.tiffimage
TIFF
Tagged Image File Format
MIME type: image/tiff
TIFF is a flexible, lossless image format widely used in professional photography, printing, and publishing. It supports multiple color spaces, layers, and extremely high bit depths.
Advantages
- +Lossless — preserves all image data
- +Supports CMYK for print
- +Multiple layers and pages
- +Industry standard for print/publishing
Limitations
- -Very large file sizes
- -Not supported by web browsers
- -Slow to load and process
- -Overkill for web use
Common Use Cases
Professional print productionArchival photographyMedical imagingGIS/satellite imagery
Technical Details
TIFF uses a tag-based structure where metadata and image data are organized into Image File Directories (IFDs). It supports LZW, ZIP, JPEG, and no compression. Bit depths from 1-bit to 64-bit floating point are supported.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a TIFF file?
TIFF is a high-quality, lossless image format used in professional photography and printing. It preserves all image data but creates very large files.