Edit as PSD or TIFF?

AO
Posted By
Allan_Ostermann
Apr 8, 2008
Views
390
Replies
14
Status
Closed
I was reading a book on digital photography and it said one should make changes to images in TIFF format, because it’s lossless. Is the native Photoshop format, PSD, also just as good and as safe?
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P
Phosphor
Apr 8, 2008
Yes. I usually use psd, but that is probably force of habit. Avoid saving in lossy formats like jpg unless necessary.
WG
Welles_Goodrich
Apr 8, 2008
Yes, the native Photoshop format preserves all the data, there is no lossy compression. In general you can use the TIFF format and save your files with LZW compression for smaller file sizes and probably a longer guarantee of file compatibility if you are thinking in terms of decades. Additionally the TIFF format will contain all the elements of a Photoshop file. There are two places I can think of, PSB files are still needed for huge images and if you are going to use the displace filter it looks for PSD files.

Here’s an excellent bit of history on the subject on another forum. Look at the post by Jeff Shewe.

< http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/lofiversion/index.ph p/t17170.html>
AS
Ann_Shelbourne
Apr 8, 2008
One possible advantage with Tiffs is that you can edit basic ones (no Layers or Alphas etc.) in ACR 4.4.

After doing that, I save as PSDs.
MO
Mike_Ornellas
Apr 8, 2008
It’s all crap to me to be honest.
JM
J_Maloney
Apr 8, 2008
CRAP format does have some advantages.

J
MO
Mike_Ornellas
Apr 8, 2008
Yes – and it has so many advantages that not many understand why we have said crap as a format.

Any file format that allows you to throw away a ICC profile is a CRAP format.

period.
AO
Allan_Ostermann
Apr 8, 2008
Thanks everyone, especially Welles. Looks like TIFF w/ LZW is a good way to make lossless compressions.
PF
Peter_Figen
Apr 8, 2008
Tiff with Zip compression is even better. LZW only works with 8 bpc files, actually can make them bigger with 16 bpc. Tiff w/zip is almost always smaller than psd and always smaller than psd w/forward compatibility option checked.
AO
Allan_Ostermann
Apr 8, 2008
Also, I’d just like to point out that CRAP Format was originally called CRP, and made it’s introduction with Photoshop 2.5 🙂
AO
Allan_Ostermann
Apr 8, 2008
So TIFF Zip it is. Thanks.
R
Ram
Apr 9, 2008
I abandoned TIFFs a long time ago for a very simple and basic reason: PSDs are much, much faster to open and save than TIFFs. No doubt about it.

However, the scanned images come out as TIFFs (I still shoot a good percentage of film and also have gazillion rolls of old negatives to scan), and, for the reason pointed out by Ann, TIFFs are good for manipulation in ACR. Images saved into Photoshop from ACR, I always keep as PSD files.

Storage space is not an issue these days. Speed is, particularly if you don’t have the fastest machine available. That’s where PSDs excel.
B
Buko
Apr 9, 2008
Another thing to Keep in mind is that Tiff with ZIP can be problematic to some applications
PF
Peter_Figen
Apr 9, 2008
Sure, but for me, I’m using zip for maximum compression of tiffs both for archiving and for sending via ftp (just uploaded a 1.2 gig file for a client last week). The files are always opened and saved without compression on the other end if there might be any kind of zip compatibility issue. Those issues are getting fewer and farther between anyway.

For my, again, your needs might be different, psd format limits you to a 2 gig file size. It’s just easier to use a format that accommodates more of my needs. I haven’t timed it but I’m pretty sure if you save a layered tiff with RLE compression on both the background and layers, it should be very similar to psd save times and about the same size.
B
Buko
Apr 9, 2008
I always use ZIP compression. I just think you should be aware of potential issues if you are going use it. As Peter say the issues are getting fewer and farther between but as we all know not everyone stay up to date.

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