Re: [CinePaint] masks; detail 8 vs. 16+ bits

> 
> Incidentally, yesterday I shot a still in Nikon's NEF (RAW) mode and  
> opened it in Cinepaint and in The Gimp.   The difference in fine  
> detail between The Gimp and Cinepaint was not small.   Since luminance  
> is the greatest contributor to fine detail, I was at first skeptical  
> that the improved detail in Cinepaint was due to bit depth, but then  
> upon further thinking I believe the luminance is derived from RGB, so  
> bit depth is just as important for luminance.  Am I right in this  
> assumption?
> 

Fine detail depends on acutance, or the difference in contrast
between closely spaced points.  Only the relative and not absolute
luminosity would play a role here.  Post-processing can have an
effect on acutance but it usually does not, so I would doubt
that the difference in fine detail that you observe is due to
a greater bit depth.  Also keep in mind that both 8-bit and 16-bit
images are being viewed through an 8-bit monitor.

Try this:  Open the RAW file in Cinepaint and then reduce the bit
depth to 8 bits with the Image Menu.  Does the fine detail
suddenly degrade or disappear?

It would be useful to post the actual RAW file somewhere file so
that other list members could experiment.  I could be all wrong, but
without the actual RAW file only the most general of assumptions
can be made.

Frank Peters


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