What is the difference between jpeg tiff and raw

A TIFF, or tagged image file format , is a lossless raster format hailed for its extremely high image quality. Often the format used by professionals in creative industries, these files require a large amount of storage space and are a challenge to share unless zipped or sent using file-sharing tools.

A TIFF file is a great choice when high-quality is your goal, especially when it comes to printing photos or even billboards. TIFF is also an adaptable format that can support both lossy and lossless compression.

This allows each page in a TIFF file to be compressed differently if desired. TIFF is best for any raster images that you intend to edit and is relied on to preserve quality. It offers options to use tags, layers, and transparency and is compatible with photo manipulation programs like Adobe Photoshop.

But if you plan to edit digital images in a working storage format, consider TIFF your go-to. While a TIFF file might be the original creative file, it will likely be converted to another format to be used in slide decks, websites, and other marketing materials.

A JPEG, or joint photographic experts group , is a lossy raster file format most commonly used in online channels for its flexibility with raster editing and ability to compress into small sizes allowing for easy emailing and faster web page load times.

It also supports a full spectrum of colors, and almost all devices and programs can open and save to the JPEG format — making it the most universal of the four. While JPEGs are a great choice because they keep their file size low, the trade-off is in the details.

Compressing the image can interfere with readability so using a JPEG for infographics or charts is not recommended. Also, because JPEGs are a flat file they do not offer transparency, making it difficult to layer these images onto colored backgrounds or other graphics. As you can see, there are many reasons to choose a specific file format. But what you may not know is that some files can be converted to other formats, making some more versatile than others.

This can lead to larger-than-necessary slide decks, longer page load times, and bogged-down systems — especially if these files are stored on individual computers or local servers. Most enterprise DAM platforms have functionality for users to convert file formats on the fly.

This includes converting images, videos, and even audio files into other formats based on the needs of the end-user. These tools also include options to crop and resize, making it easier for marketing and sales teams to get the size and format they need for everything from social media to slide decks. While creatives might understand which format a file can be converted to, general users are often not as familiar with this information.

TIFF should not be used for displaying images on the web, because of file size. Most web browsers will not display a TIFF image. Hopefully this beginner photography article has helped to clarify the difference between the file formats. In summary, if ultimate quality and large printing is not required, JPEG files will more than suffice, and can also be used on the internet.

RAW files are excellent for serious photographers who want the maximum quality, and ability to make detailed changes in post production. Join over , photographers of all experience levels who receive our free photography tips and articles to stay current:. Most of us see this and don,t know what the letters mean.

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Like This Article? They have starkly different use cases. Professional photographers have both types in their archives. Most typically, TIFF files come from an export these days. RAW files are imported into a computer, edited, etc. They are also the preferred choice for photographers when it comes to printing their photos.

This is because it stores a larger amount of image data, tonal range and detail in shadows and highlights when compared to JPEGs. TIFF also lets you save the image with individual Photoshop layers. PSD is the native Photoshop format to save your work.