TIFF is a high-fidelity image format built for professional photography, printing, and archival — supporting lossless compression, 16-bit colour depth, multiple layers, and CMYK colour spaces.
Safe format
Type Image
By Aldus / Adobe
MIMEimage/tiff
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TIFF is a high-fidelity image format built for professional photography, printing, and archival — supporting lossless compression, 16-bit colour depth, multiple layers, and CMYK colour spaces. The print industry's workhorse since the late 1980s. TIFF files are large because they prioritise quality over file size. A single high-resolution scan can easily exceed 100 MB. You will encounter TIFF in print workflows, medical imaging, GIS data, and photography archives. For web or screen use, convert to JPG or PNG — browsers do not display TIFF natively.
Technical details
Full Name
Tagged Image File Format
MIME Type
image/tiff
Developer
Aldus / Adobe
Magic Bytes
49 49 2A 00
Safety
.tiff is a known, safe format.
What opens it
Apple Preview
FREEmacOS
Windows Photos
FREEWindows
GIMP
FREEAll
Adobe Photoshop
SubscriptionAll
Affinity Photo
$70All
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FAQ
What's the difference between TIFF and JPG?
TIFF is lossless (no quality loss, large files). JPG is lossy (smaller files, some quality loss). Use TIFF for printing and archival; JPG for web and sharing. Convert with <a href="https://fwip.app/tools/tiff-to-jpg/">fwip</a>.
What's the difference between TIFF and PNG?
Both can be lossless, but TIFF supports CMYK colour, multiple pages, and layers — features PNG lacks. PNG is better for web use. TIFF is better for print and professional imaging.
Why are TIFF files so large?
TIFF stores image data with minimal or no compression to preserve every detail. A 24-megapixel photo at 16-bit colour can exceed 140 MB as TIFF. That is the point — no quality compromises.