color depth with Minolta dual scan III

[Bob Chapman]

I'm running Elements 2 on an XP PC. I'm scanning negatives with the Minolta Dual Scan III. I use the Dual 3 Utility to perform the scan to disk, with 16 bit color depth. When I open the resulting images in Elements, i get an error message that the image is in an unsupported color depth, would I like to convert it. It then loads the image, but it seems to be converting to 8-bit color depth (at leats that's what the little progress bar at the bottom of the screen indicates).

How do I tell if that is what is really happening? and what do i have to do to be able to load the full color information into Elements?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Bob Chapman

[Beth Haney]

Ah, that's the problem with those nice scanners that will give 16 or even 48 bit scans. There's not much in the way of consumer grade digital editing software that will support it. Elements can handle 8 bit only, as far as I know. If I'm wrong, people will be lining up to tell me! Maybe someone will give a suggestion on how to make use of the additional information 16 bit provides.

[Mac McDougald]

It's most important that the scan is sampled in 16 bit.
Saving/editing in 16 bit is much less important.
Yes, histograms "prove" that it is better, but eyes "prove" it is minimal
to no difference.

Mac

[Leen Koper]

Maybe a dumb question.
Although, one of my teachers told me there is no such thing as a dumb question, just only dumb answers.

Mac, would you be so kind as to explain why 16 bit sampling is important and saving/editing isn't? Doesnot sound very logical to me. Like buying a car that can drive 200 Mph and never being allowed to drive that fast.

Leen

[David L. Harris]

In article <1de9fdf1.2@WebX.la2eafNXanI>, Bob Chapman
<bob_chapm@msn.com> wrote:

> Fortunately, disk is cheap, so saving two copies (8-bit and 16-bit) is not a
> big deal these days, while I wait for improving software!

That depends on the resolution you save them at. If it is 2840 ppi,
then the file size can be around 70 MB, and not many of those will fit
on a CD.