8-bit vs 16-bit vs 32-bit

J.Z.Castillo 2016-10-03 15:47:12 UTC #1

What's the difference? Which one should be used? JPEG or PNG? CYMK or RGB? I am still trying to figure out a set up and I am so confused! I tried asking the google but it always shows me a long ass essay and I got no time to read long ass essays so I thought this would be a quicker way to ask all my questions.

How do you work in digital? I need help!

shazzbaa 2016-10-03 16:08:40 UTC #2

CMYK is for printing, a CMYK file will look weird if you put it online. RGB uses some colours that work on monitors but can't print, so a lot of people say that if you want to print your work eventually, it's a good idea to work in CMYK, and then covert to RGB for the version you're going to post online.

If you have really crisp, clean work, PNG can be better because it stays clearer, while JPGs will "compress" the file and make it look less crisp. But if you have really painterly work then keeping up with all those exact colours will give PNGs huuuuuuuge file sizes, so JPG can be better. Different people have different preferences, though.

I don't pay attention to the whatever-bit and just leave it at the default!

(I'm not an expert so you guys feel free to correct me if there's nuances I'm missing here!)

J.Z.Castillo 2016-10-03 16:35:49 UTC #3

Yeah I was wondering about the CYMK and RGB, if I should work on CYMK and then convert to RGB or vice versa. So I guess it rally depends on preference? As for PNG and JPG, I should just keep working in PNG format if I have a lot of line work and what not, right? But if I go for a more "realistic" look I should work in JPG format, correct? I'm just trying to figure all this out before I buy a new tablet! XP

keii4ii 2016-10-03 17:00:32 UTC #4

Are we talking about WORKING files, i.e. the hopefully high-res files that you make while actually creating the comic/art? Or are we talking about files for UPLOADING/POSTING?

Working files should never be JPG. Most people save many times while working on a single picture. Every time you save and reopen a JPG, its quality goes down. It will really add up if you do it many times.

PNG isn't the best format for working files, either, due to its lack of layer support. But at least you won't have quality degradation issues.

For posting, I highly recommend saving the same picture you made in JPG and PNG, and comparing the results. If the quality difference is barely noticeable, stick to whichever file that's smaller in size (it will probably be in JPG, unless you save in 8-bit PNG... which is, confusingly, not the same as 8-bit/ 16-bit/ 32-bit colors. Basically 8-bit PNG only supports 256 colors max per pic, like GIF.)

One note: for whatever weird reason, bright, intense reds suffer from huge quality loss when saved in JPG. This isn't just my monitor because I've been noticing this for years, across different computers and screens. So I would recommend saving two pictures each in JPG and PNG for your trial: one picture that has some bright reds in it, and one that doesn't have it.

If you have Photoshop, you can easily preview it without even saving a single time by using the Save for Web function. It will even tell you how big the file size is going to get with your setting and format!

My personal recs:

Uncolored lineart: 8-bit PNG with maybe 32 colors. You lose no visible quality, and the file size is often smaller than it would be in JPG.

Colored lineart: based on the style you use for BioHazard, I would recommend high-ish quality JPG. Your style isn't realistic, but it does have a lot of soft blending. You cannot preserve soft blending in 8-bit PNG. 16-bit PNG will preserve the blending (and everything else) but the filesize will probably be huge.

Try tinkering with the JPG quality setting, too. A low quality JPG and a high quality JPG will look VASTLY different.

shazzbaa 2016-10-03 17:03:03 UTC #5

The difference is basically that RGB can use some colours that CMYK can't. So if you work in CMYK, and then convert to RGB when you're all done, your page will look the same, because RGB can use any colours. If you work in RGB and convert to CMYK when you're all done, the page will look different, because in CMYK mode your picture will have to change any colours that don't exist in CMYK.

neon blues are a good example -- the two colour splotches on top you can see a difference, but the two colour splotches on the bottom look the same.

If you want your print and on-screen version to look the same, then working in CMYK and converting to RGB is an easy way to do that.

But some people want to be able to use neon colours that don't print. I know some will work in RGB and just check what it looks like in CMYK, to make sure that it still looks good when those colours are replaced with print-friendly colours.

If you never, ever, EVER plan to print, this doesn't matter, so you can just stick with RGB.

J.Z.Castillo 2016-10-03 18:05:51 UTC #6

@keii4ii YES! That's my main concern, I have a hard time coming up with a good set up for BH because I have sharp and soft things going on. I upload on PNG format and I have an 8-bit default (I never bothered with that because what even is it? IDK) I don't want my linework to be fuzzy, unless it makes no difference, thats why I save in PNG. I'll try using JPG next time see what's up, but your comment was very insightful!!

@shazzbaa ooohh that makes sense! So always work in CYMK if you are planning to print in the future. Thank you for that example!