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View Full Version : Learning on Elements 2.0 'Unsupported Color Depth'



Michael Heald
9-Apr-2006, 14:42
Hello! I am using an older Microtek ScanMaker 5900 and Adobe Elements 2.0 to learn about digital scanning and processing of my 4x5 black and white and color negatives.

When I try to scan at 16 bits, either in color or B&W, Elements 2.0 gives me an error message stating that the scan is at an unsupported color depth, and will be converted. Does this mean that Elements 2.0 can only scan at 8 bit depth? Thank you and best regards.

Mike

Leonard Evens
9-Apr-2006, 15:39
The scan will still be a 16 bits per channel, but when you load the image into Elements, it will be converted to 8 bits per channel.

If I were you, I wouldn't worry too much about the difference. In most circumstances, 8 bits per channel provides enough
distinct color levels so your eye can't tell the difference. Problems arise if you do extensive photoediting which tends to
spread levels about. This is detectable by a histogram with lots of gaps in it. However, even that won't usually be detectable visually. It should be more tha n enough to start with for learning digital techniques.

The main problem that I see with Elements is that it doesn't have a curves tool, or at least that is the way I remember it. I find the curves tool to be the single most useful photoediting tool. The full Photoshop has it, of course, but so does the open software program Gimp. It can be found at www.gimp.org. The Gimp also only allows 8 bits per channel, but I've been using it for years without problems.

Ted Harris
9-Apr-2006, 17:31
Michael, to expand on what Leonard said, Elements is not scanning software. The ScanWizard software program that came with your 5900 is the scanning software. BTW there have been a number of updates to the ScanWizard software since the 5900 was released. When you got yours some 18 months ago it was already several years old. You can go to the Microtek website and download the most recent version of the software that will run with your scanner. IIRC that will be ScanWizard 5 v. 6.x (Windows) or 7.x (Mac). Unfortunately, the 5900 cannot run the latest ScanWizard Pro software which is more flexible than the ScanWizard 5 software. You can also get third party software which will work with your scanner but I wouldn't recommend it. The inexpensive options (Vuscan or Silverfast SE) offer you no more flexibility than ScanWizard and the high priced option (Silverfast Ai) will cost you more than a new scanner.

OTOH, you are really limiting yourself and tying your hands by trying to learn about scanning and digital processing of scanned black and white images with your current setup. It is very hard to do any real exploration of the current digital possibilities without a more capable scanner and more flexible software for image processing, either Photoshop (full version) or the Gimp or other similar programs (although Photoshop is the gold standard and the Gimp is very similar).

Michael Heald
14-Apr-2006, 05:56
Hello! I've added The Hidden Power of Elements to give Curves, etc., so I thought this combo would work a an educational step before purchasing a new Epson scanner with Photoshop CS for a thousand dollars.

From what I've read above and in previous posts, Elements cannot handle 16 bit files, even though the scanner can scan at 16 (or 48 for color). Folks have recommended doing white and dark point and midtone adjustments, any curves, etc., in the scanning stage. Will this hold true when I start to use Photoshop CS? Best regards.

Mike