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Tiff files Q.

D

D upton-Hackett.

Guest
Is there any reason or benefit for saving pics from Raw to Tiff to Jpeg over Raw to Jpeg.

Have read (photo.net) Shoot Raw (I do) convert to 16 bit Tiff for processing then back to 8 bit Tiff or Jpeg for printing of web use.
May i presume that tiff gives you less detail loss than Jpeg for processing or am i barking up the wrong tree.:(:(

At the moment i'm processing in Raw then saving strait to Jpeg

just trying to find how to convert Raw to 16 bit in Sigma PP to try this.

If anyone far more knowledgeable than I could help I would be grateful.

Derek.
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
Derek,
I guess the most important point as for file formats is first to not lose information.
Raw files are a good starting point and 16 bit tiffs maintain the most information as for both detail and for color depth (the number of bits used to represent each pixel).
For processing speed, since disk is so inexpensive these days, I prefer to save my files, even photoshop masters, in uncompressed 16 bit tiffs. There are some compression algorithms that do not lose data, such as lzw or zip, but these are not the algorithms employed in jpeg.
The ONLY time I convert to jpeg is for web use. Jpeg is a compressed format that loses information, and each time a jpeg is opened and then re-saved, the compression algorithm is run again, each time introducing more artifacts. It is thus important to maintain your files in tiff or some other equivalent format (both dng and psd format essentially are variants of tiff) then re-size them and convert for a particular purpose once. Newer versions of print drivers on the apple platform actually can make use of 16 bit data and the results are visible, so print using a utility that can maintain a 16 bit workflow from beginning to end. Users who print directly from photoshop have this capability at least on the apple platform.
Unfortunately, I am not familiar with Sigma PP, so I have nothing to say about that bit.
-bob
 

Kofronj

New member
Derek,

16-bit TIFF out of SPP is the way to go if you're doing the following:

1. A lot of post-SPP manipulation (especially pushing the levels a lot)
2. Creating an image that you really care about (traditionally printing)

I use this workflow for most of my printed work. If I'm putting it to the web, I've actually taken to jpg straight out of SPP (and often at half-size---mainly because I'm on dial-up and loading the full size images is a PITA).

Jim
 
P

plupcoutrielo

Guest
Tiff files Q

As a newbie of PSE, I find that one of the best learning tools is to shoot in Raw. This enables me to gain familiarity with the Raw Converter as well as the Full Edit mode.

I understand the importance of saving images in formats like PSD or TIFF for future processing or printing. However, if my "practice" photos will be only used for sharing online or in an occasional slideshow, is there any reason not to save them as JPEGs to save hard drive space?

Thank you, everyone, for being such a great learning source. I truly appreciate it.
 

otumay

New member
You are right, TIFF's take up so much space. On the other hand, I would advise strongly that you back-up your important images to DVD's, as hard disks are prone to crashing unexpectedly.
Best,
Osman
 

TRSmith

Subscriber Member
If you are using files as "practice" images, then using jpeg is not doing you any favors. As Bob mentioned, every time you make a change and save the file, the jpeg compression is applied and the quality degrades.

IMHO, start shooting and make your practice with RAW files exclusively. You'll spend your learning curve more efficiently (since it seems inevitable to me that you'll end up shooting RAW) and the benefits far outweigh the cheap hard drive storage you'll need.
 
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