Hmmm...I've used 24bit images in the Bryce terrain editor, even after saving the Bryce file they can still be pasted/exported back out as 24bit. (They have the same color count going out as they did going in) I've never copy/pasted out of photoshop, I always saved my terrains, then just opened them up in the terrain editor, so I never ran into that stepping problem you mentioned, good to know though.

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