Fog Panther Now Supports 16-Bit PNG

Fog Panther can now read and write 16-bit PNG files, preserving the full color depth that photographers and digital artists depend on.

Previously, opening a 16-bit PNG stripped the image to 8 bits per channel, discarding the extra precision. Saving always produced an 8-bit file. This meant that high-dynamic-range photographs and wide-gamut artwork lost detail the moment they entered the editor.

That limitation is now gone.

What Changed

16-bit PNGs load as 16-bit documents. The pixel data flows directly into RGBA16 tiles at full precision - no downsampling, no intermediate conversion. The document's bit depth is set automatically.

Saving a 16-bit RGB document writes a 16-bit PNG. When the document contains a single layer, pixel data is read straight from the tile store, producing a lossless round-trip. Multi-layer documents are flattened through the compositor and written as 16-bit output.

Grayscale and CMYK documents continue to export as 8-bit RGB PNG, as the compositor converts color modes through Cairo. For full-fidelity storage of these color modes, use the native FOG format.

Why It Matters

Camera RAW files converted to 16-bit PNG carry thousands of tonal steps per channel instead of 256. Losing that precision on import meant banding in gradients, clipped highlights, and reduced latitude for exposure or color adjustments. With 16-bit round-trip support, the editing pipeline preserves what the camera captured.