Is scanning 16 bit TIFF old negatives worth it?

Pushkal Arora

Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2022
Messages
15
Location
India
Format
35mm
I am looking to get my old c-41 35mm negatives scanned and most labs are providing 8 Bit TIFF only. Some people say that there is more posterisation effects while working with 8 bit mode so it benifits to work on 16 Bit TIFFs.
But I have also researched that we can also work on 8 Bit TIFF with 16 bit mode on photoshop to prevent posterisation. So I am thinking what are the benifits of TIFF originally scanned at 16 Bits?
And if there are benifits like for example more "original" color depth data, are they really worth it?
 
Last edited:

Kino

Subscriber
Joined
Jan 20, 2006
Messages
7,619
Location
Orange, Virginia
Format
Multi Format
It depends on your subject matter and the final delivery media/medium.

Subjects with many fine, continuous graduations of the image tend to suffer more from unwanted posterization when manipulated in lower bit-depth image files.

A seemingly unrelated book, "DIGITAL COMPOSITING FOR FILM AND VIDEO" By Steve Wright (Focal Press) goes into detail behind the mathematics that tend to cause banding and posterization in image files that are less than 10 bit color depth.

I highly recommend obtaining a copy and reading the chapter on bit depth and image banding/posterization. It is well worth the effort and you don't have to purchase the latest edition; buy the older 2nd edition and save some money!
 
Last edited:

Wallendo

Subscriber
Joined
Mar 23, 2013
Messages
1,409
Location
North Carolina
Format
35mm
With older C-41 negatives, there will probably be enough grain and/or scanner noise to prevent banding. I have only had banding issues from low resolution scans.

Nevertheless, since I do my own scanning, I tend to scan in 16 bit mode, make basic adjustments and then convert to 8-bit to save disk space. Important scans I will sometimes leave at 16 bits.

If you have a lot of rolls to scan, you could have them all scanned in 8-bit mode, and if you have problem negatives, you could have them rescanned in 16-bit mode. I doubt you will have any issues.
 
Last edited:
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…