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M
MC5E70
Participant
March 29, 2021
Answered

Color Depth Issue

  • March 29, 2021
  • 2 replies
  • 876 views

 

Hello,

I choose 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit as saving options but when I go to the saved file properties, it shows me that is is saved as 24-bit. I do not want sudden color transitions, I want smooth color transitions as I want to use the picture I am working on right now as my wallpaper. I will try to attach a sample picture below to help you understand the issue better.

 

As you can see below, purple to black color transition is sudden and not smooth, it looks smooth when I open it in PS, but when I save it, I screw it up, I hope you guys can help me save it smoother and much more correctly.

 

Thank You.

 

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer D Fosse

First of all, save your original as 16 bit PSD or TIFF. "24 bit" is just 8 bit expressed as 8+8+8+8 = 24. The fourth is the alpha channel.

 

What you're seeing is banding, and banding happens in 8 bit color depth because there are only 256 discrete steps from 0 to 255 per channel.

 

Your display pipeline is 8 bit regardless of the image itself. So you will always see 8 bit banding on screen. Always. The only way to avoid it is to buy a 10 bit-capable monitor/video card.

 

To hide it, introduce a tiny bit of noise in the image. Not much, just enough to break up the banding.

 

The jpeg file format specification only supports 8 bit. If you want to retain 16 bit depth you need to use TIFF or PNG.

2 replies

D Fosse
Community Expert
D FosseCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
March 29, 2021

First of all, save your original as 16 bit PSD or TIFF. "24 bit" is just 8 bit expressed as 8+8+8+8 = 24. The fourth is the alpha channel.

 

What you're seeing is banding, and banding happens in 8 bit color depth because there are only 256 discrete steps from 0 to 255 per channel.

 

Your display pipeline is 8 bit regardless of the image itself. So you will always see 8 bit banding on screen. Always. The only way to avoid it is to buy a 10 bit-capable monitor/video card.

 

To hide it, introduce a tiny bit of noise in the image. Not much, just enough to break up the banding.

 

The jpeg file format specification only supports 8 bit. If you want to retain 16 bit depth you need to use TIFF or PNG.

    M
    MC5E70Author
    Participant
    March 29, 2021

    Saving it as PNG fixed the problem, who would have thought?

    Thank you so much for the answer.

    Have a wonderful day.

      c.pfaffenbichler
      Community Expert
      c.pfaffenbichlerCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      March 29, 2021

      »I choose 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit as saving options«

      Whar do you mean? 

      What are the actual image’s Color Mode and bit depth (Image > Mode > …)?

      Could you please post screenshots with the pertinent Panels (Toolbar, Layers, Options Bar, …) visible? 

        M
        MC5E70Author
        Participant
        March 29, 2021

        Well, RGB and 16-bit options are ticked.

        c.pfaffenbichler
        Community Expert
        c.pfaffenbichlerCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        March 29, 2021

        I asked you about the saving process and for screenshots. 

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