Additional information about some of the available
file formats
TIFF – The regular, 8-bit TIFF format, like the PSD format, supports transparency layers.
TIFF 16-bit enabled – Similar to the TIFF format, but supporting 16-bit images.
TIFF JPEG – 8-bit TIFF with JPEG compression. The compression ratio can be set using the JPEG
Quality dropdown list. This TIFF format does not support transparency.
JPEG – Regular JPEG. The compression ratio can be set in the JPEG Quality dropdown list. The
actual compression level of each JPEG quality selectable in the dropdown list can be changed under the
channel’s Output file formats feature.
JPEG Copy – This format should be used in channels that are used for all other things than editing of
image data. It will preserve the image data without decompressing and recompressing it, avoiding JPEG
quality loss. Note that the JPEG Copy setting will effectively prevent any kind of image manipulation
in the channel, so it should be used in those cases where a channel is used e.g. to route input JPEGs to
various output folders, to add metadata and other processed not involving manipulation on the image
data.
Note that a non-JPEG input file will be converted to JPEG in the output folder with the chosen JPEG
Quality setting. Also, a Progressive JPEG in the input folder will be converted to a regular JPEG in the
output folder.
JPEG Progressive – A JPEG format that separates the JPEG into a series of scans. This is e.g. useful for
web publishing over low-bandwidth connections, as the quality of the picture will gradually increase in
the web browser until the full-resolution image is finally loaded. Note that a progressive JPEG is larger
than a baseline JPEG, so it should only be used for such special purposes (e.g. web publishing).
JPEG for Web – A baseline JPEG in sRGB stripped of Photoshop headers, EXIF information, ICC
profile and image thumbnail to produce as small a picture as possible. Metadata will still be included.
Suitable for web publishing.
Photoshop PSD – Note that for Color Factory to preserve layers and support advanced handling of
layers, Color Factory Enterprise is required.
Photoshop PSD 16-bit – Same as above, only with 16-bit support.
PNG 24-bit & Alpha Support – With Alpha channel support it is possible to preserve the transparency
layer in an input PSD or TIFF image in the output PNG format. This is also typically useful for web
publishing of the images.
Choosing processing bit-depth
Using the drop-down box labeled Processing bit-depth you can choose between three options:
Never use 16-bit processing – This is the default option to make sure 16-bit processing is never used.
Any incoming 16-bit file will be converted to 8-bit before processing. This ensures faster processing and
produces a good quality result in most cases.
Auto, use 16-bit processing when appropriate – Makes Color Factory process 16-bit incoming files
in 16-bit mode, whereas 8-bit files will be processed in 8-bit mode. 16-bit processing is only available for
TIFF with 16-bit enabled and PSD 16-bit. To preserve 16-bit for these files in the output folder, make
sure you choose the 16-bit variant of the TIFF or PSD format as the channel’s output file format.
Always use 16-bit processing – When enabled this option will make Color Factory convert all files to
16-bit for processing, after which the chosen output file format will determine whether the file is finally
saved in 16-bit mode or converted back to 8-bit before it is saved.
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