Cannot view "SOME" tiff image with 'windows picture and fax viewer'

[Curious George]

I am trying to find out the reason why I cannot open some TIF images
with 'windows picture and fax viewer'.

Now, I carefully compared two TIF images, the one 'windows picture and
fax viewer' CAN open and the other one CANNOT.
Finally I found the difference between those two images.

The image without any problem viewing has a bunch of information under
Summary. (Right click the file-> properties -> click 'Summary tab')
such as width, height, dpi, bit depth, frame count and creation
Software etc...

However, the image cannot be viewed with 'windows picture and fax
viewer' says "Summary properties are unavailable for the selected
source(s)"

Is there any solution for this problem so that I can view any Tiff
images with 'windows picture and fax viewer'?

Thanks

C

 

[Bob I]

Open and resave the problem tiff with MS Paint.

 

[Matt]

There are many varieties of TIFF. Download the free program Irfanview
(www.irfanview.com), it can probably read most of the ones you find.

 

[V Green]

I am trying to find out the reason why I cannot open some TIF images
with 'windows picture and fax viewer'.

Now, I carefully compared two TIF images, the one 'windows picture and
fax viewer' CAN open and the other one CANNOT.
Finally I found the difference between those two images.

The image without any problem viewing has a bunch of information under
Summary. (Right click the file-> properties -> click 'Summary tab')
such as width, height, dpi, bit depth, frame count and creation
Software etc...

However, the image cannot be viewed with 'windows picture and fax
viewer' says "Summary properties are unavailable for the selected
source(s)"

Is there any solution for this problem so that I can view any Tiff
images with 'windows picture and fax viewer'?

Thanks

C

I think this is what has happened with TIFF's:

A few years ago, somebody sued somebody else (can't
remember names) and won, and got exclusive rights to
a flavor of TIFF, saying that the compression used was
invented by them.

Since then, MS has dropped support for this variety
of TIFF on any imaging apps installed by default during an install
rather than pay the royalties.

As someone else suggested, third party apps don't seem
to have this limitation.

 

[Curious George]

Bob.. when I tried to open the problem tiff with MS paint, it says:

Paint Cannot read this file.
This is not a valid bitmap file, or its format is not currently
supported.

BTW, I can open this same file with Photoshop thou. but I would like to
know how to convert this problem tiff to be read by 'windows picture
and fax viewer'.

 

[Bob I]

In that case Save as BMP. Then you should be able to open and Save as
TIF in Paint.

 

[Curious George]

Thanks Bob...
That worked.. but in this case, doesn't lose any information from its
original since it converted to BMP and went back to Tiff?
Just Curious.

C

 

[Andrei]

You won't lose any image data (providing you save as a 24-bit BMP), but
you will definitely lose/alter the TIFF tag data.

I am curious about the original TIFF file. If you still have it, can
you post the Image Information displayed in Irfanview
(www.irfanview.com)? Thanks.

Regards,
Andrei
www.peernet.com

 

[Bob I]

Some "information" "may" be lost. Whether it makes any difference for
your purposes, is for you to say. The resultant "TIF" could be
compressed or not, "camera data" would not carry over. On the other hand
if the file was "unusable" in the "other tif format" then you have
"gained".

 

[drwu]

Thanks Bob...
That worked.. but in this case, doesn't lose any information from its
original since it converted to BMP and went back to Tiff?
Just Curious.

C
Bob I wrote:-
In that case Save as BMP. Then you should be able to open and Save as
TIF in Paint.

Curious George wrote:
-
Bob.. when I tried to open the problem tiff with MS paint, it says:

Paint Cannot read this file.
This is not a valid bitmap file, or its format is not currently
supported.

BTW, I can open this same file with Photoshop thou. but I would lik
to
know how to convert this problem tiff to be read by 'windows picture
and fax viewer'.
--

Hi Bob..

as MS paint does not support multiple page, it could only save th
first page and lost the other pages

 

[Bob I]

Hi Bob..

as MS paint does not support multiple page, it could only save the
first page and lost the other pages.

Windows Picture and Fax viewer handles multi page tiff files just fine.
So the question is, what happened to your file, where did it come from,
what produced it? Other posibilities, will Photoshop save as multipage
tiff? Perhaps getting Irfanview and try that (download from authors
website)