Is it possible to export Jpeg with more than 8 bits per channel?

[ioannismar]

My camera shoots 12 bits per channel but when exporting from lightroom at Jpeg i can see my image have got only 8 bits per channel.

How i can export jpeg from lightroom with 12 bits per channel?
Thanks!

[Per Berntsen · Accepted solution]

The jpg format is 8-bit only - the whole point of jpg is to produce small files. (16-bit files are twice the size of 8-bit files)

If you want more than 8-bit, you have to export as 16-bit Tiff or PSD.

But you would only need to do that if the image is going to be edited after exporting - otherwise 8-bit is fine.

You can't tell the difference between an 8-bit and a 16-bit image on screen - the advantage with 16-bit is that it can withstand heavy editing without deteriorating - it gives you editing headroom.

For more information about file formats and bit depth - see File formats and What is a digital image?

[ioannismar]

Thank you Per Berntsen!

So, my export options for more than 8 bits per channel is PSD or TIFF...
is there any way that i can do (ex. with plugins) to add more image formats such like PNG or any other image format that supports 12 or more bits per channel?

thanks!

[dj_paige]

Lightroom only supports the formats listed when you output. There are no plugins to change this.

[joachims25232702]

JPEG's 8 bit are not linear. This is easily noticed by trying to correct an indoor photo taken with wolfram light or led light and daylight camera setting - one can not correct that satisfactorily from a Jpeg, only from a raw.

[Per Berntsen]

I never shoot jpg, but it's not surprising that they are more difficult to edit than raw files.

Jpgs are compressed using lossy compression, and only contain a minimum of information.

Besides, image quality will get worse every time they are saved - the jpg format is designed to be a final format with no further editing.

(although editing using Lightroom/Camera Raw or the Camera Raw filter in Photoshop will produce better quality than editing in Photoshop)

[fipipi]

Well, there is a jpeg standard for 12-bit jpegs

8 bit means 256 shades of Red, 256 Shades of Green and 256 Shades of Blue. Thats not so much if you have as example a sunset at the blue see or some color Gradients of a Fullsize Poster. But they will tell you the Story of 16.8 million colors - in theorie.

12 bit means the same with 1024 Shades of the colors if i'm correct - i think that would be much much better for most of the photos we process in the Lightroom Software.

So please ADOBE go from the Windows98 JPEG 8Bit Output into "the Future" from today with the 12-Bit JPEG.

Somebody has to start with Quality.

Next target are the camera companies, time is ready to have JPEGs that are better than just for preview.

Vote for 12 Bit JPEG additional to 8 Bit by contacting your ADOBE sales people 😉

Greetings

Phil

[johnrellis]

I hadn't heard about 12-bit JPEG until now.  A Google search suggests that 12-bit JPEG hasn't been incorporated into  international standards, but rather is an extension to the popular "libjpeg", a software library that implements the standard:

JPEG/libjpeg v9.1 | photoscala

12 Bit JPEG Support: Open Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

This is an important distinction, because few camera and software manufacturers will likely commit to 12-bit until there is an agreed-upon standard.

[JP Hess]

According to Wikipedia (so take that for what it's worth) JPEG 2000 will support ANY bit depth. I don't know if that's significant in this discussion or not.

[johnrellis]

I think JPEG 2000 (which does have an international standard) is much different from the 12-bit extension to "libjpeg". JPEG2000 hasn't received much traction from the camera manufacturers -- Photoshop supports it but LR doesn't.

[fipipi]

Yes, its from the libjpeg guys, but who else should define and implement the standard?

New JPEG standard 9.1 supports 12-bit color, HDR, lossless compression | Digital Trends

Independent JPEG Group | InfAI

So, I think that its time for ADOBE to act and implement a 12-Bit JPEG Exporter additionaly to the old 8-Bit Exporter in Lightroom.

Nothing to lose here, its a win-win Situation.

[johnrellis]

Yes, its from the libjpeg guys, but who else should define and implement the standard?

The Digital Trends article mischaracterizes The Independent JPEG Group as "JPEG's Governing Body".  The IJG maintains what used to be the mainstream version of "libjpeg", but there are lots of people unhappy withs stewardship, and there are other popular versions now:

libjpeg - Wikipedia

According to that Wikipedia article, the ITU-T rejected IJG's proposed extensions to the JPEG standard (including 12-bit channels).