Does Photoshop support 14-bit images?

[Lee James]

I'm planning to buy a camera which shoots RAW photos in 14-bit, but Photoshop doesn't seem to have a 14-bit mode, only 8-bit and 16-bit?

Is Photoshop incompatible with the camera? Or is there a workaround?

I'd imagine that if you try to open a 14-bit photo in 16-bit mode, everything will look dark, since the photo's brightest white is only ¼ of the color space's brightest white.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

If it’s about RAW images then this is not about Photoshop but about Adobe Camera Raw.

See this list about which cameras are supported by which ACR version:

https://helpx.adobe.com/camera-raw/kb/camera-raw-plug-supported-cameras.html

[Derek Cross]

You can download the trial version to test.

[D Fosse]

14-bit is perfectly standard bit depth for raw files these days. You'll be fine, don't worry

Raw file bit depth and Photoshop document bit depth are two entirely different things.

[davescm]

Hi

When your 14 bit raw file is converted to a 16 bit RGB file you will not lose anything. Ensuring that you use the full range of levels available in the 16 bit file from the darkest to the lightest is something you do in the raw convertor (ACR/Lightroom or the camera manufacturers convertor).   Converting to an 8 bit output you would be throwing information away.

Dave

[Conrad_C · Accepted solution]

Suicide  wrote

I'd imagine that if you try to open a 14-bit photo in 16-bit mode, everything will look dark, since the photo's brightest white is only ¼ of the color space's brightest white.

That's not how it works, so the problem you describe won't happen. Bit depth doesn't describe a range, it describes how many steps you get within a range.

It's like having two thermometers that have a range of 1 degree to 100 degrees, but one thermometer is marked every 10 degrees and the other thermometer is marked every 5 degrees. Both can show you the complete range from 1-100 degrees, but the second one is more precise.

Opening a 14-bit raw image as a 16 bits per channel document doesn't lose any quality, because 16bpc has more "slots" to store the tones of the image, not less. It's like telling 14 people to board a 16-seat bus: Everyone gets a seat, nobody is left behind.

Also, only offering 8bpc or 16bpc is not a limitation of Photoshop, because it works the same way in other photo applications. 8bpc and 16bpc are standard bit depths for image files. 12 bits and 14 bits are used by cameras when storing raw data off of their 12- or 14-bit sensors (some high-end cameras can do 16 bits), but once you want to take that raw data and put it into a standard format, you will always end up in an 8bpc or 16bpc file in whatever photo application you choose.

[D Fosse]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Conrad+C  wrote

It's like telling 14 people to board a 16-seat bus: Everyone gets a seat, nobody is left behind.

I think that's the best explanation so far

[Derek Cross]

Conrad Chavez is legendary – let's sit at his feet.

https://www.conradchavez.com/

[Lee James]

Thanks to everyone for the answers, especially Conrad!

I think I get it now: Basically no one edits photos in 14-bit mode, you just open it in 16-bit and then you have an extra couple of bits to play with if you need them. This does make your Photoshop files bigger than they need to be (as 14-bit files would obviously be a little smaller). But I guess it's not that much bigger.

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Conrad+C   wrote

It's like telling 14 people to board a 16-seat bus: Everyone gets a seat, nobody is left behind.

Surely it's more like telling 14 people to board a 56-seat bus, since 16-bit has four times the number of colors.

But, continuing that analogy, you would simply have one person sitting every 4 seats along, with 3 empty seats between them. Those empty seats feel kind of wasted, but they're not hurting anyone, and may prove useful in some cases.