Bogin Bob wrote:
CHG_CANON ... responses below after **
1, Why TIFF? ... ** just that it's a lossless format - should I want to re-edit in the future
2, What purpose / problem does this file especially the TIFF format resolve? ... ** I may not have been clear but I was looking for helpful support relative to how one can save images at a lower file size, still with reasonable detail and have the flexibility re-edit in the future versus exporting to Jpeg
3, You mention printing, what printer have you used that accepted a TIFF as input? I don't print and are unaware of Tiff printers supporting TIFF. With your knowledge of photography and equipment you would better than most UHH members (and me for one) to answer that question (or was that just a joke?)
4, For your question of resizing your 'lessor' rated images, why are you exporting them at all? Will they be shared / used in a digital frame? Other?. ** Many of those 'lesser' photos are memories of family, friends and travels that will be part of a digital time capsule (website) I created. To leave our family stories and photos how we enjoyed life.
5, For your question about your 'lessor' rated images, why are you keeping them at all? ** See #4
6, If maintaining an export file is relevant, based on your answers to questions above, why not a 'full resolution' JPEG? ... ** I assumed, maybe incorrectly, that if saved in JPEG format and modifications made later I will lose detail each time. Also, as software and AI improve, I have already used opportunities to enhance those images (i.e. sky replacement, PS beta removal tool, Lr Masking)
7, Have you reviewed this post? Recommended resizing parameters for digital images ** No - thank you I always try to read your responses and 'pearls of wisdom'. The knowledge you bring is an asset to UHH!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and questions.
CHG_CANON ... responses below after ** br br 1, W... (
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Bob, all your editing should always and henceforth be performed on the original image via Lightroom, or related software using an as-needed export of the image from the LR catalog. This approach short-circuits the entire question of 'resolution' or 'loss of detail'. If not doing already, use the virtual copy feature of LR Classic to 'split' an image from edited version-A into new edited version-B, say A is the landscape orientation and B is the 1:1 square crop.
Your best 'loss less' format is the original, read-only, pristine copy of the image file, not a TIFF export file from that image.
JPEG 'compression' and 'data loss' occurs at two situations:
1, Changing the original bit-depth of the image, whether from the digital sensor to JPEG in the camera, or later from the RAW file into the JPEG. In both scenarios, original image data is mapped to an 8-bit JPEG format. Once a 10-bit, or 12-bit, etc, datafile is reformatted to 8-bit, all that additional data is gone forever, at least in terms of the resulting JPEG.
2, JPEG compression also has a quality aspect, where a lower quality also discards data, now from the 8-bit storage of the JPEG. You need to drop the quality to below 80% to begin to visually see the impact in the image.
The two scenarios above make ongoing edits of the JPEG problematic. If one maintains 100% quality for saving edits of edits of the JPEG, the ongoing loss is minimized, as the largest single loss occurred when the first version of the JPEG was created.
Again, all of these issues are completely avoided by simply never editing an exported file, and instead, just acting on the original image as maintained in the LR catalog. Use your LR export to create as-needed versions of the image for specific purposes, printing, email, UHH gallery post, digital frame, so forth.
When using downstream software, assess the input needs of that software. Can it accept a PSD? a DNG? a 16-bit TIFF? Does the software accept the ProPhotoRGB colorspace? Update your LR external-editor definitions to pass the proper file format, bit-depth, and colorspace. Re-import the resulting edits from the downstream software and 'stack' that image over top the original in the LR catalog. Use the LR Export on the stacked 'master edit' and use in the same manner for export / sharing discussed above.
Lightroom is a paradigm shift. You view your LR catalog and the underlying original files as your digital 'assets', the edited (export) files are just throwaways. Why? Because you can recreate those throwaway files at any time, for any purpose, into any specific as-needed format. The 'digital assets' -- to be carefully guarded and protected -- are only the LR catalog (all the edit instructions, and descriptive / organizing data) and the original image files. This approach also minimizes the storage needed, just keeping / backing-up the critical asset files, none of the export files.