Image editing software that can open 32-bit TIFF

[pipnina]

Some people (in an old thread I looked at) said that 16-bit TIFF was enough and 32-bit was superfluous. After a couple of attempts with my images I've found the 16-bit files to be almost as bad as editing with a JPEG (the image ends up posterizing like crazy)

The only issue is that I only have one program that can open 32-bit TIFF files and that's Blender and blender is not an image-editing program, its intended use is CGI, 3D animation and Game design and it lacks most of the features you need to pull off a good image.

With that, are there many Image editing software packages that can open 32-bit and above TIFF files? I had a look around and apparently GIMP is going to get it at some point, and someone on some forum somewhere was having trouble loading the into Photoshop... Not sure what else there is since I've already used Paint.NET for a long time and that won't open them, either!

(p.s. if it turns out Photoshop can open them I'm going to start saving pennies... I'll need a lot of them)

   ~pip

[Xplode]

Maybe the software you have used is working in 8bit, that would explain why you get posterization.

Photoshop can open 32bit files, but most processing is unavailable. 16bit works great and i haven't seen any posterization in any of my images.

Pixinsight works great with 32bit or even 64bit file and is better better suited for working with astrophotos than photoshop, it's cheaper too.

[Laurie61]

Have you tried Image Analyzer ? http://image-analyzer.en.softonic.com/ it's free. Not sure about opening 32 bit tiff but it saves as 24 bit tiff.  

[pipnina]

Maybe the software you have used is working in 8bit, that would explain why you get posterization.

Photoshop can open 32bit files, but most processing is unavailable. 16bit works great and i haven't seen any posterization in any of my images.

Pixinsight works great with 32bit or even 64bit file and is better better suited for working with astrophotos than photoshop, it's cheaper too.

Hmmm. That is a possiblity. I'll have to get PixInsight and Photoshop when I get the money, but is it just me or can you not just buy a copy of Photoshop anymore. The website keeps trying to get me to do a monthly subscription which I'm definately not fond of.

Have you tried Image Analyzer ? http://image-analyzer.en.softonic.com/ it's free. Not sure about opening 32 bit tiff but it saves as 24 bit tiff.  

If it says it's gonna save as 24-bit, it probably means 8 per channel supporting 3 channels (so 8*3 = 24) or at least that's what is probable.

[Alien 13]

Photoshop is subscription only now but some retailers do have some older versions for sale, I did receive an offer from Adobe for PS CC and Lightroom for less than £7 per month which I thought was quite a good deal.

DSS can open and process 32bit files but its a bit basic.

Alan

[pipnina]

Photoshop is subscription only now but some retailers do have some older versions for sale, I did receive an offer from Adobe for PS CC and Lightroom for less than £7 per month which I thought was quite a good deal.

DSS can open and process 32bit files but its a bit basic.

Alan

Yeah, DSS isn't good for much other than getting images stacked. It's a bit limited even in that area tbh.

I might have to look for an older boxed copy of Photoshop.

[StargeezerTim]

GIMP 2.9 will open 32 bit tiffs and you can do all the processing in 32 bit. Its a free programme....

Photoshop opens 32 bit but you can only do levels in that format. You must convert to 16 bit for curves etc. I have found that Photoshop has shown that 'posterising' effect when I have been processing some moonlight affected images. Funny thing is, if you save the file to 16 bit tiff and reopen, that harsh effect has gone! I've just subscribed to photshop for £8.50 a month. Goes against the grain but you only live once and the programme is nice to use... much more user friendly than GIMP.

[pipnina]

GIMP 2.9 will open 32 bit tiffs and you can do all the processing in 32 bit. Its a free programme....

Photoshop opens 32 bit but you can only do levels in that format. You must convert to 16 bit for curves etc. I have found that Photoshop has shown that 'posterising' effect when I have been processing some moonlight affected images. Funny thing is, if you save the file to 16 bit tiff and reopen, that harsh effect has gone! I've just subscribed to photshop for £8.50 a month. Goes against the grain but you only live once and the programme is nice to use... much more user friendly than GIMP.

That must have been the issue! I installed GIMP 2.8!

I'm such a dum dum

[DaveS]

From checking on Google Gimp 2.9 is still a development version, Darkrefraction says it's still unstable and shouldn't be used for serious work.

[ollypenrice]

If you're having problems with 16 bit images I don't see how it can be the '16 bit' bit (forgive me!) which is the problem because I'll bet that the vast majority of APODs you've seen (certainly the amateur ones) will have been processed in 16 bit. All my stuff, and Tom's, is 16 bit. The problem will lie elsewhare, I think.

Olly

[pipnina]

If you're having problems with 16 bit images I don't see how it can be the '16 bit' bit (forgive me!) which is the problem because I'll bet that the vast majority of APODs you've seen (certainly the amateur ones) will have been processed in 16 bit. All my stuff, and Tom's, is 16 bit. The problem will lie elsewhare, I think.

Olly

Since someone further up said it could be my software opening the 16-bit file but processing it as 8 and that my images processed in Pain.NET are really badly posterizing... I'll see what happens when I load a 16-bit tiff into GIMP 2.9

[pipnina]

After bashing my head against a wall trying to figure out how GIMP worked, I can confirm that my posterizing effects were indeed Paint.NET's fault. Gimp from here on out it is then.