Adobe Photoshop Elements 2024 Bug: Forces user to downgrade 16-bit photos to 8-bit so a few tools

[tu56368057]

I recently purchased the Adobe Photoshop Express (APE) 2024 version. I noticed that whenever I edited my photos using the APE 2024, the Auto Smart Fix tool under the Enhance Menu wasn’t working.  What this means is that it doesn’t do anything when you use this tool.  I also found out that when I tried to save the photo as a JPG file, you cannot choose the Preview option so you can see the resulting file size when you select any particular Picture Quality level. My only recourse is to choose a particular Picture Quality level and go to the particular directory to see what the resulting saved file size would be.  It would  be too cumbersome to do this because I am used to my Adobe Photoshop Elements 2020 version where it automatically shows what the resulting file size would be if you choose a particular Picture Quality level.

I reported this software bug on the APE 2024 version to the Adobe Technical Support.  I reported that the Auto Smart Fix tool wasn’t working and that the Preview option is not available when you use the Save As JPEG option.  The Preview option needs to be turned on so it can show the file size when you choose a particular Quality level. The Adobe Tech support person said that the Auto Smart Fix tool will only work if you convert the photo from a 16-bit color to an 8-bit color scheme.  Besides, the Save As Preview option will only work if you also convert the photo from a 16-bit color scheme to an 8-bit color scheme.   He added that Adobe Photoshop doesn’t support photos with 16-bit colors- it only supports 8-bit colors.  I said, What?   I can’t believe he said that because I have been using the APE 2020 version and it does support editing photos with a 16-bit color scheme and I know that the Smart Fix tool and the Preview works.  I know this for a fact because I’ve been using the Auto Smart Fix as part of my routine whenever I edit my photos 

I can’t believe that the 2024 APE version needs to  force the user to downgrade the photos to 8-bit so some of the APE 2024 tools like Auto Smart Fix and the Preview option can work.  This means that instead of progressing, the APE 2024 version is regressing or going backwards by doing that considering that other earlier APE versions fully support the 16-bit photos.  I believe that it would be foolish to downgrade the photo to 8-bit so some APE 2024 tools or features would work.  Downgrading the photo to 8-bit would degrade the color quality. Based on what I found from the Internet, “An 8-Bit image can display up to 16.7 million colors, while a 16-Bit image can display up to 281 trillion colors. 16-Bit images are more detailed and offer a wider range of colors.”  Thus, the 16-bit image is particularly important for Landscape, Macro, or Portrait photography.

I would like to appeal to the developers of the APE 2024 to fix the software so the 2024 version can continue to fully support the 16-bit photos so the tools and features that I mentioned earlier would work.  They used to work in earlier versions like the APE 2020.  Please fix this bug in APE 2024 so we can look forward to an update that would address this issue.

[Greg_S.]

As far as I know there have been no changes in the 16 bit editing capabilities of Elements 2024.  I have just attempted to edit a 16 bit image in Elements 2020 and neither the Auto Smart Fix (which is greyed out) or the Auto Tone (which throws up a message) worked on it without converting to 8 bit mode. 

The active menu items for a 16 bit image are identical in both Elements 2020 and 2024:

I seriously doubt whether the average Elements user would be concerned about editing in 16 bit if they are relying on Auto Smart Fix to edit their photos.  And while 16 bit images maybe have the capability of displaying  trillions of colors, most computer monitors do not.  Besides, the human eye can only distinguish about 10 million.   And without belaboring the point, jpeg images cannot exceed 8 bit.

So, please don't hold your breath waiting for the Elements developers to update Elements 2024 to enable full 16 bit editing.

[allan33074172gnaz]

Hiya,

as an amatuer photographer i can assure you that it is very annoying being forced from 16bit to 8bit. Eve3n a mobile phone now often takes images in 10 Bit so this oversight (maybe lazyness?) of Adobe is a malaise that should not be allowed to continue

[Greg_S.]

. . .  and Elements 2020 does exactly the same as 2024 when saving a 16 bit image as a jpeg.  There is no preview and no size displayed:

[Greg_S.]

Photoshop Elements is not designed for pixel peepers.  If you want professional-level photo editing tools, you need Photoshop CC or Lightroom which are only sold by subscription.  There is a relatively cheap plan for photographers (about $10 per month) which includes both programs.

[andréd41265973]

Hi Greg, I use a Stand alone version of Lightroom...and I paid for it, ...doesn't WORK ....

[Jeff Arola]

Same no preview for saving 16 Bits/Channel images in Photoshop.

[raymonds73447289]

I am not a pixel peeper. All I am trying to do is make panoramas and I can not use 16 bit files for panoramas and I can not find a way to batch process my files to degrade them to 8 bit.  Somebody please help.  Thank you.

The message in the screen shot is 

This action cannot be performed on a file with 16 bit color depth

[Jeff Arola]

raymonds73447289,

What Adobe application are you using?

Are the 16 bit files camera raw files?

[raymonds73447289]

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2024

I just now opened 18 ARW Sony Raw (camera about 10 years old), and then processed as multiple files to save as TIFF. Opened those TIFF files in Elements, Guided, Photomerge, and got this message

This action cannot be performed on a file with 16 bit color depth

Topaz and Luminar do not have that problem.

Why can’t Adobe Photoshop Elements handle it?

[Jeff Arola]

At the bottom of the Camera Raw dialog change the Depth to 8 Bits/Channel

[Jimbojenks]

• I have exactly the same issues. I upgraded to the 2024 edition even i bought a new z8 camera. I'm disappointed i can't use some features.   

[Wendy H1206]

Same here.....just updated to Elements 2024 upon the purchase of a Z8 and when using it for the first time last night quickly found that the Auto Smart Fix is greyed out, I have no idea what size my file will end up being based on "small, medium, large" options for saving, and the tools appear to smaller in size - an eyesight challenge for sure.  Adobe...please fix!  So far, I'm not seeing where this was an upgrade.  If I didn't need it to handle the RAW images from teh Z8 i'd go right back to my older version. 

[lutheraned1946]

I have the same problem. Except many of my tools won't work on version2024. I have tried to follow some of the posted fixes and nothing works. I will go back to using version 2023. 

[Greg_S.]

@andréd41265973, this is the Photoshop Elements Forum.  I suggest you post your problem in the Lightroom Classic or Lightroom Ecosystem (Cloud Based) Community Forums.  You should also give details of your problem.  Saying that a program doesn't work is almost meaningless.

[anthony_1429]

I totally agree, 16 bit should not have to be converted to 8 bit. Never had to do it before Until recently upgraded to 2024 version !