How to force Photoshop to show color measurement values up to 0.01% in info panel?

such as Illustrator shows it

Unless you are working in 16-bit mode, there is no hundredth of a percent to show you. one decimal point alows for 1,001 values (00.0% to 100.0%), but in an 8-bit image, there are only 256 values available. Illustrator, being a vector program, can be more precise in its colour specifications.

Even in 8bit - Photoshop does think in .00 increments - the info palette fails to reflect that though.

Huh? How does Photoshop "Think" in finer detail than a file can possibly support. It's like having my car's odometer measure in millimeters.

The fact is, in an 8-bit file, a pixel can only have 256 values for its colour. Full stop.

Scott - you misread my statement.

256 does not = 0-100%. It has to be converted to a 1-100% convention.

so yes it is possible to have a 10.xxx% of value, which BTW the info palette rounds up or down.

Theoretically, there should be a value every .390625%, but PS rounds to .39%, and then rounds again for the info palette (which I wish it wouldn't do). Files will have ink values from 0% to 100%, in ~.39% increments. Coincidentally, I'm working on a spread sheet now that lists Photoshop's actual 8-bit ink percentages, along with their corresponding Info Palette %'s and level values (0-255).

100/256=.390625

Carl.

When I'm asked to take a full percent (or two) of yellow down, in the skin tones I laugh and laugh... and laugh.

I had a nice PDF file that had the 0-100/255-0 conversion.

It's been gone a while.

Here < http://members.aol.com/jslate0112/forum_uploads/8bit_and_per cent.PDF> it is again if you want it.

Don't mean to upstage Carl, but I made this one a while ago.

As far as the info palette rounding goes, there are 2 values that do not properly round. Value 254 and value 1 which should round to 100% and 0% respectively, but Photoshop reports them as 99% and 1%, so the user does not think they have a solid or white when they don't.

The yellow fields in the file are the 8bit values that get assigned when you type in a full percentage.

The orange fields are pairs of 8bit values which are exactly equidistant from a full percentage.

So there can be program to program inconsistency with regard to which 8bit value gets used for 10%, 30%, 50%, 70% and 90%.

It would be interesting to have plate and press tolerances and inconsistencies built into the info panel : )

I've seen platesetters that don't hold a 2% dot consistent from the left to the right side of the plate.

Thanks John.

Here's a related question: I've noticed that in Photoshop 6 and PS 7, the same point in the same file shows different CMYK values.

More details on my scenario: Working in PS7 with a photo in Adobe RGB(98) color space. I set my black point to 64,54,53,90 in CMYK terms (that should be 7,7,7 in RGB values).

Then I open the same file in PS6. The values show up in the info pallette as CMYK 64,54,53,85 although the RGB values remain unchanged.

In other words (since I'm in an RGB color space) the pixels are unchanged, but the way PS shows them in the Info box is different.

What is up with that?!

What is up with that?!

Do you have different CMYK working spaces set up in each PS? or some other settings that are different?

Carl.

Carl,

Good thought, but no: My color settings are identical in both PS 6 and PS 7. (In fact, I copied the PS 6 settings into my PS 7 prefs).

In addition, working in an RGB mode, the CMYK settings shouldn't have an impact, I believe. As far as I know, the CMYK values in the info pallete when you are working in RGB are just converted from the (actual) RGB values. True?

Check for BPC and color engine.

While working in RGB, the CMYK values in the Info Palette are base on what you have in your color settings. It's telling you what the file will convert to if you do a simple Image >> Mode >> CMYK Color. But, that doesn't matter if you say the setting were the same.