Saving as Bitmap, BMP

[MadMax1412]

You could have left the question for others to see and learn from.

Sorry. I was embarrassed I asked the question without looking properly first. As you can see, I posted the question and then found the answer within 2 minutes myself, so I didn't think anyone would have seen the question in that timeframe. Like I said, I should have looked (properly) before I asked.

Anyway, I now have a question.

I took some photos (-1 EV, 0EV and +1 EV) and used the "Automate" --> "Merge to HDR" command to try an attempt at an HDR photo. When I save the resulting file (as a TIFF file), the resulting TIFF file looks overexposed when opened in "windows photo viewer" (as does the thumbnail) but in Photoshop, it looks ok. I can't seem to save in any other format that is compatible with say Paint.NET to see how it looks in that program.

Question - do I need to install plugins to save as BMP or JPG etc? In the Help file for BMP, it says "Choose File --> Save As and choose BMP from the Format Menu" yet the only choices I have are: Photoshop, TIFF, Large Document Format, OpenEXR, Portable Bit Map, or Radiance. There's no BMP option.

[ameerat42]

All right. Do you mean in Photoshop you cannot find a BMP save option? That's odd. I'll go and check. In the meantime, I will move these two
post to a thread in General help. Just hold off posting for a 2ple of mins. Ta.
Am.

[ricktas]

HDR are 32bit, so you need to convert it down to 16 bit or 8 bit before you can save it in a lot of formats. JPG is only 8 bit. So you are seeing a restriction on filetypes cause of the 32bit file.

In PS : Image : Mode : and select from there.

Also HDR when first converted often looks fake, over-exposed and colours look wrong, it needs one more step to make it look better. That step is called Tone Mapping and if not done the HDR will not be the best it can be.

I dont use PS HDR, I prefer to use either Photomatix or Nik Software's HDR Efex Pro both do a better job than the Merge to HDR in PS.

[MadMax1412]

HDR are 32bit, so you need to convert it down to 16 bit or 8 bit before you can save it in a lot of formats. JPG is only 8 bit. So you are seeing a restriction on filetypes cause of the 32bit file.

In PS : Image : Mode : and select from there.

Looks like BMP needed to be 8-bit too before that option appeared. Thanks for the heads up. It's a pity the Photoshop help file didn't point this out - something of a "If you don't see BMP in the format drop down..... " etc.

Thanks again.

BTW, I'm only trying HDR as I'm a learner to post processing and have heard that it can help bring out details in areas that would otherwise be under or over exposed. I'm starting off by seeing how exposure step of "1" come out like or whether the steps need to be bigger or smaller and how to tell what I should use.

[ameerat42]

Ta Rick. The penny dropped for me too - Oh, that's right!! - when you mentioned it. Amazing what you forget.

I haven't used bitmap in about a decade.

[ameerat42]

As I was wandering around in Photoshop earlier today I remembered another thing about saving.

If the image you're working on has more than one layer, you cannot save in an 8-bit format, like BMP, JPG,
before you first flatten the layers.

[Mark L]

Before I have to type to much, are you using a Canon camera and shooting in RAW?