Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Step Three:
When it comes to choosing your photo's
bit depth, I have a simple rule I go by:
I always work in 8 Bits/Channel (Photo-
shop's default), unless I have a photo that
is so messed up that after Camera Raw,
I know I'm still going to have to do some
major Curves adjustments in Photoshop
just to make it look right. The advantage
of 16-bit is those major Curves adjust-
ments (you'd get less banding or poster-
ization because of the greater depth
of 16-bit). The reasons I don't use 16-bit
more often are: (1) many of Photoshop's
tools and features aren't available in
16 -bit, (2) your file size is approximately
double, which makes Photoshop run a
lot slower, and (3) 16-bit photos take up
twice as much room on your computer.
Still, some photographers insist on only
working in 16-bit and that doesn't bother
me one bit. (Get it? One bit? Aw, come
on, that wasn't that bad.)
Step Four:
The next option down is Size. By default,
the size displayed in the Size pop-up
menu is the original size dictated by your
digital camera's megapixel capacity
(in this case, it's 4256 by 2832 pixels—
the size generated by a 12.1-megapixel
camera). If you click-and-hold on the Size
pop-up menu, you'll see a list of image
sizes Camera Raw can generate from your
RAW original (the number in parentheses
shows the equivalent megapixels that size
represents). The sizes with a + (plus sign)
by them indicate that you're scaling the
image up in size from the original. The
- (minus sign) means you're shrinking the
size from the original, which quality-wise
isn't a problem. Usually, it's fairly safe to
increase the size to the next largest choice,
but anything above that and you risk hav-
ing the photo look soft and/or pixelated.
