RAW file export as a 16 bit Adobe RGB 1998 color space file.

[Peter268545881jtp]

Is it possible to open a DNG RAW file and save the edited file as a 16 bit file with an Adobe RGB color profile using Elements 2022?

[MichelBParis]

Is it possible to open a DNG RAW file and save the edited file as a 16 bit file with an Adobe RGB color profile using Elements 2022?

By @Peter268545881jtp

There is a bug in recent PSE versions.

The normal behaviour with raw files (so: with DNG) is:

- to choose the bit depth with the bottom menu

- to choose your sRGB or aRGB color space from the editor, with the menu Edit > Color settings. Optimizing for print in the editor tells the ACR module to output an aRGB space, otherwise (for computer screens), it outputs an sRGB one.

Keep in mind that raw files don't have yet a color space defined.

The current behaviour is that the bit depth choice still works as expected, but the choice of space no longer works as before, you can't get anything but sRGB !!!

Of course, you can always convert from sRGB to aRGB later in the pixel editor, but you have lost all the colors outside the sRGB space.

So the answer to your question is that you can create a 16 bits aRGB file from a raw file, but only within the available colors of sRGB.

I have reported this bug several times in this forum, and never got any answer from Adobe.

[Peter268545881jtp]

Thank you very much for the prompt response. Your findings are exactly the
same as mine are with Elements 2022.
Do you know when Adobe last produced a version of Elements that didn't have
this problem?

Kind regards,
Peter

[MichelBParis]

Peter,

The latest version I still have on my computer before PSE2022 is PSE12 and it works as expected.

[Jeff Arola]

As far as i can tell, photoshop elements 2020 (pse ver 18) is the last version that allowed one to

choose your sRGB or aRGB color space from the editor, with the menu Edit > Color Settings.

[Peter268545881jtp]

Thanks Jeff,
I'm looking for a version that will import a file in RAW (or DNG) ProPhoto
16 bit and export a file in 16 bit mode with at least the aRGB color space
(preferably ProPhoto RGB) as well as handle a Canon Printing plug in
program and hopefully Elements 2020 might do the job if that is the case
but the Nikon or Sony RAW file editor version would be too old for their
latest camera model's RAW files.

[MichelBParis]

The normal PSE editor (all versions) can open and work with files in 16 bits with limitations:  no layers, missing support for some detail tools, but practically all 'global' adjustments and most filters.

Since raw files don't yet have any color space, the problem is in the conversion process when opening the edited raw file in the photoeditor. If you open a Prophoto or aRGB  file produced by another converter, the editor can open and edit in Prophoto if you want. The color space is automatically recognized and you can convert to aRGB or sRGB if you want.

So, the solution to avoid upgrading to the Photographer's plan (PS + LRC) would be to use an alternative raw converter, either the one supplied by your camera maker or an external one (there are free ones, but I have no experience with them).

[Peter268545881jtp]

Hi Michel,
I assume that you are referring to PS Elements version 12 when you make the
comment " ..... and you can convert to aRGB or sRGB if you want." because
later versions of Elements (ie. Elements 2022) may not give the aRGB
option and default to sRGB when the file is exported.
My primary reason for using PS Elements 2022 was that the latest version of
Elements that can function with the Canon plugin printing software for my
Printer called Print Studio Pro which has excellent intuitive features
including accurate soft proofing before printing etc. This plugin is
written for only Adobe editing software and with my printer it has not been
updated to work With Elements 2023.
I had been using Adobe CS5 to run this software but for some reason it
stopped working with the Canon plug software last year and all my efforts
to recover this compatibility have failed.
CS5 was outdated for opening my camera's NEF Raw files so I was also using
an external RAW file editor (PhotoNinja) for the last 6 years or so. I also
have a NEF (Nikon RAW) to DNG converter which can be useful for obvious
reasons.

[MichelBParis]

Hi Michel,I assume that you are referring to PS Elements version 12 when you make thecomment " ..... and you can convert to aRGB or sRGB if you want." becauselater versions of Elements (ie. Elements 2022) may not give the aRGBoption and default to sRGB when the file is exported.
By @Peter268545881jtp

Hi Peter,

No, I am referring to the Photoshop Elements normal editor, NOT its ACR plugin.

It always had the menu Image > convert color profile. which can only convert towards sRGB or aRGB color spaces.

Let us distinguish between the available color spaces available for Elements:

Look at the 'document profile' tag shown on the left of the image bottom line, for instance "52.02% | sRGB .....|  16bpc".

The color space and the bit depth can be checked easily. You'll notice that the editor does work internally with a number of spaces, including Prophoto, Mac color spaces etc. So Elements will use the color space embedded in the ICC color profile in priority. Lets say I set my Canon reflex to output aRGB jpegs, that will be kept and the choices in the menu Edit > color settings will be ignored. If I open a 16 bits tiff produced in Prophoto by PS, LR or other external editor, the profile will be kept all along. If your printing plugin can work with images in those color spaces, no problem.

Now, what are the limitation in Elements conversions between color spaces?

Why are only sRGB and aRGB given as the destination color spaces? Imagine Adobe adding Prophoto as an option. The present forum would be full of complaints from typical PSE users and just a very small part of advanced users using mainly printing would be happy. I am sure you understand why.

Another limitation which is not specific to Elements is that you can't convert to a wider color space and recover the 'out of gamut colors' of the original space. I suppose many PSE users would use the 'convert color profile' command to work around the bug we are fighting together. That may explain why that bug has not been noticed and reported widely before.

By the way, thanks for explaining your workflow in details!