Years ago, I founded a photo group through a local art center. At one of the meetings, I challenged the group to do true black and white, as close as possible. I heard a lot of groans. So, I offered a 16x20 gallery wrap print paid from my own wallet to the winner as judged by me. When I reviewed all of the entrances, one really stunned me. The submission was done by an inexperienced lady who was just learning photography. When I brought the print to present the winner… a collective gasp followed by silence and then standing applause. The moral of this story is to go beyond what you think you can do and stretch your imagination. And that’s how I view your work and your commitment to DO and stretch your abilities.
I have been following you for 16 years+ and have a lot of respect for your photography skills, your processing skills are superb thx for sharing your knowledge it has helped make me a better photographer.
joel, good stuff, i have shot hdr for more than ten years and like you nearly all that i do is hdr or suedo hdr. yes, hdr has been given a bad wrap until the viewer sees the light, and the light is the bit depth, and the detail in the shadows. great topic, StevePower
Thanks for the presentation Joel! Important information for maximizing the technical quality of digital capture. The sRGB colour space has a "reduced colour gamut" compared to Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB, as you mention. Important for all to know: colour information is compressed and lost or thrown away, not only by the bit depth option but also by the colour space selection when generating an image from a Camera RAW file (14bit or true 16bit MF capture ). sRGB is best for digital presentation; monitors, the web etc. Adobe or ProPhoto RGB is best for print purposes. With my 25+ years of pre-press and imaging experience, I've learned a couple things about maximizing images and processing and was fortunate enough to study under Dan Margulis, the ultimate master of colour and imaging quality who I'm sure you're familiar with :)
Thanks for your video first time at your channel. You mentioned you have video how to process 32 bit from how to take 32 bit photos. would you please share that video \ I don't see where do you have that video.
I watched this video to the end and checked my Ps and LrC settings. Sure enough, they had defaulted to 8 bit just like Joel said they would. Thanks Joel! You saved me a world of headaches.
Honestly, the best lesson I've learned in the last 10 years. I shoot editorial entertainment, celebs. But, I've had to diversify as competition gets more fierce with less going on due to covid. This lesson is just one more tool to rise above the rest and get amazing results. Thanks so much for this.
Thats the same thing I've though. Nice but I've watched 23min and still don't know how to do it lol -_- A link to that other video would be appreciated.
Thanks for the informative video! Part of this process is to have a computer and monitor that supports 10 bit per channel colour output, and wide colour gamet. Not all monitors are created equal. You need a graphics card that supports 10 bit output over display port. And a monitor that can output nearly 100% or at least 97% Adobe RGB - Eizo, Dell, NEC and Ben Q all have options. No monitor, from the last time I researched can output ProPhoto RGB colour space. A classic example of this as you said is “ pushing” greys or skies too much and producing banding (loosing file information). This can be clearly seen on this type of system. I too agree, forgetting to reset Photoshop working colour space after an update has caught me a few times also.
@John Waine hi friends, I found this video and it's show how to do what Joel explain. I tried with Joel's RAW files and did work! ua-cam.com/video/YC1nHjWtMZg/v-deo.html
Started with PS5 a long time ago. Back then I was doing "composite" images layering bracketed exposures and revealing highlight and shadow details with the tablet. I have one of those here somewhere...
Ah sorry Joel. What I actually meant to ask was which metering mode do you use in your Canon: evaluative, partial, or do you spot meter with a handheld? I'd also be interested to know how you sharpen.
The colours are grey level number to the power 3. For example, 256 grey levels to the power 3 which is 256x256x256. A big number! (not 256 x3). Hope that helps....nice 'proof in the pudding' pictures. Excellent examples
Thank you for your informative videos Joel. Your techniques have got me excited again as I was looking for something new to try, and you did just that. Been a photographer for 60 years now so this is great knowledge you are sharing. Subscribed and looking forward to viewing your collection of videos. Cheers from Australia.
Joel, excellent tutorial. I have one question for you. In working /adjusting in the 32 bit environment within LR, Is the final saved image as 16 bit or 32 bit ? My reason for asking is this, I make large prints on an Epson SC P-8000 44" printer, similar to your own Canon ipf4000. These printers can work with 16 bit files but not 32 bit. As such I believe once you send a file to the printer the very best output you ll get is 16 bit. Are you then diminishing any of the 32 bit quality you worked in on the software? I was hoping you might explain this out for me. Thanks! -Paul.
Joel - Awesome video! I can honestly say that I learned something new about HDR. So question for you - to acheive the same effect as taking 3 pictures with different exposures - could I go back to an old photo and create virtual copies in Lightroom, assign different exposure to those copies, and then process in Photoshop like you describe?
I've not thought about this, I don't know if you can get that extra dynamic range without it being captured in the first place. I'll have to give it a try
Thank you for the information Joel. I have the same question as some of the other folks here - I do not see the video you mention about processing 32 bit. Would love to see what that workflow looks like and at what point you convert the file for printing (if one doesn't own a printer as you do). Thank you sir!
Great video. One question. There are two options in 16 bit when you import the pictures in camera raw - sRGB 16bit and Adobe RGB 1998 16 bit. I have been using sRGB 16 bit. Do I lose out on these shades of grey if I don't use Adobe RGB?
🤩 Awesome work of yours. The info at 8:00 depends on brand: Nikon + Fuji GFX have massively more information in shadows as in highlights, Sony & Olympus the opposite (a1 not tested yet). Pls take it as a nerd’s comment only. 😄
@@JeraldMYates You're welcome. Depending on what I do, I shoot Nikon (normally) and Olympus (when weight, macro capabilities, flexibility is key). I also had the chance to test the GFX models of Fuji. The GFX has 16 bit RAF raw files (Bayer layer) and is awesome in keeping details in the shadows. Nikon next best. My OM-D EM1 Mk III is the opposite, I can easily overexpose by 1 to 1.7 stops and the detail recovery pushing the highlight slider to the left side is awesome, but I get noisy results trying to recover more than 1.3..1.7 stops underexposed. My Nikons I shoot generally -0.3 to -0.7 at least.
I turned off compressed RAW on my Sony A7r4 because with compression on it only gives you 12bit instead of 14bit. There goes my file space 😂 I didn’t factor that in when buying a 61 megapixel camera, I thought I would just used compressed RAW. I wanted to see how you explains this, you did a good job 👍
Where was your vid that showed how you used a grey backdrop with blend modes to change background. I mean I already know a little about using overlay with grey, but I think you can even use blend ifs to refine. I just wanted to rewatch that segment of yours to refresh memory on your method.
Excellent video and beautifully images. The way I see it is that the key is exposure. Each time you overexpose each time you make low values come out of the noise. Each time you under expose each time you allow high values to come under saturation. Though having 18 or more stops-dynamic range and compressing it in 8 bits is a pity given our monitors and prints outputs 😕
Very informative video. I like to think about bit depth in terms of sculpting a statue out of marble...or even carving a figure out of a piece of wood. You need a very large chunk of marble (32 bit depth) in order to be able to chip away (process) at it until you are left with your desired final product. If the starting piece (capture file) is too small (8 bit) then after chipping away at it you might end up with a statue that doesn't have a nose.....clipped in a way.
To sum it up. What he is saying is when you use a higher bit depth, you are working and displaying more Shades, colors, tones. So when you see a color chart showing Red to orange, there is now millions of tones of red to orange instead of just dozens or hundreds like you would see at your local paint shop. It is the same with the Black to white. Millions of shades of gray in between instead of hundreds.
There are so many comments here that I did not check whether somebody already pointed this out: with 32 bit you get 4 294 967 295 color values per channel! 16.7 million values/channel is with 24 bit processing. Furthermore I don't remember if you mentioned that posting anything on social media or on the web in general it is usually converted to an 8bit jpg. Still when processed from 16 (14) bit bracketed raw files in Lightroom the final image will look better. Apart from these minor deficiencies I loved your presentation. And your photos are fantastic.
I think I'd locally adjust the exposure on those trees and sky in the right top corner of the Tahoe pic. The shadow lift you did is a bit apparent. Though no one but photographers would notice.
Even with smartphone do not to shoot 8-bit .jpg only the 16-24 bit formats raw or png. I shoot in raw and save edits in 8-bit PNG because social media apps and sites are butchering image quality. Also can't handle 16-bit color data correctly.
I’m very interested in getting the highest quality possible. I am no professional but I enjoy my photography. Thanks for the advice here, I was aware of 32bit depth but now I will use it more.
Great video, great examples and advice for photographers that are going to print. I do think that the numbers are off though. An 8 bit file has 256 possible values per pixel, per channel. Not 4 values. That would be 2 Bit. If it had 4 values it would look something like an original gameboy, black, white and 2 shades of grey. An 8 bit file has 16,777,216 colours to choose from.
Really, really, really well explained. You are an excellent teacher and clearly possess the empathy required to help students understand complex information. As an educator myself, and I don't wish to be patronising, this is so impressive!
G'day Joel. I know I'm late to this party but would like to ask a question. In a typical landscape photograph, do you meter with the camera, and if so, what metering mode do you use? Thanks mate.
Hola Joel. Es Impresionante que después de tanto tiempo como fotógrafo por mera casualidad, encontré tu video y ha sido de las mejores informaciones que he encontrado y muy reveladora. Muchas gracias por compartir tan excelente información y tan útil.
Thank you for the well-explained information. Question about bit-depth and dynamic range. I have an older Leica monochrom with a bit-depth of 14 but the dynamic range is only 8.5. So if I bracket 3 exposures +/- 2 and combine them in Photoshop with 14/16 bit will I have more information than say a newer M246 with its 12-bit?
It depends on the size of the print. a jpeg is fine for something small but the bigger prints would need tiffs of PSBs. testing or chatting with the lab is 100% recommended
Thank you. I'm not sure quite how to do this practically, but I'll have a go as the results are worth putting the effort in. Thanks again Joel. Much appreciated as always.
Hi Joel ! Love the info about the bit depth. I have a question though, at the end you recommend to check if PS is correctly set as 16 bit after updated, also, to choose Adobe RGB or profoto RGB instead of srgb color profile, but what if the monitor I use it isn’t suitable for 100% Adobe or profoto RGB ? should I still select those ?
Thanks Wesley, Keep in mind, it's not some much the viewing experience that we are effecting, but the ability to increase our detail in the highlights and Shadows. Also, the more bit depth you have the more you can dramatically manipulate the image in Bridge, Lightroom or Photoshop especially in Black and White.
Hi Joel. My first visit to your channel, what a great find! While I do know the math of bit depth and have worked with HDR as the situation warrants, I had not considered the benefits of shooting bracketed photos to increase overall editable data depth. Very valuable ip, thank you for sharing. Like and a sub for you today.
This is very good? As you explain the bit depth on this video I have been thinking on some of the prints I made and I only have two of them of a cityscape and they where printed after I requested to use my TIFF files at 16bit and not a JPG. Each time I look at the Tiff file prints I notice a richness in colors and a clear definition on the lines of buildings and smoothness of sky and, light and shadows. Definitely your last comment about printing it at a higher bits. I see the difference and it is also noticeable when I look at a Tiff file on the screen vs a JPG file. Very good information and definitely important to pay close attention to these. Thank you.
I've done HDRs on landscapes or still life... What I don't understand is how you do make multiple exposures for an HDR on a portrait like the Harley dude... Do you tell him to stay absolutely still? how do you achieve 32 bits when your subject is animate.
I bracket with my ISO. To do that, I use the CamRanger, a device that connects to my camera. It fires the flash and camera fast enough to capture most subjects. Yes, they have to stay fairly still. I photographed around 100 Harley Davidson rider portraits and only one had some issues, which i fixed in Photoshop. This system works for me.
@@crosscolin No, it’s just that it’s more important for me to get the work out then to aim for perfection! I used to obsess about everything and realized you’re not getting much done.
I noticed there is a shiny quality to the edges or surface transitions in the 32 bit images. I am trying to understand where that effect comes from when you use this technique. It almost feels it’s over the surface gradients.
My biggest gripe in Lightroom was that zooming to 100 percent to compare sharpness between photos was slow. And switching back and forth meant the files reloading. Now that I've changed to 16 bit... it's faster?? Is that possible?? If so, great, fantastic tip that everyone should know.
well spotted. And as you have 3 channels it is not times 3 as stated it is to the power of 3. With 32bit in 3 channels it therefore leads to incredible 4.722.366.482.869.645.213.696 colour values or 4,72e21 possible colours in total.
Great video, I only use Capture One Pro for all my editing, not even Photoshop, so I will have to try and figure out how this bit information fits in there.
I know my old Pentax 645D MF 14 bit falls apart editing in anything less than uncompressed raw with software set at 16 bit depth. Detail is stunning if edited in that format. Weirdly my Fuji X-T2 8 bit jpeg files can take a hammering in editing without too much apparent degradation as long as I save as TIFF in the first edit. Maybe Fuji's magic recipe's at work.
Jpg format is an amazing invention, but you really don't have any true detail in the shadows. Do at test with an 8, 14 and 32 bit file, and you will become a believer.
My expertise is audio and it's the same thing, compressed audio can sound fine, but if you EQ or process that too much, you'll unmask problems. I like to think of it as "baked". Once you got an MP3 or JPG, it's "cooked" so it's just too late to change the ingredients.
This is the most nerdy video I have ever seen. Not one person will ever see the differences. I watched every single minute and loved it (-:(-; (im a nerd as well)
The difference is easy to see, but difficult to articulate. These subtleties are the reason his artwork hangs on the walls they do, while mine just hangs on my mom's facebook page.
Thanks for this video. Very educational and practical. I just did my first B&W HDR and I’m really happy with the dynamic range but especially with the smooth gradation of greys in the sky.
I use film 35mm in my investigative work because the original negatives or photo's cannot be manipulated. I would like a newer camera with sharper contrast and be able to add a telescopic lense to pull up sharp clear images at a range of under 40,000 ft. What do you recommend?
Years ago, I founded a photo group through a local art center. At one of the meetings, I challenged the group to do true black and white, as close as possible. I heard a lot of groans. So, I offered a 16x20 gallery wrap print paid from my own wallet to the winner as judged by me. When I reviewed all of the entrances, one really stunned me. The submission was done by an inexperienced lady who was just learning photography. When I brought the print to present the winner… a collective gasp followed by silence and then standing applause. The moral of this story is to go beyond what you think you can do and stretch your imagination. And that’s how I view your work and your commitment to DO and stretch your abilities.
I have been following you for 16 years+ and have a lot of respect for your photography skills, your processing skills are superb thx for sharing your knowledge it has helped make me a better photographer.
@S Tra Haha that's side splitting stuff. and a very predictable answer well done.
You're welcome! Thanks for watching
I just discovered the most amazing, underrated channel on UA-cam!!!
This man here has been the greatest influence on my art and workflow. I owe so much to him.
Even more amazing is that he is color blind.
Same herre!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching
joel, good stuff, i have shot hdr for more than ten years and like you nearly all that i do is hdr or suedo hdr. yes, hdr has been given a bad wrap until the viewer sees the light, and the light is the bit depth, and the detail in the shadows. great topic, StevePower
I "knew" about bit depth and dynamic range.. but your examples showing with and without high bit depth... THAT was an eye opener to me!! thank you!!
Thanks for the presentation Joel! Important information for maximizing the technical quality of digital capture.
The sRGB colour space has a "reduced colour gamut" compared to Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB, as you mention. Important for all to know: colour information is compressed and lost or thrown away, not only by the bit depth option but also by the colour space selection when generating an image from a Camera RAW file (14bit or true 16bit MF capture ). sRGB is best for digital presentation; monitors, the web etc. Adobe or ProPhoto RGB is best for print purposes. With my 25+ years of pre-press and imaging experience, I've learned a couple things about maximizing images and processing and was fortunate enough to study under Dan Margulis, the ultimate master of colour and imaging quality who I'm sure you're familiar with :)
tks to explanation shared! I had thinking about if sRGB or Adobe RGB is the best colour space to use when I was watching another tutorial about it.
Thanks for your video first time at your channel. You mentioned you have video how to process 32 bit from how to take 32 bit photos. would you please share that video \ I don't see where do you have that video.
At 76 I am learning digital photography and discovered bit depth today.
Many thanks for your video and for your ten steps e-book!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching
I watched this video to the end and checked my Ps and LrC settings. Sure enough, they had defaulted to 8 bit just like Joel said they would. Thanks Joel! You saved me a world of headaches.
you are so welcome Jeff!
Honestly, the best lesson I've learned in the last 10 years. I shoot editorial entertainment, celebs. But, I've had to diversify as competition gets more fierce with less going on due to covid. This lesson is just one more tool to rise above the rest and get amazing results. Thanks so much for this.
Thanks so much for that, glad to be helpful!
This unlocked something in my brain for me. Thanks Joel! Another master to watch and learn from
Awesome, thank you!
Helpful. But I don't see the video he mentions showing how he edits in 32bit.
Try watching any of Joel's video "Start To Finish". You will see how he converts the captures to 32bit file.
@@BrunoKongawoin055 - Hi Bruno - can you post a link to a specific video?
Thats the same thing I've though. Nice but I've watched 23min and still don't know how to do it lol -_- A link to that other video would be appreciated.
Fantastic, and very important video. Thanks Joel!
Thanks for the informative video! Part of this process is to have a computer and monitor that supports 10 bit per channel colour output, and wide colour gamet. Not all monitors are created equal. You need a graphics card that supports 10 bit output over display port. And a monitor that can output nearly 100% or at least 97% Adobe RGB - Eizo, Dell, NEC and Ben Q all have options. No monitor, from the last time I researched can output ProPhoto RGB colour space. A classic example of this as you said is “ pushing” greys or skies too much and producing banding (loosing file information). This can be clearly seen on this type of system. I too agree, forgetting to reset Photoshop working colour space after an update has caught me a few times also.
Bit depth is the number of samples that represent the tone and/or colour stored in any pixel!
I searched your videos for the full details on processing photos in photoshop but could not find anything. Have any links for us please?
Same here!
@John Waine hi friends, I found this video and it's show how to do what Joel explain. I tried with Joel's RAW files and did work! ua-cam.com/video/YC1nHjWtMZg/v-deo.html
I had to chuckle at your 5th wheel analogy. I lived in a 5th wheel for a year and a half and now a motorhome. More power is never a bad thing!!
Started with PS5 a long time ago. Back then I was doing "composite" images layering bracketed exposures and revealing highlight and shadow details with the tablet. I have one of those here somewhere...
Ah sorry Joel. What I actually meant to ask was which metering mode do you use in your Canon: evaluative, partial, or do you spot meter with a handheld? I'd also be interested to know how you sharpen.
Many thanks, for this! What a difference, the higher/highest bit depth makes!
The colours are grey level number to the power 3. For example, 256 grey levels to the power 3 which is 256x256x256. A big number! (not 256 x3). Hope that helps....nice 'proof in the pudding' pictures. Excellent examples
Thanks Joel, being an old editorial news photographer and after 30 years shooting jpegs now I finally get it. Well done!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching
First to your channel. Thank you so much for the bit depth information.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you, I am excited to try this with my many raw files that I shot in my 5Div HDR will be even better than before. Subscribed
Joel, Maybe I missed it but I cannot find you video on processing 32 bit images. Can you post a link? Great video.
Same here. Would love to see it!
I been trying to explain this to folks forever. Thank you for making a video! So fatigued by junk megapixel marketing these days.
Glad it was helpful!
Where is video mentioned at 20:00? I can't find it :-(
I'm wondering if any of this is practical if we don't have the big expensive printer?
To make a long story short, Vital, vital, vital !
You are my man. Thankyou for this, Joel !
🤯👍
You're welcome! Thanks for watching
Thank you for your informative videos Joel. Your techniques have got me excited again as I was looking for something new to try, and you did just that. Been a photographer for 60 years now so this is great knowledge you are sharing. Subscribed and looking forward to viewing your collection of videos. Cheers from Australia.
Thanks Barry!
Gorgeous photographs! Plus great tips - thanks a lot JG! Roger
Thanks Roger. Very much appreciated
HiJoel, Where can I find your HDR 32 bit process video?
Where can I get one of those captain von Trapp jackets?
Joel, excellent tutorial. I have one question for you. In working /adjusting in the 32 bit environment within LR, Is the final saved image as 16 bit or 32 bit ? My reason for asking is this, I make large prints on an Epson SC P-8000 44" printer, similar to your own Canon ipf4000. These printers can work with 16 bit files but not 32 bit. As such I believe once you send a file to the printer the very best output you ll get is 16 bit. Are you then diminishing any of the 32 bit quality you worked in on the software? I was hoping you might explain this out for me. Thanks! -Paul.
Amazing information. Thank you for sharing the bit depth concept. Cheers !! 😊
You're very welcome!
Joel - Awesome video! I can honestly say that I learned something new about HDR. So question for you - to acheive the same effect as taking 3 pictures with different exposures - could I go back to an old photo and create virtual copies in Lightroom, assign different exposure to those copies, and then process in Photoshop like you describe?
I've not thought about this, I don't know if you can get that extra dynamic range without it being captured in the first place. I'll have to give it a try
Thank you for the information Joel. I have the same question as some of the other folks here - I do not see the video you mention about processing 32 bit. Would love to see what that workflow looks like and at what point you convert the file for printing (if one doesn't own a printer as you do). Thank you sir!
Hello Gary! This might the one you´re looking for: ua-cam.com/video/z4HYksU_7Tg/v-deo.html
@@BjarteKFrnsdal thanks very much!
Congratulations to all. Amazing images.
You're welcome! Thanks for watching
Great video.
One question. There are two options in 16 bit when you import the pictures in camera raw - sRGB 16bit and Adobe RGB 1998 16 bit.
I have been using sRGB 16 bit. Do I lose out on these shades of grey if I don't use Adobe RGB?
🤩 Awesome work of yours. The info at 8:00 depends on brand: Nikon + Fuji GFX have massively more information in shadows as in highlights, Sony & Olympus the opposite (a1 not tested yet). Pls take it as a nerd’s comment only. 😄
Thank-you kindly, Mister !
@@JeraldMYates You're welcome. Depending on what I do, I shoot Nikon (normally) and Olympus (when weight, macro capabilities, flexibility is key). I also had the chance to test the GFX models of Fuji. The GFX has 16 bit RAF raw files (Bayer layer) and is awesome in keeping details in the shadows. Nikon next best. My OM-D EM1 Mk III is the opposite, I can easily overexpose by 1 to 1.7 stops and the detail recovery pushing the highlight slider to the left side is awesome, but I get noisy results trying to recover more than 1.3..1.7 stops underexposed. My Nikons I shoot generally -0.3 to -0.7 at least.
I turned off compressed RAW on my Sony A7r4 because with compression on it only gives you 12bit instead of 14bit. There goes my file space 😂 I didn’t factor that in when buying a 61 megapixel camera, I thought I would just used compressed RAW. I wanted to see how you explains this, you did a good job 👍
Where was your vid that showed how you used a grey backdrop with blend modes to change background.
I mean I already know a little about using overlay with grey, but I think you can even use blend ifs to refine.
I just wanted to rewatch that segment of yours to refresh memory on your method.
Perfect, the best instruction. Grateful!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you very much for all the important info. Where can I find your HDR 32 bit process video?
Excellent video and beautifully images.
The way I see it is that the key is exposure. Each time you overexpose each time you make low values come out of the noise. Each time you under expose each time you allow high values to come under saturation. Though having 18 or more stops-dynamic range and compressing it in 8 bits is a pity given our monitors and prints outputs 😕
Very informative video. I like to think about bit depth in terms of sculpting a statue out of marble...or even carving a figure out of a piece of wood. You need a very large chunk of marble (32 bit depth) in order to be able to chip away (process) at it until you are left with your desired final product. If the starting piece (capture file) is too small (8 bit) then after chipping away at it you might end up with a statue that doesn't have a nose.....clipped in a way.
To sum it up. What he is saying is when you use a higher bit depth, you are working and displaying more Shades, colors, tones. So when you see a color chart showing Red to orange, there is now millions of tones of red to orange instead of just dozens or hundreds like you would see at your local paint shop. It is the same with the Black to white. Millions of shades of gray in between instead of hundreds.
There are so many comments here that I did not check whether somebody already pointed this out: with 32 bit you get 4 294 967 295 color values per channel! 16.7 million values/channel is with 24 bit processing. Furthermore I don't remember if you mentioned that posting anything on social media or on the web in general it is usually converted to an 8bit jpg. Still when processed from 16 (14) bit bracketed raw files in Lightroom the final image will look better.
Apart from these minor deficiencies I loved your presentation. And your photos are fantastic.
Thanks Andreas
I think I'd locally adjust the exposure on those trees and sky in the right top corner of the Tahoe pic. The shadow lift you did is a bit apparent. Though no one but photographers would notice.
thanks for the feedback!
Great info Joel,
Have all your courses, love your teaching style, inspiration and enthusiasm -especially as we are the same young vintage 😉😉📸
wow, thank you so much!
Even with smartphone do not to shoot 8-bit .jpg only the 16-24 bit formats raw or png. I shoot in raw and save edits in 8-bit PNG because social media apps and sites are butchering image quality. Also can't handle 16-bit color data correctly.
Good Stuff!
Thank you, thank you! Who knew that during an upgrade in PS it reset to the default workflow setting in the Camera Raw workflow! Yikes!!
So refreshing! Thank you.
You are so welcome!
has anyone found the video Joel refers to about working with bit depth?
Been looking with no luck, would help to know the title of it.
Here it is ua-cam.com/video/z4HYksU_7Tg/v-deo.html
I’m very interested in getting the highest quality possible. I am no professional but I enjoy my photography. Thanks for the advice here, I was aware of 32bit depth but now I will use it more.
Great video, great examples and advice for photographers that are going to print.
I do think that the numbers are off though. An 8 bit file has 256 possible values per pixel, per channel. Not 4 values. That would be 2 Bit. If it had 4 values it would look something like an original gameboy, black, white and 2 shades of grey.
An 8 bit file has 16,777,216 colours to choose from.
Joel - your work is very, very good. Also your images have that "spice" mixture right to my taste. I love them!
Really, really, really well explained. You are an excellent teacher and clearly possess the empathy required to help students understand complex information. As an educator myself, and I don't wish to be patronising, this is so impressive!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching
G'day Joel. I know I'm late to this party but would like to ask a question. In a typical landscape photograph, do you meter with the camera, and if so, what metering mode do you use? Thanks mate.
Thank you for sharing this... It excellent video... lots of learning... and this is called experience makes perfect...
ThankU very much for this incredibly informative video!
Hola Joel. Es Impresionante que después de tanto tiempo como fotógrafo por mera casualidad, encontré tu video y ha sido de las mejores informaciones que he encontrado y muy reveladora. Muchas gracias por compartir tan excelente información y tan útil.
Thank you for the well-explained information. Question about bit-depth and dynamic range. I have an older Leica monochrom with a bit-depth of 14 but the dynamic range is only 8.5. So if I bracket 3 exposures +/- 2 and combine them in Photoshop with 14/16 bit will I have more information than say a newer M246 with its 12-bit?
Extremely useful, clear and succinct information. Thanks so much.
You're welcome! Thanks for watching
Yes! Awesome explanation on bit depth. Thank you for your time and expertise.
Glad you enjoyed it!
So, when you make prints after you've processed the RAW files, do you print from PNGs, for higher quality, or JPGs, for size?
It depends on the size of the print. a jpeg is fine for something small but the bigger prints would need tiffs of PSBs. testing or chatting with the lab is 100% recommended
@@joelgrimes Thanks
Joel what do you mean when you say one over and one under?
Thank you. I'm not sure quite how to do this practically, but I'll have a go as the results are worth putting the effort in. Thanks again Joel. Much appreciated as always.
Hi Joel ! Love the info about the bit depth. I have a question though, at the end you recommend to check if PS is correctly set as 16 bit after updated, also, to choose Adobe RGB or profoto RGB instead of srgb color profile, but what if the monitor I use it isn’t suitable for 100% Adobe or profoto RGB ? should I still select those ?
Thanks Wesley, Keep in mind, it's not some much the viewing experience that we are effecting, but the ability to increase our detail in the highlights and Shadows. Also, the more bit depth you have the more you can dramatically manipulate the image in Bridge, Lightroom or Photoshop especially in Black and White.
Hi Joel. My first visit to your channel, what a great find! While I do know the math of bit depth and have worked with HDR as the situation warrants, I had not considered the benefits of shooting bracketed photos to increase overall editable data depth. Very valuable ip, thank you for sharing. Like and a sub for you today.
This is very good? As you explain the bit depth on this video I have been thinking on some of the prints I made and I only have two of them of a cityscape and they where printed after I requested to use my TIFF files at 16bit and not a JPG. Each time I look at the Tiff file prints I notice a richness in colors and a clear definition on the lines of buildings and smoothness of sky and, light and shadows. Definitely your last comment about printing it at a higher bits. I see the difference and it is also noticeable when I look at a Tiff file on the screen vs a JPG file. Very good information and definitely important to pay close attention to these. Thank you.
thanks for watching Luigi!
I've done HDRs on landscapes or still life... What I don't understand is how you do make multiple exposures for an HDR on a portrait like the Harley dude... Do you tell him to stay absolutely still? how do you achieve 32 bits when your subject is animate.
I wondered the same...
Yes. Stay still, also photoshop will realign sutle misalingments between shots
I bracket with my ISO. To do that, I use the CamRanger, a device that connects to my camera. It fires the flash and camera fast enough to capture most subjects. Yes, they have to stay fairly still. I photographed around 100 Harley Davidson rider portraits and only one had some issues, which i fixed in Photoshop. This system works for me.
More and more cameras are able to shoot 10bit HEIF files nowadays. I've never worked with them though, so can't say how they keep up
Interesting, but I don’t use Photoshop anymore since Version 3. I went to Lightroom and then finally now at capture one.
That's like saying, " I don't use cups anymore, because I have a bowl."
@@crosscolin
No, it’s just that it’s more important for me to get the work out then to aim for perfection! I used to obsess about everything and realized you’re not getting much done.
Ok....
I noticed there is a shiny quality to the edges or surface transitions in the 32 bit images. I am trying to understand where that effect comes from when you use this technique. It almost feels it’s over the surface gradients.
Informative video - thankyou very much. And thanks for the free source files which are very, very helpful. Subscribed.
You're welcome! Thanks for watching
My biggest gripe in Lightroom was that zooming to 100 percent to compare sharpness between photos was slow. And switching back and forth meant the files reloading.
Now that I've changed to 16 bit... it's faster?? Is that possible??
If so, great, fantastic tip that everyone should know.
Ok, but, do you take 3 pictures of a model to create an HDR? I can understand in landscape but how does it works when you are working with models?
Great points here. One minor detail, though. 32 bits yield over 4 Billion values per channel, far more than "just" 16 million.
well spotted. And as you have 3 channels it is not times 3 as stated it is to the power of 3. With 32bit in 3 channels it therefore leads to incredible 4.722.366.482.869.645.213.696 colour values or 4,72e21 possible colours in total.
Yeah,that whole 16 million thing is for 24 bit.
Wow I had no idea. You said you you did HDR with ISO. how can I understand all about making HDRs?
Great information! Thank you!
You're so welcome!
How could I get images like this with a film camera?
I've always admired your work since finding you on Creativelive. You come across a very down to Earth type of teacher, thank you.
Thank you Jason. That means a lot!
And here are a bunch of examples of how UA-cam compresses the life out of any quality image to the point of horrendous color banding...
Great video, I only use Capture One Pro for all my editing, not even Photoshop, so I will have to try and figure out how this bit information fits in there.
You can do it!
I know my old Pentax 645D MF 14 bit falls apart editing in anything less than uncompressed raw with software set at 16 bit depth. Detail is stunning if edited in that format. Weirdly my Fuji X-T2 8 bit jpeg files can take a hammering in editing without too much apparent degradation as long as I save as TIFF in the first edit. Maybe Fuji's magic recipe's at work.
🧐
Jpg format is an amazing invention, but you really don't have any true detail in the shadows. Do at test with an 8, 14 and 32 bit file, and you will become a believer.
@@joelgrimes Will do Joel
Great video.
Could you explain (maybe in another video) how you expose for shadows?
My expertise is audio and it's the same thing, compressed audio can sound fine, but if you EQ or process that too much, you'll unmask problems. I like to think of it as "baked". Once you got an MP3 or JPG, it's "cooked" so it's just too late to change the ingredients.
Can I use the 16 bit or the 32 bit for a street photographer
Question. Whats the difference between pro photo and adobe rgb?
Who prints in 16 or 32 bit? I can’t find anyone
Thanks.What about Lightroom,if is that a different system?
This is the most nerdy video I have ever seen. Not one person will ever see the differences. I watched every single minute and loved it (-:(-; (im a nerd as well)
The difference is easy to see, but difficult to articulate. These subtleties are the reason his artwork hangs on the walls they do, while mine just hangs on my mom's facebook page.
how does your explanation work with photographing a black leather hide -- wanting to avoid all the glare?
So for high dynamic pics, exposure blend, right?
For me, yes. It gives the most control
Thanks for this video. Very educational and practical. I just did my first B&W HDR and I’m really happy with the dynamic range but especially with the smooth gradation of greys in the sky.
You're welcome! Thanks for watching
how can i know how many bits a camera is able to pull out? I searched on the specifications but it doesn't say....
How do you tone your videos?!?
I use film 35mm in my investigative work because the original negatives or photo's cannot be manipulated. I would like a newer camera with sharper contrast and be able to add a telescopic lense to pull up sharp clear images at a range of under 40,000 ft. What do you recommend?
A range of 7.5 miles? I recommend you become a better investigator or get a satellite?
Great information in this video, thank you Joel.
Glad you enjoyed it!