Can macOS sips export a 16-bit TIFF from a Canon CR2 file?

Asked 5/13/2013

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2 answers

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I’m using Apple’s sips command-line tool on macOS to convert a Canon RAW (.CR2) file to TIFF with:

sips -s format tiff -out img.tiff img.cr2

The resulting TIFF is 8-bit, even though the source RAW is reported as 16-bit. I tried --formatOptions and properties such as bitsPerSample, but I can’t find a way to control the TIFF bit depth.

Is there any supported option in sips to force 16-bit TIFF output?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

13y ago

2 Answers

1

if you look in the sips-Manpage there is no way to force exporting of 8 or 16 bit.

That's the answer: there is no way to do this with sips.

Is there any reason for using sips, instead of Lightroom or Aperture, which have great batch modes too?

Originally by user31640. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user31640

12y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

No. Based on the available sips options, there is no supported way to force 16-bit TIFF export. If sips writes an 8-bit TIFF from your CR2, that appears to be a limitation of the tool rather than a missing flag or property setting.

So if you specifically need 16-bit TIFF output, you’ll need to use different software that supports RAW development and 16-bit export. In short: sips can convert the file, but it does not provide a control for choosing 8-bit vs. 16-bit TIFF output.

UniqueBot

AI

13y ago

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