What are the advantages or disadvantage of saving to EXR vs 32 bit tga?

[danb4026]

I do not have ProEXR so if I feel the need for a 32bit image, I save as a tga. Am I missing out on something by not purchasing ProEXR and using exr files rather than tga's?

[John Dollus]

mixing terminology from 2 decades of change. 32 bit targa file = 8 bit exr file. to put it simply, TGA files store 8 bits per channel in each of the main 4 image channels (RGB+Alpha) (=32 bit file). EXR stores up to 32 bits per channel at full float so you have a greater range of adjustment. EXR also allows user defined utility channels above the alpha channel(each potentially stored at 32 bit) so the files can get quite large.

16 bit half float EXR images are usually quite suitable for the type of adjustments needed in a post-production rich pipeline.

[danb4026]

Thanks John. So, basically, using a 16 bit half float exr will usually suffice and allows

for the use of all of PS's adjustment tools. Correct?

[John Dollus]

at 16 bit, the usual adjustment layers are supported. in CS3, not all of the image filters are supported in 16 bit but this may have changed in CS5.