Hi do any of you retouch in 16bit or higher, I guess no output device can reproduce that detail and colour range, but you can make more subtle corrections then convert to 8bit.

Has anyone found any good benefits from working in 16bit?

Yes, but most often not through the whole process. Read up on 16 bit and you will understand better. I doubt that it is wholly necessary most of the time and that be converting to 8 bit anyone notices much, if any difference, but if color is off a critical issue and the file starts to, or might fall apart with some semi aggressive adjustments then it's best to have all the info you can get. This will also make banding less likely. Btw, there are now output devices that will print 16 bit. Again, most likely not a visual difference, but you know how some tech nerd photographers can be...

Yeah but remember to FLATTEN your adjustments before converting down to 8 bit. i worked in a studio in July where the guy that ran it was outputting to 16 bit, doing his first adjustments there. All OK so far obviously, but then he was converting the whole PSD, adjustment layers intact straight down to 8 bit. This makes whole process of doing the initials on a higher bit file pointless. Unfortunately don't think anyone there had the balls to point it out to him, me included.

Its the flattening that does the damage, each adjustment layer is applied to the base in sequence. If you flatten in 16 bit, take your resulting 8 bit file and then do the compositing and tweaking thats the way to work. If you do your flattening in 8 bit, you are doing exactly the same as if you had worked the file that way from the beginning. I think this is something a lot pf people don't understand.

Yes. I do all of my retouching and printing in 16 bit. But only in a closed loop with my own clients. The canon ipf5000 and above comes with a print plugin that bypasses Photoshops print engine and allows for 16 bit printing. Huge difference and my clients portfolios notice it, especially in skin tones and gradations that vignette. Also between the shadows and 3/4 tones in skin etc. Much smoother.
At work in the real world, I will do all of my first round cc's and retouching in 16 bit rgb and thereafter in 8 bit cmyk.

Chris

Great info from you all thanks!!

here's a descent link to understanding the basics on bits…

http://www.photoshop-tutorials-plus.com/8-bit-and-16-bit.html