Along the River

[Ysarex87 81]

Thank you, Joe. Correct, I leave the files as NEF. They only change to DNG when LR forces them to. I will dig into PS to see if I can find the file save settings. I don't know why it changes to TIFF, or what bit rate.
When I am editing in LR, and I want PS for something, I use "edit as smart object in Photoshop" rather than "edit in Photoshop". I wonder if that affects file save settings. I'll work on it. And yes, a monitor is on the list

Once open in PS you should be able to check the bit depth of your smart object from the menu Image -> Mode.

Joe

 

[zulu422]

Well, it is checked at 16 bits. I can't change the sky color without introducing banding and posterization. Can't do it in a Tiff or a DNG. Actually, the dang DNG had posterization in the sky already. I'm doing it wrong. target blues, hue +2 and increase saturation. Just about the point where it turns the sky a nice blue, it starts to get ugly

 

[Ysarex87 81]

Well, it is checked at 16 bits. I can't change the sky color without introducing banding and posterization. Can't do it in a Tiff or a DNG. Actually, the dang DNG had posterization in the sky already. I'm doing it wrong. target blues, hue +2 and increase saturation. Just about the point where it turns the sky a nice blue, it starts to get ugly

You say it's a pano merge from multiple NEF files, right? Or is it an HDR merge? If LR creates a DNG output and that already shows banding as a result of the merge then we need to look at LR and that process.

Joe

 

[zulu422]

Correct, a panorama merge, not HDR.
To be honest, I made so many virtual copies with different edits, I cannot say for certain that pano merge had banding as a result of the merge. I may have done some other subsequent edits that caused it.

I don't want to drag you into this banding issue rabbit hole, you've been more than helpful already. If I decide to save this photo, I'll dig out the original 3 nef files and start from scratch.

 

[Ysarex87 81]

Correct, a panorama merge, not HDR.
To be honest, I made so many virtual copies with different edits, I cannot say for certain that pano merge had banding as a result of the merge. I may have done some other subsequent edits that caused it.

I don't want to drag you into this banding issue rabbit hole, you've been more than helpful already. If I decide to save this photo, I'll dig out the original 3 nef files and start from scratch.

That sounds like the right plan.

Joe