Apple MA434Z/A User Manual - Page 413

You can seamlessly layer images of different bit depths together. This results in the lower bit-depth image being automatically promoted to the higher of the two bit depths. (For example, an Over node compositing an 8-bit image with a 16-bit image results in a 16-bit image.) This is an automatic operation, invisible to the user. To reverse this behavior, insert a Bytes node before the Over node on the 16-bit image to reduce the image to 8 bits. Bit-depth level is calculated locally in the node tree. In the previous example mixing 8bit and 16-bit images, only the sections of the node tree that come after the 8-bit to 16bit conversion in the Over node are calculated at 16 bits. Cineon File Bit Depth 10-bit Cineon files are automatically promoted to 16 bits when read in or written by Shake, so you don't have to worry about any data loss. However, the linearization of the log files may result in loss unless you first promote your images to float. For more information, see "The Logarithmic Cineon File" on page 437. The Bytes Node The Bytes node converts the input image to a different bit depth. The bit depth is counted in bytes per channel. To view the current bit depth of an image, you can look at the title bar of the Viewer, or look at the output of a Shake -info in the Command Line field at the bottom of the interface. 10-bit Cineon files are automatically pushed to 16 bits when read by Shake. Note: When compositing images of different bit depths, you do not need to force the images to conform; Shake automatically pushes the lower bit-depth image to the higher bit depth. Chapter 15 Image Processing Basics 413