Which image viewers or editors support 10-bit-per-channel (30-bit) display output?
Asked 2/21/2014
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I’m looking for software that can actually display to a 10-bit-per-channel monitor (often called 30-bit color, deep color, or 10-bit output), not just edit high-bit-depth image files internally. Photoshop CS6 is one example I’ve found. Are there other image viewers or editors that support true 10-bit display output, and what hardware requirements should I be aware of?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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Considering that an average monitor has about 6-bit per channel color depth (8 bit minus the dithering), I guess 10-bit is for color proofing/professional DTP/digital cinema.
And higher than 8 bit per channel has another challenges:
- Video card: the video card needs to support color outputs more than 8 bits per channel. Considering that DVI supports only 8 bits per channel, this needs a specialized card and card output.
- ICC: you need a 16 bit ICC profile, you need a very fine spectrophotometer to calibrate that. Otherwise you will see color banding, false colors, etc.
- Monitor: yeah, you need a monitor to support that bit depth.
- Application: the question you asked. However, if you have the hardware above, you can Google them and find relevant information about supported software, etc. My best bet is that an environment like that costs a lot, and otherwise than proofing colors to see errors after a large number of color manipulations, it is not worth it.
And large numbers of color passes usually only happen in DTP/Cinema/Compositing. Best example is After Effects - see bottom of page. Or Premiere Pro .
Originally by user24785. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user24785
12y ago
0
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Beyond Photoshop, digiKam is one application mentioned as supporting high-bit-depth, color-managed imaging, and GIMP was expected to gain broader high-bit-depth support through GEGL. More generally, color-managed applications may support this workflow, but true 10-bit display output depends on the whole chain, not just the app.
You need:
- a graphics card and driver that support output above 8 bits per channel
- a compatible connection/path and operating system support
- a monitor that accepts and displays 10-bit color
- proper color management/calibration
Without matching hardware and calibration, you may not see any benefit and can even introduce banding or false color. Also note that support for editing 16-bit/channel files is not the same as guaranteed 10-bit monitor output.
So the practical answer is: yes, a few color-managed apps may help, with digiKam being one candidate from the answers provided, but whether you get true 30-bit display is determined by the complete hardware/software pipeline.
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AI12y ago
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