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TIFF: the format for scans, print and archives

TIFF is a flexible container for high-quality images, used for scanning, print production and archiving. It can hold lossless or lossy data, 16-bit colour, CMYK, layers and multiple pages. Browsers mostly can't display it, so TIFFs are converted before they go on the web or into email.

TIFF at a glance

File extensions
.tif, .tiff
MIME type
image/tiff
Compression
Uncompressed, lossless (LZW or ZIP) or lossy (JPEG) — chosen when the file is saved.
Transparency
Yes, including extra alpha channels.
Animation
No, but one file can hold many pages.
Colour
8, 16 or 32 bits per channel; RGB, CMYK, greyscale or Lab.
Browser support
Safari displays TIFF. Chrome, Edge and Firefox do not.
In ImageDoctor
Converting or editing a TIFF needs a browser that can decode it — in practice Safari. In other browsers, export a PNG or JPEG from the program that made the TIFF first.

A container, not a single format

"Tagged" is the key word in Tagged Image File Format. A TIFF is a set of labelled records that say how the image data is stored, and the options are broad: uncompressed, lossless (LZW or ZIP), or JPEG-compressed; 8 or 16 bits per channel; RGB, CMYK for printing presses, or greyscale; several images or pages in one file. Two .tif files can be very different inside, which is why a TIFF from one program occasionally won't open in another.

Why professionals use it

  • 16-bit colour gives far more editing headroom than 8-bit JPEG: strong exposure or colour corrections don't produce banding.
  • CMYK is what commercial print workflows expect.
  • Lossless masters. Scans and edited photographs can be stored without any compression loss.
  • Multi-page files suit scanned documents and faxes.

Why you rarely see it online

TIFFs are large — an uncompressed 16-bit scan can run to hundreds of megabytes — and most browsers can't display them at all. Only Safari does. For the web, email or documents, TIFFs are converted: to JPEG for photographs, or PNG for graphics and anything that must stay lossless.

When to use TIFF

  • Scanning photos and documents you want to keep at full quality.
  • Print production, when the printer asks for TIFF or CMYK.
  • Archival masters of edited photographs.

When not to

  • The web, email and chat. Convert to JPEG, PNG or WebP.
  • Everyday photo storage. A high-quality JPEG or the camera's own format is far smaller.

Common questions

It can be. A lossless 16-bit TIFF keeps every detail and more colour depth, while JPEG discards some detail and is limited to 8 bits. The cost is file size — often ten times larger or more.

Chrome, Edge and Firefox don't support TIFF images; Safari does. Open the file in an image app instead, or export it as PNG or JPEG.

Tools for TIFF files

Image ConverterConvert between JPG, PNG, WebP and AVIF with control over quality, transparency and background colour.Image ResizerSet exact dimensions, scale by percentage or fit inside a bounding box with contain, cover and fill modes.PDF to ImageRender PDF pages to PNG or JPG at the DPI you choose, entirely in the browser.

Keep reading

All image formats