Back to Beauty 16bit equivalent

[sherridge101]

Hi all

We use the Back to Beauty process for 32bit images in Photoshop, but wondered what the closest equivalent is in 16bit?

32bit
All set to - Linear Dodge ’Add’

With Lighting and GI being in their own folder

Reflection
Refraction
Specular
Self Illumination
Caustics
Atmosphere
Background

Is this a viable 16bit solution:
All set to Screen?

Reflect
Specular
Refract
Self Illumination
Caustics
Atmosphere
rawTotalLight
Diffuse
Background

Cheers

[dgruwier]

16-bit in photoshop is not linear, and screen isn't a linear operation, so that definitely won't work.
You could possibly do a workaround by making sure everything is imported into photoshop 16-bit with no gamma correction (or actually do a negative gamma correct on each layer, either way it should look too dark on your display), then using the same workflow as you would with 32-bit (same layers, Linear Dodge), and gamma correct the resulting beauty. It's going to be quite a hack, not sure if that'd work.