Lossy or lossless: which compression should I use for web images?

Use lossy (JPG, WebP, AVIF) for photographs — the human eye barely notices the difference at quality 80–85, and file sizes are 5–20× smaller. Use lossless (PNG, WebP-lossless) for screenshots, UI mockups, logos and anything with sharp edges or text — lossy creates ugly artifacts around boundaries.

Does conversion preserve EXIF metadata (camera, GPS, date)?

It depends on the tool: ImageMagick and FFmpeg copy EXIF by default, while cwebp drops it unless you pass -metadata all . KaijuConverter strips metadata server-side after conversion to protect your privacy — if you need to keep camera or GPS data, use a desktop tool you control.

Lossy or lossless: which compression should I use for web images?

Use lossy (JPG, WebP, AVIF) for photographs — the human eye barely notices the difference at quality 80–85, and file sizes are 5–20× smaller. Use lossless (PNG, WebP-lossless) for screenshots, UI mockups, logos and anything with sharp edges or text — lossy creates ugly artifacts around boundaries.

Does conversion preserve EXIF metadata (camera, GPS, date)?

It depends on the tool: ImageMagick and FFmpeg copy EXIF by default, while cwebp drops it unless you pass -metadata all . KaijuConverter strips metadata server-side after conversion to protect your privacy — if you need to keep camera or GPS data, use a desktop tool you control.

Guide

TIFF Format: The Complete Guide to Tagged Image File Format

PC By Pablo Cirre • Updated May 7, 2026

What Is TIFF?

TIFF stands for Tagged Image File Format, a flexible raster image format developed by Aldus Corporation (later acquired by Adobe) in 1986. The TIFF 6.0 specification (1992) is the current version, maintained by Adobe. TIFF was designed to be a universal format for desktop publishing and professional photography, capable of storing images in any colour space, any bit depth, with or without compression, and with extensive metadata support.

The word "Tagged" refers to the format's architecture: TIFF files store image data and metadata as a collection of tagged fields (tags), giving the format remarkable flexibility. Different images in the same TIFF can use different compression schemes, colour spaces, and resolutions.

TIFF remains the standard archival format for document scanning, professional photography output, prepress and print production, medical imaging, geographic information systems (GIS/satellite imagery), and museum digitisation.

Binary Structure: IFDs and Tags

A TIFF file consists of:

File Header (8 bytes):
- Bytes 0-1: Byte order (II = little-endian Intel, MM = big-endian Motorola)
- Bytes 2-3: Magic number (42 in the appropriate byte order)
- Bytes 4-7: Offset to the first Image File Directory (IFD)
Image File Directories (IFDs): Each IFD represents one image in the file. An IFD contains:
- Entry count (2 bytes)
- Array of 12-byte directory entries, each describing one tag
- Offset to next IFD (0 = no more images)
Directory Entry (12 bytes):
- Tag number (2 bytes) — identifies what this entry describes
- Field type (2 bytes) — BYTE, ASCII, SHORT, LONG, RATIONAL, FLOAT, DOUBLE, etc.
- Value count (4 bytes) — number of values in the field
- Value offset (4 bytes) — actual value if it fits in 4 bytes; otherwise, offset to value data
Image data: Stored separately, referenced by tags (StripOffsets/StripByteCounts for strips, or TileOffsets/TileByteCounts for tiles)

Essential TIFF Tags

Tag number	Tag name	Description
256	ImageWidth	Width in pixels
257	ImageLength	Height in pixels
258	BitsPerSample	Bits per channel (8, 16, 32)
259	Compression	Compression type code
262	PhotometricInterpretation	Colour space (1=BlackIsZero, 2=RGB, 5=CMYK, 6=YCbCr)
270	ImageDescription	Text description
271	Make	Camera/scanner make
272	Model	Camera/scanner model
277	SamplesPerPixel	Channels (1=grayscale, 3=RGB, 4=CMYK or RGBA)
278	RowsPerStrip	Rows per data strip
279	StripByteCounts	Bytes in each strip
282	XResolution	Horizontal DPI (as RATIONAL)
283	YResolution	Vertical DPI
296	ResolutionUnit	1=no unit, 2=inch, 3=cm
305	Software	Software that created the file
306	DateTime	File creation date/time
320	ColorMap	Colour table for palette images
338	ExtraSamples	Describes additional channels (alpha: 1=premultiplied, 2=unassociated)
529	YCbCrCoefficients	Luma coefficients for YCbCr
700	XMP	Embedded XMP metadata packet
34675	ICCProfile	Embedded ICC colour profile
34736/34737	GeoTIFF tags	Geographic coordinate system (GeoTIFF extension)

Compression Options

TIFF supports multiple compression methods, selectable per image:

Compression code	Method	Notes
1	None (Uncompressed)	Maximum compatibility; largest files
2	CCITT Modified Huffman	1-bit B&W only (fax standard)
5	LZW	Lossless; excellent for line art, graphics with flat areas
6	JPEG (old-style)	Lossy; deprecated; avoid
7	JPEG (new-style)	Lossy; small files; some quality loss
8	Deflate (Adobe)	Lossless zlib/DEFLATE; good for photos
32773	PackBits	Simple run-length encoding; fast
34925	LZMA	Better compression than LZW; less universal

LZW is the standard lossless choice for most TIFF files in professional workflows. Deflate (Adobe variant) provides similar or slightly better compression. None is used when maximum editing speed is needed or for archival masters.

Colour Spaces and Bit Depth

TIFF is the only common image format that supports nearly every professional colour space:

Grayscale (1 channel, 1/8/16/32 bit)
RGB (3 channels, 8/16/32 bit per channel) — standard for photography
CMYK (4 channels, 8/16 bit) — prepress and print standard
YCbCr (3 channels) — for JPEG-compressed TIFF
CIELab (3 channels) — device-independent colour
Transparency/Alpha (extra channel, via ExtraSamples tag)
HDR/floating-point (32-bit float per channel) — used in visual effects and scientific imaging

16-bit per channel TIFF is the professional standard for photography and scanning: it stores 65,536 levels per channel (vs. 256 in 8-bit), preserving subtle gradients and providing substantial headroom for editing without posterisation.

Multi-Page TIFF

TIFF supports multiple images in a single file by chaining IFDs (each IFD's "next IFD offset" points to the next):

Document scanning: Multi-page TIFFs store scanned documents as one file (page 1 = IFD 1, page 2 = IFD 2, etc.)
Image sequences: Some scientific imaging applications store time series as multi-page TIFFs
Fax: Multi-page Group 4 TIFF is the standard fax format

Tools like ImageMagick (convert page1.tif page2.tif multipage.tif) and Pillow (Python) can create, read, and split multi-page TIFFs.

GeoTIFF

GeoTIFF is a TIFF extension that embeds geographic metadata (coordinate system, projection, bounding box) directly in TIFF tags (34736, 34737). This allows satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and maps to carry their own georeferencing information, enabling direct import into GIS software (QGIS, ArcGIS, GDAL).

GeoTIFF is the standard format for:

NASA/ESA satellite imagery
USGS topographic data
Sentinel-2, Landsat-8/9 imagery
Digital elevation models (DEM)

BigTIFF

Standard TIFF uses 32-bit file offsets, limiting files to 4 GB. BigTIFF (extension .btf or still .tif) uses 64-bit offsets, removing this limit. BigTIFF is essential for:

Large satellite imagery tiles
Very high resolution scanning (A0 at 1200 DPI produces files well over 4 GB)
Scientific imaging datasets

GDAL, LibTIFF, ImageMagick, and Pillow support BigTIFF. Photoshop does not natively support BigTIFF (it has its own large format: PSB).

TIFF vs. PNG vs. PSD vs. RAW

Feature	TIFF	PNG	PSD	RAW
Lossless	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Max bit depth	32-bit float	16-bit int	32-bit float	Varies (12-16 bit)
CMYK support	Yes	No	Yes	No
Layers	No (standard)	No	Yes	No
Multi-page	Yes	No	No	No
GeoTIFF	Yes	No	No	No
ICC profiles	Yes	Yes	Yes	Embedded
File size	Large	Medium	Large	Varies
Universal support	High	Highest	Low (Adobe only)	Low (camera-specific)
Print/prepress	Yes (CMYK)	Limited	Yes	No

Converting TIFF

TIFF → JPEG: ImageMagick: convert input.tif -quality 90 output.jpg. Photoshop, GIMP, and most viewers. Note: 16-bit TIFF → JPEG loses bit depth.

TIFF → PNG: Lossless: convert input.tif output.png. PNG doesn't support CMYK; convert to RGB first.

TIFF → PDF: Most document management systems accept TIFF. ImageMagick: convert *.tif multipage.pdf. PDF/A archival format can embed TIFF.

Multi-page TIFF → individual files: convert multipage.tif page-%d.tif (ImageMagick) or Python Pillow's ImageSequence.Iterator.

TIFF → PSD: Photoshop opens TIFF natively; Save As → Photoshop to convert.

RAW → TIFF: Darktable, Lightroom, or dcraw export to 16-bit TIFF for full-quality editing in other applications.

Summary

TIFF is the universal archival and production format for professional imaging — the format that "just works" when other formats' limitations become apparent. Its tagged architecture makes it infinitely extensible; its support for CMYK, 16-bit, multi-page, GeoTIFF, and lossless compression makes it indispensable in print, scanning, satellite imagery, and museum digitisation. For web use, PNG and WebP are more practical. For photography, JPEG suffices for delivery. But for archiving original high-quality scans and as the intermediate format for professional image processing, nothing has displaced TIFF in 35+ years.

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Frequently Asked Questions

TIFF is the standard format for: document scanning (multi-page TIFF), professional photography archiving (16-bit TIFF), prepress and print production (CMYK TIFF), satellite and aerial imagery (GeoTIFF), medical imaging (DICOM systems often export TIFF), museum digitisation (uncompressed or LZW TIFF), and scientific imaging. Its support for 16-bit colour, CMYK, and lossless compression makes it essential where image quality cannot be compromised.

TIFF is the padrão formato for: document scanning (multi-page TIFF), profissional photography archiving (16-bit TIFF), prepress e print production (CMYK TIFF), satellite e aerial imagery (GeoTIFF), medical imaging (DICOM systems often export TIFF), museum digitisation (uncompressed ou LZW TIFF), e scientific imaging. Its support para 16-bit colour, CMYK, e sem perdas compressão makes it essential where qualidade da imagem cannot be compromised.

TIFF is the Standard Format for: document scanning (multi-page TIFF), professionell photography archiving (16-bit TIFF), prepress und print production (CMYK TIFF), satellite und aerial imagery (GeoTIFF), medical imaging (DICOM systems often export TIFF), museum digitisation (uncompressed oder LZW TIFF), und scientific imaging. Its support für 16-bit colour, CMYK, und verlustfrei Komprimierung makes it essential where Bildqualität cannot be compromised.

TIFF is the estándar formato for: document scanning (multi-page TIFF), profesional photography archiving (16-bit TIFF), prepress y print production (CMYK TIFF), satellite y aerial imagery (GeoTIFF), medical imaging (DICOM systems often export TIFF), museum digitisation (uncompressed o LZW TIFF), y scientific imaging. Its support para 16-bit colour, CMYK, y sin pérdidas compresión makes it essential where calidad de imagen cannot be compromised.

Use <strong>lossy</strong> (JPG, WebP, AVIF) for photographs — the human eye barely notices the difference at quality 80–85, and file sizes are 5–20× smaller. Use <strong>lossless</strong> (PNG, WebP-lossless) for screenshots, UI mockups, logos and anything with sharp edges or text — lossy creates ugly artifacts around boundaries.

TIFF can be either lossless or lossy depending on the compression setting chosen when saving. Uncompressed, LZW-compressed, and Deflate-compressed TIFF are all lossless. TIFF can also use JPEG compression internally, which is lossy. When someone says "TIFF is lossless," they mean the standard professional use case of uncompressed or LZW TIFF. Always confirm the compression setting when receiving TIFF files for archiving.

TIFF can be either sem perdas ou com perdas depending no compressão setting chosen when saving. não comprimido, LZW-compressed, e Deflate-compressed TIFF are all sem perdas. TIFF can also usar JPEG compressão internally, which is com perdas. When someone says "TIFF is sem perdas," they mean the padrão profissional usar case of não comprimido ou LZW TIFF. Always confirm the compressão setting when receiving TIFF arquivos para archiving.

TIFF can be either verlustfrei oder verlustbehaftet depending auf dem Komprimierung setting chosen when saving. Uncompressed, LZW-compressed, und Deflate-compressed TIFF are all verlustfrei. TIFF can also verwenden JPEG Komprimierung internally, which is verlustbehaftet. When someone says "TIFF is verlustfrei," they mean the Standard professionell verwenden case von uncompressed oder LZW TIFF. Always confirm the Komprimierung setting when receiving TIFF Dateien für archiving.

TIFF can be either sin pérdidas o con pérdidas depending en el compresión setting chosen when saving. Uncompressed, LZW-compressed, y Deflate-compressed TIFF are all sin pérdidas. TIFF can also usar JPEG compresión internally, which is con pérdidas. When someone says "TIFF is sin pérdidas," they mean the estándar profesional usar case de uncompressed o LZW TIFF. Always confirm the compresión setting when receiving TIFF archivos para archiving.

For new projects in 2026, WebP is supported by all modern browsers (95%+ of traffic) and saves 25–35% over JPG at the same visual quality. AVIF is even more efficient (40–50% smaller) but encoding is slower and Safari support is recent. Use WebP as the default and AVIF as the progressive enhancement via <code><picture></code> with JPG fallback.

RAW files are camera sensor data before demosaicing — they contain the raw Bayer pattern readings and require a RAW processor to develop into a viewable image. TIFF is a developed image format that has been processed into colour pixels. A typical workflow is: shoot RAW → develop in Lightroom/Darktable → export as 16-bit TIFF for further editing → deliver as JPEG or print as TIFF.

RAW arquivos são camera sensor data antes demosaicing — they contain the raw Bayer pattern readings e require a RAW processor to develop em a viewable image. TIFF is a developed image formato that has been processed em colour pixels. A typical workflow is: shoot RAW → develop in Lightroom/Darktable → export as 16-bit TIFF para further editando → deliver as JPEG ou print as TIFF.

RAW Dateien are camera sensor data vor demosaicing — they contain the raw Bayer pattern readings und require a RAW processor to develop in einem viewable image. TIFF is a developed image Format that has been processed in colour pixels. A typical workflow is: shoot RAW → develop in Lightroom/Darktable → export as 16-bit TIFF für further editing → deliver as JPEG oder print as TIFF.

RAW archivos are camera sensor data antes demosaicing — they contain the raw Bayer pattern readings y require a RAW processor to develop en a viewable image. TIFF is a developed image formato that has been processed en colour pixels. A typical workflow is: shoot RAW → develop in Lightroom/Darktable → export as 16-bit TIFF para further editing → deliver as JPEG o print as TIFF.

It depends on the tool: ImageMagick and FFmpeg copy EXIF by default, while cwebp drops it unless you pass <code>-metadata all</code>. KaijuConverter strips metadata server-side after conversion to protect your privacy — if you need to keep camera or GPS data, use a desktop tool you control.

Yes. Multi-page TIFF stores multiple images in a single file by chaining Image File Directories (IFDs). Each IFD contains one page/image. This is widely used in document scanning (scan entire document → save as multi-page TIFF), fax (Group 4 TIFF), and scientific imaging (time series). Most TIFF viewers, Pillow (Python), and ImageMagick handle multi-page TIFFs.

Yes. Multi-page TIFF stores multiple images em um single arquivo by chaining Image arquivo Directories (IFDs). Each IFD contém one page/image. This is widely used in document scanning (scan entire document → salvar as multi-page TIFF), fax (Group 4 TIFF), e scientific imaging (time series). Most TIFF viewers, Pillow (Python), e ImageMagick handle multi-page TIFFs.

Yes. Multi-page TIFF stores multiple images in einem single Datei by chaining Image Datei Directories (IFDs). Each IFD contains one page/image. This is widely used in document scanning (scan entire document → speichern as multi-page TIFF), fax (Group 4 TIFF), und scientific imaging (time series). Most TIFF viewers, Pillow (Python), und ImageMagick handle multi-page TIFFs.

Yes. Multi-page TIFF stores multiple images en un single archivo by chaining Image archivo Directories (IFDs). Each IFD contains one page/image. This is widely used in document scanning (scan entire document → guardar as multi-page TIFF), fax (Group 4 TIFF), y scientific imaging (time series). Most TIFF viewers, Pillow (Python), y ImageMagick handle multi-page TIFFs.

Three common causes: (1) ICC color profiles dropped during conversion shift colors slightly; (2) chroma subsampling (4:2:0) reduces color accuracy in lossy JPG/WebP; (3) the new format may not support all features of the original (e.g. PNG → JPG drops transparency to white). For pixel-perfect results stick to lossless formats and preserve color profiles explicitly.