GECL
which handles 48 bits pictures but I did not find any to
configure/activate it : my pictures are always handled as 24
bits picture.

I do not want to buy any graphical software because many free
ones exist.

= Do you know any free software or plugin which could work
with 48 bits pictures acquired from a scanner ?

Thanks in advance for your help.


--
HP, aka Jerry

"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained
by stupidity!" - Hanlon's Razor

mark raif added these comments in the current discussion du jour
....

[snip]
If you save your scans in CMYK format then it will even
properly handle 64-bit color-depths. It's the only software
that I know of that can do this. PhotoShop still only uses
16-bit math for most of its tools and functions. Wholly
incapable of retaining all that extra data during any
processing of these larger bit-depths. This has been a thorn
in the side of the "pro" world for the last 2 decades of using
PhotoShop, but they all seem to ignore it and live with it.
Only recently has Adobe started to add in some 32-bit math
routines to only some of their tools and features, but by no
means do all PhotoShop tools and filters use 32-bit math.
They're still working on it. Photoline has been a fully 32-bit
math platform for the last 15 years.

mark, my computer math is pretty rusty but what does 16 bit
floating point or whatever vs. 32 bit or even 64 bit have anything
at all to do with color depth? Or, am I misunderstanding you? Is
what you're really saying that PS will cut down the color depth
back to 24 bit, do the function, then step it back up to 48 which
is pointless?

This is the first I've ever heard of Photoline, but then I'm hardly
a pro. But, 15 years ago? What motherboard or CPU was even remotely
capable of floating point math at 32 bits/channel? Or, am I again
misunderstanding you?

--
HP, aka Jerry

"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained
by stupidity!" - Hanlon's Razor

nospam added these comments in the current discussion du jour
....

In article ,
NeilMolon wrote:

I guess that's why everyone is raving about CS4 finally
supporting some 32-bit math in some of its functions.

actually they're raving about cs4 being *64 bit*.

I'd believe that IF one has a 62 bit O/S


--
HP, aka Jerry

"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained
by stupidity!" - Hanlon's Razor