Does Elements 3 not support 14 bit images?

Question

I just purchased a Nikon V ED scanner so that I could start digitizing my 4000 or so analog images. As I've begun my first experiments I started noticing that sometimes when I scan an image and then open it in in Elements, the majority of the tools don't work and then at other times they work fine. In a short period of time I realized the it's when I scan an image at 14 bits as apposed to 8 bits, (my only two options), that I have no control over the majority of the tools. When I pick the tools and bring the cursor over the image, I see a circle with a diagonal line through it.
1. Does anyone know for sure if it's the 14 bits that is the problem?
2. Would buying Elements 4 or eventually 5 make a difference?
Thanks

Answer 1

I was playing around with this the other day to try to work out whether it was worth doing any work in 16 bits on the files converted from my new camera's RAW files (which are 12 bit).
With certain sorts of images, such as those with large expanses of similar colours (skies for example), it certainly seems worth doing all the main levels and colour adjustments in 16 bit mode before converting to 8 bit.
I tried leaving the file in 16 bit on one image while I adjusted the levels and then converted to 8 bit and then tried, on a copy of the same image, converting to 8 bit before changing the levels to the same values. On comparing the two, the 8 bit level conversion had slight but obvious banding in the sky whereas the 16 bit level conversion didn't. If I looked at the levels histogram in the two versions one had gaps whereas the other didn't.
So, I'm now sold on doing everything I can in 16 bit mode before converting to 8 bit. All I have to do is remember to work this way :-)