will47 Loc: Indianapolis, IN

When a photo has been taken and processed in RAW what is the best way to save the photo if it is going to be printed (sent out to a commercial printer)? TIFF, JPEG?? And what is the difference if any? And if the photo has been cropped to a specific size, 8 x 10, 5 x 7 etc.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Your printer should be consulted for their specific technical requirements. Some won't take a TIFF. The image should be cropped to the desired print ratio, not the physical print size. I'd send the same 3x2 image whether I plan to print at 30x20 or 6x4, assuring the pixel dimensions support the intended print size, taking the pixels and dividing by 300 to assure the pixels in the image support the size to be printed. The 3x2 would be cropped to a new image file to be printed to any size that uses a 5x4 ratio, such as 8x10.

will47 Loc: Indianapolis, IN

Thanks for the reply. When you say "cropped to the desired print ration" why exactly do you mean. I normally have just cropped my prints to 5x7, 8x10 etc. and always sent them out as jpeg. By switching to TIPP (as someone suggested) am I going to see much difference? When using JPEG, as I think about it, I have never had a bad print. Mostly just curious about this. Thanks again. I think what I am trying to determine is there any inherent and positive reason to go to TIFF?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

A TIFF is a non compressed format and should retain all the information as the RAW. It doesn't do any good to change JPEG to a TIFF, but people will do it having heard a TIFF isn't compressed. But, if your RAW to TIFF is a 120MB file, do you have a transfer mechanism supported by the printer? And again, do they even accept TIFFs? TIFFs can also support 16-bit, again with more of the original detail captured by the sensor in the RAW format and output to the file via your RAW editor. In terms of color, an 8-bit image can hold 16,000,000 colors, whereas a 16-bit image can hold 28,000,000,000.

So, the bit-depth and color space (Adobe RGB, sRGB, etc) are options to enhance the final output, but you are now in the area of high-end print processing, which may not be applicable to your needs nor capabilities of your printer.

jackm1943 Loc: Omaha, Nebraska

The only time when I would save a jpeg as a TIFF would be if I thought I might want to do more work on it later.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

As ChgCanon said, when I send my pictures out, I send a file with the proper ratio of H vs W with sufficient resolution to accomplish what I want, and I specify the size I want it printed. For example, if I want an 8x10, I may send a 2400 pixel x 3000 pixel image to the printer (300 pixels per inch). That allows the resolution I want with no cropping. If instead, I sent a 3:2 ratio straight from the camera (something like 2000 x 3000 pixels), then the printer will have to decide what to crop to get that onto an 8x10 print (which is a 8:10 or 4:5 ratio), and I want to control what is cropped, not the printer - make sense?

Regarding JPEG vs TIFF, many printers will not accept TIFF files (too large), so when I send to Bay Photo (which is my go to printer), I send the highest quality (largest) JPEG I can export. But for archiving the file, I typically save the raw file plus the edits - that way I can export in any needed format at a later time without wasting space keeping multiple copies in different formats. The exception is that if I plan to publish on the web, I may keep a directory of JPEGs just for that purpose so I don’t need to re export regularly.

Hope that helps...

Rongnongno Loc: FL

TIFF is usually not accepted but by the best printers. The format is heavy (in MB) but encloses much more information than a JPG and does not suffer from compression artifacts. If you do use TIFF, send one copy per ratio (with a margin for framing), you do not need to do anything else.

If you are dealing a normal printer use JPG fine (least compression). Remember to:
1) download the printer ICC profile, this should be on the printer web site
2) convert to 8 bit before anything else
3) crop to ratio (not size) - one per image ratio - do keep an edge for framing
4) reduce in size using the printer DPI
5) check for banding and sharpen for the new size
6) Export each image as fine JPG (check for banding - again)

will47 Loc: Indianapolis, IN

I am not talking about saving a jpeg as a tiff, but talking about, after processing the raw file I then have the option of how to save it. Is tiff better than jpeg? I think thats what it boils down to. Thanks for the reply.

BebuLamar

TIFF retains more information than JPEG if the file is to be further edited. However, for printing I don't think you can see the difference because the printer capability is very limited in my opinion.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Depends on the post processing program you are using. PS and LR allow saving the original raw file plus a “sidecar” (.xmp) file with the edits. You can also export as .PSD Photoshop file for further editing, a TIFF or JPEG or a number of other file types. JPEGs are compressed to 8 bits with loss, and you limit the extent of any further editing of the file, so I would avoid that. Personally, I keep the raw and sidecar file so I can rework and re export in any format I wish in the future, but if your choice is TIFF or JPEG, choose TIFF. It’s large, but retains all the original information so you can rework or re export as a different format later without compromising the image.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

No! Convert to 8-bit at the last possible step.

Converting too soon can result in banding from some of the other adjustments.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

This is really a workflow question.

My workflow does not save jpegs. It does however save export presets to create any jpeg I want for any reason, any resolution, size, etc. I do save all of my raw files (at least the ones worth saving), and any image that I process, which usually end up with multiple layers, so these are saved as PSD. These represent ALL of the edits I make to an image - I never edit a jpeg, other than cropping for a specific size, and when I print and use a printer profile to soft proof.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I beg to differ.

The raw file contains all the information from the sensor. That information has been demosaiced using a set of parameters that define things like color balance in order to generate a real image from the raw sensor data. The color balance so defined can be changed somewhat by postprocessing the image, but the raw file still has far more leeway in that change than the image stored as a tiff.

The only real advantages to the tiff is that (1) it does not use the lossy compression that the jpg uses and (2) tiff is available in a 16 bit format while jpg is 8 bits.

I use LR/PS to convert my raw files to images. Once I have an image I save it as a jpg for distribution. I set the compression on the jpg fairly low so that jpg artifacts are not much of a problem. But my primary way to store my images is still the raw file plus the LR catalog (or PS PSD file) that defines the steps to get from the raw file to the image.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

My local lab specifies TIFFs for the best results.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Right. You have a good lab. Average ones are expecting only JPG.