Do you know how images in magazines are always crystal clear and beautifully colored? Those images are traditionally used in TIF format, which is the image format file for high-quality graphics.
The color layering in digital photos (TIF files) is what results in high-quality imagery on printed pages. Without that universal image format, the images we’d see in print work would be vastly different. TIF stands for “Tagged Image File”. Nowadays, TIF files are used for high color-depth images and graphics like those used in our magazine example.
To help you understand what a TIF file is a little more, let’s talk about them in detail.
Technical information about TIF files
TIF files can either be saved in a compressed format or uncompressed format. A compressed file consists of one or more files that are smaller than the original file size. Compressed files make downloading faster and allow more data to be stored on removable media. Some forms of less compression don’t reduce the quality of the image when it reduces the file size. So, quality isn’t compromised when the size is reduced.
Who would use TIF files?
Graphic artists, graphic designers, Adobe users (especially those using Photoshop), anyone in the publishing and editing industry, geographers (GeoTIFF), and photographers. TIF files can be easily supported by scans, faxes, word processors, page-layout applications, and desktop publishers.
How to edit TIF files
There are conversion tools that can assist in editing a TIF file that doesn’t require installing a photo editing program. These conversion tools specifically support TIF files, but they change the format of the file from TIF for the viewer’s editing purposes.
If that worries you and you want to keep the TIF format while editing the file, there is free photo editing software available, as well as paid subscriptions like Adobe Photoshop.
How to Convert a TIF file
Converting a TIF file is easy. If your image editor supports TIF files but you want to save it in a different format , like a JPG for example, there are only three steps.
First, you’ll hover your cursor over the ‘File’ tab. Then, you’ll find and select ‘Save as’. There will then be a list of various formats you can choose to click and convert your TIF file to. And there you have it – once a TIF, now a JPG.
History of the TIF file
The TIF was created by the Aldus Corporation (a software company known for the development of PageMaker) for use in desktop publishing. The latest version for TIF formatting is version 6.0 which was developed in 1992. In 1994, Adobe acquired the Aldus Corporation. Since then, minor technical notes and extensions have been added to the format. Several specifications have been based on the most recent TIF 6.0, such as TIFF/EP, TIFF/IT, TIFF-F, and TIFF-FX.
TIF formatting was created to attempt to get desktop scanners and developers to unanimously agree on a common image file format during a time when lots of image file formats existed. TIF formatting since then has become extensively used across a variety of creative fields and even used in geo-mapping. Geographers have created a public domain Metabase that uses a specific type of TIFF file, a geoTIFF.
At inception, TIF files only supported black and white images, but later adapted and included the color palette. Fun fact, the color palette was only introduced in the 5.0 revision in 1988.
Review: What is a TIF file?
TIF files are files used in publishing and other graphic design areas for their ability to implement depth of color. It’s the universal file for desktop image file scanning and can either be compressed or uncompressed.
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