Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or just starting your film photography journey, choosing the right format for your scanned photos is crucial. While both JPEG and TIFF are common image formats, they cater to different needs. This article breaks down the key differences between JPEG and TIFF, helping you decide which format best suits your needs.
The Difference Between JPEG and TIFF
The biggest difference between JPEG and TIFF lies in compression. JPEG uses a technique called “lossy compression,” which discards some image data to create smaller file sizes. This makes JPEGs ideal for sharing photos online or storing large collections of images. However, the discarded data can lead to a slight decrease in image quality, especially with repeated saving.
TIFF, on the other hand, utilizes “lossless compression” or can be uncompressed altogether. This preserves all the image data, resulting in superior quality and larger file sizes. TIFFs are perfect for professional photography, high-resolution scans, and situations where you plan on heavily editing the image.
Choosing the Right Format: A Guide
Here’s a quick guide to help you decide:
Use JPEG for: Sharing photos online, social media posts, emailing images, and storing large photo collections.
Use TIFF for: Professional photography, high-resolution scans, large prints, Fine Art prints, large format digital display, archival purposes, graphic design with multiple layers, and heavy image editing.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Other Considerations
Transparency: When working with graphics or logos, transparency is often essential. TIFF supports transparency, allowing clear backgrounds behind overlaid elements like watermarks. JPEGs, however, do not.
Compression and File Sharing: TIFF are uncompressed files and take considerably more time to copy from appliance to appliance or to transfer versus JPEG files which can be sent, copied, uploaded/downloaded relatively easily with quicker transfer speeds. We recommend using WeTransfer for JPEG files and copying TIFF files to external portable hard drives
for either pick up or delivery to reduce transfer time (especially when scanning large quantities of 135mm).
Editing Flexibility: If you plan on extensively editing your scanned photos, TIFF’s lossless format is the way to go. You can make significant adjustments without compromising image quality. This makes TIFF ideal for photographers who want maximum flexibility in post-processing.
A note on editing software: When you receive a JPEG file from us it should be opened in Photoshop or Preview (Mac) or Photos (PC) and saved as a TIFF file and not as a JPEG again. Every time you save a JPEG file it loses more information and the file gets smaller each time it’s saved. The TIFF file(Master File) can be used any number of times without loss of any data! Always save the edited/retouched files as TIFF and not JPEG.
Compatibility: Both JPEG and TIFF are widely compatible with most image editing software. However, some specialized software, like the Noritsu scanner, favor TIFF due to its ability to store additional data beyond the core image itself.
The Takeaway
JPEG and TIFF serve different purposes. JPEG is your go-to for sharing and storage, while TIFF is the champion of quality and editing flexibility. By understanding their strengths, you can select the format that best suits your photography and design needs.
Remember, with TIFF scans you have the flexibility to create high-quality prints or edit your photos extensively without sacrificing detail. Contact us today to discuss your film processing and scanning needs, and let us help you bring your photographs to life!
