What is TIFF?
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is a lossless raster image format created in 1986 by Aldus Corporation (later acquired by Adobe). It's the gold standard for:
- Professional photography and archiving
- Document scanning
- Prepress and print production
- Museum and library digitization
Unlike JPEG, TIFF stores every pixel without compression-related quality loss. Unlike PNG, TIFF supports 16-bit and 32-bit color depth, making it the choice for photographers who need maximum color fidelity.
TIFF vs JPG vs PNG
| Feature | TIFF | JPG | PNG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compression | None or lossless (LZW) | Lossy | Lossless |
| Bit depth | 8, 16, or 32 bits/channel | 8 bits | 8 or 16 bits |
| File size (1MP photo) | ~3 MB (8-bit), ~6 MB (16-bit) | ~300 KB | ~1.5 MB |
| Transparency | Yes (alpha) | No | Yes |
| Browser support | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Layers (Photoshop) | Yes | No | No |
| Color spaces | RGB, CMYK, Lab, Grayscale | RGB | RGB |
When to Use TIFF
Use TIFF for:
- Raw scan output — flatbed scanners and drum scanners save to TIFF natively.
- Intermediate editing files — edit in TIFF between steps to avoid JPEG degradation.
- Print-ready files — printing presses and print services typically require TIFF or PDF.
- Archival storage — TIFF is the standard for long-term digital preservation.
- 16-bit color workflows — HDR photography, astronomy imaging, medical imaging.
Don't use TIFF for:
- Web images — browsers don't support TIFF.
- Email attachments — a single TIFF photo can be 20-50 MB.
- Social media uploads.
- Any situation where file size matters.
TIFF Compression Options
TIFF supports multiple compression methods:
- No compression: maximum compatibility, largest file size.
- LZW: lossless compression, ~30-50% size reduction, universal support.
- ZIP/Deflate: lossless, good compression, not supported everywhere.
- JPEG: lossy compression within TIFF — not recommended (defeats the purpose).
For archival: use LZW compression for a good balance of size and compatibility.
8-bit vs 16-bit TIFF
8-bit TIFF: 256 levels per channel. Same as JPEG. Fine for final output.
16-bit TIFF: 65,536 levels per channel. Captures subtle color transitions that 8-bit can't represent. Essential for:
- RAW photo processing (your camera captures 12-14 bits).
- HDR compositing.
- Avoiding banding in smooth gradients.
- Multiple rounds of aggressive editing.
When to downsample to 8-bit: only when delivering the final file. Keep 16-bit throughout your editing workflow.
Converting TIFF to Other Formats
To JPG — for sharing, web use, email:
- Convert TIFF to JPG online.
- Or in Photoshop: File → Save As → JPEG, quality 85-90%.
- Or with ImageMagick:
convert image.tiff -quality 85 image.jpg
To PNG — for web use with transparency:
To PDF — for document delivery:
- Convert TIFF to PDF — multiple TIFFs become a multi-page PDF.
TIFF for Scanned Documents
When scanning documents for archival:
- 300 DPI minimum for text documents.
- 400-600 DPI for documents with small text or fine details.
- Save as TIFF (uncompressed or LZW) for maximum fidelity.
- Convert to PDF for delivery and sharing.
Many document management systems accept TIFF directly, but PDF is better for universal access.
Related conversions
Most teams that read this guide convert images in one of these directions: