Tagged Image File Format (MIME: image/tiff) is a versatile, high-quality image format widely used in professional photography, publishing, and medical imaging, supporting lossless compression and multiple layers.
History and Development
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) was created by Aldus Corporation (later acquired by Adobe) in 1986. It was designed for desktop publishing and scanning. TIFF 6.0 (1992) is the current standard, maintained by Adobe. The format's extensibility through "tags" makes it suitable for scientific and medical imaging applications.
Technical Specifications
- Compression: Uncompressed, LZW, ZIP, or JPEG compression
- Color depth: 1-bit to 64-bit (16-bit per channel)
- Color spaces: RGB, CMYK, Lab, grayscale
- Layers: Multi-page/multi-layer support
- Transparency: Alpha channel supported
- Metadata: Rich EXIF, IPTC, XMP support
- Max file size: Up to 4 GB (BigTIFF supports larger)
Common Use Cases
TIFF is the standard for professional print production, high-end photography editing, medical imaging (X-rays, MRI), GIS/satellite imagery, and archival storage. Print shops typically require TIFF files. Photographers use TIFF as an editing intermediate between RAW and final output.
TIF vs Similar Formats
- TIFF vs PNG: Both are lossless, but TIFF supports CMYK, layers, and higher bit depths. PNG is better for web use.
- TIFF vs RAW: RAW contains unprocessed sensor data; TIFF is a processed, standardized format. Photographers convert RAW to TIFF for editing.
How to Open and Edit
TIFF opens in Photoshop, GIMP, Lightroom, and macOS Preview. Windows requires a viewer app or Photos app. For web display, convert TIFF to JPEG or WebP as browsers don't support TIFF natively.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are TIFF files so large?
TIFF typically uses lossless compression or no compression at all, preserving full image quality. A 24MP photo as TIFF can be 70-140 MB, compared to 5-10 MB as JPEG.
Can browsers display TIFF?
No, mainstream browsers do not support TIFF. Convert to JPEG, PNG, or WebP for web display.