16bit vs 8 bit for prints

On Thu, 16 Feb 2006 20:51:34 GMT, Paul Furman
wrote:


OK I did a test:
http://www.edgehill.net/1/?SC=go.php&DIR=Misc/photography/gamut-bits
-big difference!

This proves you can take a crap 16 bit image file and with hard work
and perseverance turn it into an even worse 8 bit web image. What has
it got to do with comparing 16 and 8 bit files printed on a 8 bit
printer?

On Thu, 16 Feb 2006 17:49:10 -0800, Bill Lloyd
wrote:


The only difference I see is that the sRGB 8-bit one is rendered with
brighter tones, and is clipped more. They are almost identical,
otherwise.

There's a lot more detail in the grey "thing" behind the lady's head in
the ProPhoto image.

That said, converting to 8-bit at the START of the workflow is going to
induce posterization.

Yes it can... but only by working at it. If an image requires enough
levels/curves/saturation correction to cause posterization you should
not be wasting time on it


...................................For printing purposes, it shouldn't
make a difference in what you can actually see.

Precisely!

Just Plain Bill wrote:

On Thu, 16 Feb 2006 20:51:34 GMT, Paul Furman
wrote:

OK I did a test:
http://www.edgehill.net/1/?SC=go.php&DIR=Misc/photography/gamut-bits
-big difference!

This proves you can take a crap 16 bit image file and with hard work
and perseverance turn it into an even worse 8 bit web image. What has
it got to do with comparing 16 and 8 bit files printed on a 8 bit
printer?

That's a tiny crop heavily stretched for which I had reason to stretch
heavily (although not that far). It was not offered as art or technical
perfection.

As it turns out, it was a useless test also because of the gamut gammas.
I tried setting something up where I could see the difference between 8
& 16 bit & I was unable to see anything.