8 bit vs. 10 bit video card - observable differences?

Friends, I am working with Puget Computers to configure a new box. As we went through the components, we came to the video card and the rep said that I should go with a 10 bit card if my monitor supports it. He indicated that it can create a more nuanced color space. I then read that a 10 bit card can reduce banding in certain circumstances. I contacted NEC and was told that my pro-level monitor does support 10 bit processing.

Consequently, my question is whether the whatever subtle differences I might detect on a 10 bit monitor with a 10 bit video card will be observable on a print that could be up to 24", and if so, under what circumstances. Or is the benefit only detectable, if at all, on the monitor.

Obliged,

David

The visual differences on a high bit panel are pretty small. Here's a test file: see banding, not a fully high bit video path:

http://digitaldog.net/files/10-bit-test-ramp.zip

ddog,

Thanks for yours. My office computer will not open your file. What program should I try to use?

If, as you say, the differences are small on a screen, are they even less discernible on paper. I find that a piece of glass on top of an image is the great equalizer, and too often removes all too much subtlety. If they are detectable, is it likely to be when banding happens - gradations of color in an open sky, etc?

Thanks,

David

It's a ZIP archive of a PSD file.

For it to appear totally smooth to 'illustrate' a fully high bit display path, everything needs to be high bit: video card, display, software, OS.

In the days of 8-bit video cards, I would experience banding in areas of medium density but low gradient. Unfortunately this describes blue sky, particularly near the horizon, and sunsets. This banding seldom appears on prints, unless extreme adjustments are made to the curves or levels. A picket fence appearance in histograms (e.g., PS Levels) is an early waning of banding.

A 10 bit video card affects only what you see on your monitor, not your print. But it may help you spot a subtle banding problem in a file before it's printed. Edited September 25, 2017 by mike_earussi|1