What Is a TIFF File, Everything You Need to Know About TIFF Files

You are going to learn:

1. What Is a TIFF File
2. What Is a TIFF File Used For
3. How to Open TIFF Files (2 Ways)
4. Recover Deleted/Lost TIFF Files
5. Hot Topics About TIFF Files

What Is a TIFF File 

TIFF, Tag Image File Format, is one of the commonly used bitmap formats in graphics image processing, and its image format is very complicated. The data format is a three-level architecture. The internal structure of TIFF can be divided into three parts, namely: file header information area, identification information area, and image data area. All the tags are arranged in ascending order, and the tag information is used to process the image information in the file.

TIFF files features:

• TIFF can describe multiple types of images.
• TIFF has a series of compression schemes to choose from.
• TIFF does not depend on specific hardware.
• TIFF is a portable file format.

What Is a TIFF File Used For

Because TIFF files store image information flexibly, can support many color systems, and are independent of operating systems, they have been widely used. TIFF format has been widely supported in Adobe Photoshop, The GIMP Team's GIMP, Ulead PhotoImpact, and Paint Shop Pro, and other image processing applications.

In addition, desktop printing and page layout applications such as QuarkXPress and Adobe InDesign and scanning, faxing, and word processing applications all support TIFF format.

How to Open TIFF Files with Windows Photo Viewer and Photoshop

Need to open a TIFF file? It's easy to do. TIFF files can be opened with most image viewers and image processing software, including those that come with the latest operating systems on Windows or Mac.

1. Open a TIFF File on Windows 10 with Windows Photo Viewer

Step 1. Right-click on a .tiff image and select "Open with".

Step 2. Select Windows Photo Viewer from the drop-down menu.

Step 3. If you can't find Windows Photo Viewer, go to C:/Program Files/Windows Photo Viewer and select "PhotoViewer.dll". Click "Open" and "OK".

2. Open a TIFF File with Adobe Photoshop

Step 1. Launch the Adobe Photoshop CS6 or other versions. Click "File > Open".

Step 2. Navigate to your computer and find the .tiff file. Click "Open" and it will display in PS.

How to Recover Deleted/Lost TIFF Files on Windows 10 and Mac

The TIFF file is very popular and you will inevitably encounter the problem of picture loss when using it. You may lose the TIFF files because of accidental deletion, hard drive or USB flash drive formatting, OS crash, etc.

You can use a professional TIFF file recovery software to get it back no matter what reason you lose a TIFF file. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard enables you to restore deleted or recover permanently deleted files with simple clicks.

More Hot Topics About TIFF Files

Many users are also interested in the following information about TIFF files. Check out if you have similar questions.  

What is the difference between a JPEG and TIFF?

The differences between TIFF format and JPEG format are:

Different compression methods

Tiff uses LZW lossless compression or uncompressed method to save images. The advantage is that it can save all the details in the image, but the disadvantage is that the TIFF format occupies much more space than JPEG, and a high-resolution photo can take up more than 10 megabytes.

JPEG uses a lossy compression format. The advantage is that its compression rate is quite high, but the disadvantage is that some of the details of the image stored in the JPEG format will be lost.

Take up different space

The compression rate of JPEG is very high, and some details will be lost when storing the image, so it takes up very little space, but TIFF can save all the details in the image, so it takes up a relatively large space.

The application scope of image files is different

If the image file needs to be printed, it is recommended to save it in tiff format; but if it is just for general file saving or online communication, then the JPEG format is sufficient.

Which is better JPEG or TIFF?

Both formats have advantages and disadvantages. You can carefully read the differences between the two formats above and choose a file format that suits your actual needs. 

How to convert TIFF files?

If you want to convert TIFF files to JPEG, PNG, PDF, or other file formats, you can search for a free online TIFF converter to make it. There will be many results of the TIFF file converter.

But when choosing an online TIFF converting tool, you need to pay attention to network security and data privacy issues.

Concluding Words

This page covers all the crucial information about TIFF files. Now, you must know what is a TIFF file, what is a TIFF file used for, and how to open it.

What's more, we also show you how to recover a deleted or lost TIFF file on Windows and Mac computers with EaseUS data recovery software, which is good at data recovery and can repair corrupted files efficiently, like repair corrupted JPEG photos.