Your scanner has 12 bit firmware capability.
Images are either 8 or 16 bit.
So either you must save in 8 bit, where the 12 bits are analyzed and the best 8 bits are used, or save in 16 bit, where all twelve bits are used and the extra 4 are either interpolated or padded with zeros (I forget which).
At any rate, I have a LS2000, but I haven’t used the NikonScan software in sometime (I use VueScan). You must be saving at 16 bit. Elements can’t do 16 bit so opens your file at 8 bit. And yes 16 bit files are exactly twice as big as 8 bit.
8 vs. 16 bit editing is one of the digital imaging jihads. There are entire libraries of info re this if you want to Google, or peruse UseNet archives for comp.periphs.scanners and/or rec.photo.digital. Histograms prove that many editing funcitons in 16 bit are less destructive and all around better.
Human eyeballs prove that it’s a rare image that will matter. For output, monitors can’t see 16 bit, printers can print 16 bit.
At any rate, it is moot for your purposes, as you can’t open 16 bit images with Elements.
Mac
Joseph
1) TIFF stores 12 bit as if it were 16 bit causing an excess of waste, in fact at this stage of technology 16 bit TIFF never stores 16 bits and all files are 25% larger than needed. Of course it stores 8 bits as 8 bits.
2) Photoshop colour depth is 8 bit and all filters work only on 8 bit. CS and to a lesser extent Photoshop 7 all support 16 bit but not 100% so.
3) Elements is telling you how the TIFF stores the image. While it is stored at 16 bit there is only 12 bit of useful information but there is still an extra 4 bit of redundancy.
4) You are only limited to 8 bit or less in Elements the procedure is > Image > Mode
As an aside no mater what you will be told no one can tell the difference, visually, between an 12 bit image over a 8 bit. What you do get is a wider latitude to select where your image will lie.
Grant
Mac
The extra 4 bits is padded.
Grant
Thanks, Grant…I rather leaned toward that.
M
Where I’ve used 16 bit from my camera (RAW processed using ACR in photoshop CS) then I think that there may be some improvement over 8 bit editing if I for example put on an extreme levels adjustment or curves adjustment to brighten up an underexposed image – it seems to be less posterised (of course fixing the image during RAW processing is better still). But for most things 8 bit editing such as you get using Elements gives identical results to the naked eye and the files take up a lot less room.
Thanks for the reply. I didn’t know what Photoshop Elements uses as its default bit.
I’ve jsut about given up on Nikon Scan (when I load an APS fil, it has to do an entire preview of the whole roll, before I can change settings). You said that you use another package, do you have a URL for that?
-thx, Joseph
I take it that Photoshop CS supports 16 bit color depth? Does it understand RAW format without going through a conversion first?
–thx, Joseph
What do you mean by Photoshop CS not supporting 16 bit 100%?
VueScan is probably the scanner interface in question.
hamrick.com
M
There are still some functions that can’t be performed on 16bit files, only on 8 bit.
Although there are many more available than in PS 7.
M
Mac,
I downloaded VueScan and tried using it with my LS-2000, but VueScan insists that the scanner was not found.
I downloaded VueScan 8.01 and was trying to see if it works prior to buying it. I have been using Nikon Scan. VueScan seems to recognize the LS-2000 (shows in the Input Tab screen under source), but when I click on scan, I get the message: Scanner not found. I get the same message if I click on Preview.
Nikon Scan recognizes the scanner and can load film and scan it (I exited Nikon Scan prior to starting VueScan)
Windows XP Professional – SP1
VueScan version 8.01
Nikon LS-2000 Scanner
No other SCSI devices are attached
One USB printer/fax/scanner (HP 6100)
USB Mouse/Keyboard (Microsoft)
1394 Camera
1394 Hub
Internal USB-attached 7-in-1 card reader(floppy + CF + others) USB-attached UPS unit
I tried the following:
deleting the VueScan installation and re-installing
disabling Roxio drag to CD feature
powering down the scanner and PC
deleting the VueScan .INI file
Any ideas? have you run into something similar?
Not sure, Joseph…lots of folks use it with LS-2000 on all versions of Windows. I use it with LS-2000 and 98SE.
Do you UseNet?
comp.periphs.scanners is VueScan unofficial "home". Ed Hamrick himself appears there.
He might respond to an email through his site also for unregistered user.
Mac
Ah, I see you have ALREADY been to comp.periphs.scanners.
Dunno if the ASPI advice is the culprit or not. I didn’t think of that since NikonScan was working with your XP, assumed had to be installed for that to work also.
But it may have installed it’s own earlier version of ASPI, so this might indeed be it. Tried that yet?
http://www.adaptec.com/worldwide/support/drivers_by_product. jsp?sess=no&l anguage=English+US&cat=/Product/ASPI-4.70
or
http://tinyurl.com/3egxtIs the direct link I have.
Mac
