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Why do so many of you save as JPEG instead of TIFF?
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Feb 18, 2018 08:40:59   #
Skiextreme2 Loc: Northwest MA
 
Why do so many of you save as JPEG instead of TIFF? JPEG degrades every time it is opened and TIFF does not (unless you have edited more).

I've also seen many mention that they may have to send a JPEG to a client because that is what they want, yet any printer I've done business with prefers taking TIFF files.

Why would you go through all the effort of using and editing raw images and save them as JPEGs?

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Feb 18, 2018 08:53:03   #
par4fore Loc: Bay Shore N.Y.
 
JPEG degrades every time it is opened? Degrades when opened in a photo editor but not in a viewer right?
Tiff files are huge and everyone has different needs!

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Feb 18, 2018 08:53:49   #
jeweler53
 
[quote=Skiextreme2] JPEG degrades every time it is opened

No, it doesn't unless you edit the file.

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Feb 18, 2018 08:54:00   #
Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington
 
A fallacy: JPEG degrades every time it is opened (and as I was typing, others have posted). Why not do a test and see if you can tell any difference after 20 openings? And why would you open a jpg 20 times anyway?

The reality for most of us is we use jpg's to post online, email and send to bulk printing places such as Costco. There is no need for a tiff, especially if keeping the original file of layered edits - called psd in Photoshop and PS Elements.

There is no need for a rigid either/or - just keep everything if you have the hard drive space!

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Feb 18, 2018 08:57:38   #
BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD
 
[quote=jeweler53]
Skiextreme2 wrote:
JPEG degrades every time it is opened

No, it doesn't unless you edit the file.


Correct

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Feb 18, 2018 09:08:52   #
Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)
 
Skiextreme2 wrote:
Why do so many of you save as JPEG instead of TIFF? JPEG degrades every time it is opened and TIFF does not (unless you have edited more).

I've also seen many mention that they may have to send a JPEG to a client because that is what they want, yet any printer I've done business with prefers taking TIFF files.

Why would you go through all the effort of using and editing raw images and save them as JPEGs?


Jpegs only degrade when you open (decompress) and save (recompress) - regardless of whether they are edited.

I do not save jpegs - they are akin to a digital print - a result of the editing process. I do save psd files, however. Using Lightroom and Photoshop, it is easy to do. Once the psd is edited and in the Lr catalog, it is a simple matter to export to whatever file format I want - jpeg, tiff, png, etc - which is made effortless by the use of export presets. I have about 12 export presets that handle all of my needs - social media, website, print lab, client, etc - with and without watermark. The saved presets eliminate my need to clutter my drives with jpegs. With one psd file and 12 presets, I can make 12 jpegs/tiffs/pngs - If I foresee needing others on a regular basis, I modify one of my existing presets and save it as a new one.

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Feb 18, 2018 09:15:41   #
CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City
 
Skiextreme2 - hopefully, we've corrected your misunderstanding the JPEG degradation. If not, you're going to continue to struggle with the more advanced technical topics related to photography and computers in general.

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Feb 18, 2018 09:18:46   #
Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States
 
[quote=jeweler53]
Skiextreme2 wrote:
JPEG degrades every time it is opened

No, it doesn't unless you edit the file.


Or open in an editor and re-save. But if you made no changes, why would you "save" it?

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Feb 18, 2018 09:28:53   #
Steve Perry Loc: Sylvania, Ohio
 
Gene51 wrote:
Jpegs only degrade when you open (decompress) and save (recompress) - regardless of whether they are edited.

I do not save jpegs - they are akin to a digital print - a result of the editing process. I do save psd files, however. Using Lightroom and Photoshop, it is easy to do. Once the psd is edited and in the Lr catalog, it is a simple matter to export to whatever file format I want - jpeg, tiff, png, etc - which is made effortless by the use of export presets. I have about 12 export presets that handle all of my needs - social media, website, print lab, client, etc - with and without watermark. The saved presets eliminate my need to clutter my drives with jpegs. With one psd file and 12 presets, I can make 12 jpegs/tiffs/pngs - If I foresee needing others on a regular basis, I modify one of my existing presets and save it as a new one.
Jpegs only degrade when you open (decompress) and ... (show quote)


Gene I spot on. I'll only add that Tiff is kind of that unwanted step child of the file format world. If I'm editing, I'm saving PSD files - those are my finished files, not Tiffs. If someone wants an image or I want to display to web, it's almost always Jpegs. Tiffs don't work well on the web - far too large compared to Jpegs. In addition, Jpegs are usually good enough quality for just about any kind of publication work - I very seldom have publishers asking for Tiffs (but I can give them that format if they ask). Tiff is just kind of left out - it's the file format most people really don't need.

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Feb 18, 2018 10:19:12   #
Skiextreme2 Loc: Northwest MA
 
My question wasn't "what format is best for the web". I know most web images are JPEG or PNG. I was told by a university instructor that taught digital graphics (Adobe Photoshop in this case) to always save images as TIFF not JPEG because JPEG degrades every time it is opened. Maybe this was because we were always working on the images and saving them but that stuck in my mind (it was 10-12 years ago). Size of file means nothing to me as I have plenty of space.

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Feb 18, 2018 10:30:57   #
via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP
 
Skiextreme2 wrote:
Why do so many of you save as JPEG instead of TIFF? JPEG degrades every time it is opened and TIFF does not (unless you have edited more).

I've also seen many mention that they may have to send a JPEG to a client because that is what they want, yet any printer I've done business with prefers taking TIFF files.

Why would you go through all the effort of using and editing raw images and save them as JPEGs?


I don't save any image as anything routinely as I use Lightroom and don't need to do that. The images just sit there waiting for me to do something with them as needed. When I do save a JPG file it is for web use only. I use email directly from LR and it does then convert to JPG for the email use. If I send anything to an outside printer, for example, Bay Photo, it is a TIFF. I have downloaded some 500+ finished files to save on a hard drive as a backup and those files were saved as a TIFF. There are many ways to save files these days and I assume that people save them as required and needed, which can vary.

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Feb 18, 2018 10:32:05   #
via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP
 
Steve Perry wrote:
Gene I spot on. I'll only add that Tiff is kind of that unwanted step child of the file format world. If I'm editing, I'm saving PSD files - those are my finished files, not Tiffs. If someone wants an image or I want to display to web, it's almost always Jpegs. Tiffs don't work well on the web - far too large compared to Jpegs. In addition, Jpegs are usually good enough quality for just about any kind of publication work - I very seldom have publishers asking for Tiffs (but I can give them that format if they ask). Tiff is just kind of left out - it's the file format most people really don't need.
Gene I spot on. I'll only add that Tiff is kind of... (show quote)


How sad, a stepchild....but still used!

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Feb 18, 2018 10:39:15   #
BebuLamar
 
To me the JPEG is the final (like the print coming off my darkroom). It's done and I never change it again. If I want to make changes I would go back to the RAW or the edited PSD file. If someone want to alter the JPEG it would not be very good and I want it that way. Keep the JPEG as is and just print it or view it, you can't see the difference between the JPEG and a much much larger TIFF file.

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Feb 18, 2018 12:08:33   #
Bill_de Loc: US
 
Typically if you open a file and make no changes, the save option is greyed out. That is for all types of files. The "save as" option is there, but if you give the file a new name you get a second file, no change to the original. If you copy and paste the file or make a copy by drag and drop, the file is untouched.

--

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Feb 18, 2018 12:33:13   #
rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA
 
Skiextreme2 wrote:
My question wasn't "what format is best for the web". I know most web images are JPEG or PNG. I was told by a university instructor that taught digital graphics (Adobe Photoshop in this case) to always save images as TIFF not JPEG because JPEG degrades every time it is opened. Maybe this was because we were always working on the images and saving them but that stuck in my mind (it was 10-12 years ago). Size of file means nothing to me as I have plenty of space.

So, now the thing that should stick in your mind is that opening and then saving again will cause minor degradation in a JPEG, and if your do it enough times that degradation will be noticeable. However, I always save at minimal compression, and I have done this as an experiment; if I open a JPEG, then save it as a TIFF and as a different JPEG, I cannot see any difference - so I always save my final version as a JPEG. It transmits faster than TIFF, and storage is less costly than it was ten years ago, but it is still not free, so I don't see any reason to be profligate in its us.

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