A versatile, high-quality raster image format for professional and archival applications
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is a versatile raster image format developed in the 1980s to become a standard file format for high-quality images in the printing, publishing, and professional photography industries. Originally created by Aldus Corporation (later acquired by Adobe), TIFF was designed to be a highly flexible format that could accommodate various image data types and compression methods.
What distinguishes TIFF from many other image formats is its rich metadata capability through a system of "tags" that define various image properties. These tags can specify everything from basic information like dimensions and color depth to more complex data such as color profiles, layers, transparency, and custom metadata.
TIFF files can support multiple pages within a single file, making the format suitable for scanned documents, fax transmissions, and image sequences. With support for various compression algorithms (including lossless options), alpha channels, and high bit depths, TIFF remains a professional standard for high-quality image storage and archiving.
The TIFF format uses a flexible container structure organized around "Image File Directories" (IFDs) that contain tags pointing to image data and other information. This design allows TIFF to support multiple images per file, various compression methods, and extensive metadata. The format specification has been remarkably stable - the last major revision (6.0) was in 1992, though various extensions have been added over time, such as the BigTIFF extension for files larger than 4GB.
TIFF is a go-to format for professional photographers who need maximum image quality throughout their workflow. The format's support for high bit depths, various color spaces (including RGB and CMYK), and lossless compression makes it ideal for archiving original photographs, master copies, and print-ready images. Many photographers use TIFF as their working format when editing and retouching images before final delivery.
The publishing industry heavily relies on TIFF for high-quality image reproduction in books, magazines, brochures, and other printed materials. TIFF's support for the CMYK color model (essential for professional printing), color profiles, and high resolution makes it the preferred format for images destined for commercial printing. Print service providers often specifically request TIFF files to ensure optimal print quality.
TIFF's multi-page capability and lossless compression make it excellent for document scanning applications. Libraries, archives, and businesses use TIFF for document preservation because it maintains the highest possible quality while allowing multiple pages in a single file. The format's extensive metadata capabilities also allow for storing important document information alongside the images.
While specialized formats exist for medical imaging, TIFF is sometimes used in medical and scientific applications due to its ability to store high bit-depth images without quality loss. The format can handle the grayscale depth needed for X-rays and other diagnostic images, and its metadata capabilities allow for storing patient information and other relevant data (though with appropriate security measures).
GeoTIFF, a specialized variation of TIFF, is widely used in geographical information systems for storing satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and digital elevation models. This extension adds geospatial metadata tags that can define precise geographic coordinates, map projections, and other spatial reference information critical for accurate mapping and analysis.
TIFF is widely supported in professional graphics applications:
Native OS support for TIFF varies:
TIFF has limited web support:
TIFF is extremely well-supported in printing environments:
| Feature | TIFF | JPEG | PNG | PSD | WebP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lossless Compression | |||||
| File Size Efficiency | |||||
| Web Compatibility | |||||
| Maximum Quality | |||||
| Metadata Support | |||||
| Multi-Page Support | |||||
| Layer Support |
TIFF excels in quality and professional features like multi-page support and extensive metadata, while JPEG offers smaller file sizes ideal for web use but with quality loss. PNG provides lossless compression with transparency support and good web compatibility. PSD is best for layered editing workflows in Adobe environments. WebP attempts to balance quality and compression for web use cases with improving browser support.
When converting from camera RAW formats to TIFF, use your RAW processing software's export or conversion tools (like Adobe Camera Raw, Lightroom, or Capture One). Choose 16-bit color depth for maximum quality and select an appropriate color space (sRGB for general use, AdobeRGB or ProPhoto RGB for wider gamut). Consider using lossless compression like LZW to balance file size and quality. Apply any necessary adjustments before conversion, as TIFF lacks the non-destructive editing capabilities of RAW.
When converting from compressed formats to TIFF, understand that you're preserving the current state of the image - you can't recover quality lost in previous JPEG compression. Use an image editor's "Save As" or "Export" function and select TIFF format. For archival purposes, choose lossless compression or uncompressed storage. For photos previously saved as JPEG, consider whether TIFF conversion provides sufficient benefit, as it increases file size without improving the already-compressed image quality.
When creating TIFFs from scanned documents, configure your scanning software to save directly to TIFF format when possible. For multi-page documents, ensure your scanner software supports multi-page TIFF creation. For black and white documents, consider CCITT Group 4 compression which is highly efficient for text. For color documents, LZW compression provides good lossless compression. Set an appropriate resolution - typically 300 DPI for text documents, higher for documents with detailed graphics.
When converting TIFF to JPEG for web use or sharing, be mindful of the compression quality setting - higher values preserve more quality but result in larger files. Most image editors allow quality selection during export. For photographs, a quality setting of 80-90% often provides a good balance. Remember that multi-page TIFFs will typically convert to multiple separate JPEG files. TIFF's alpha channel transparency will be lost in JPEG conversion, typically replaced with a white background.
TIFF to PDF conversion is common for document sharing and archiving. Multi-page TIFFs convert well to multi-page PDFs. Many document applications and dedicated converters can perform this task. For scanned text documents, consider enabling OCR (Optical Character Recognition) during conversion to create searchable PDFs. Adjust compression settings based on your needs - higher compression reduces quality but creates smaller files, while lossless options preserve quality at the cost of larger file sizes.
Converting TIFF to PSD (Photoshop Document) is useful when you need to perform extensive editing in Adobe Photoshop. Use Photoshop's "Open" function to load the TIFF, then "Save As" to PSD format. If the TIFF contains layers, ensure "Layers" is checked during the save process. Consider whether to maximize compatibility with other applications, which increases file size but improves interoperability. PSD supports all the color models and bit depths available in TIFF.