PSD vs TIFF

[TJ]

Is the Adobe PSD format a lossless format like TIFF?

What major disadvantages (other than Adobe suddenly going out of
business or pulling its support of the format) does everyone see for
scanning photos directly into PhotoShop in its native PSD format?

Here's my situation - I do have a number of photos (a few hundred) that
were scanned in PhotoShop and that I have as PSD files. What sort of
loss, if any, will occur if I export these files as TIFF? I need to
archive these photos and thousands more that I still need to scan. I
would realy like to make the best decision on what to do.

Also, I'm no PhotoShop expert. If I scan my future images as TIFF, can
I edit them in PhotoShop and then save back to my TIFF file without a
loss?

Thanks in advance!!

Tim

 

[Björn Hein]

Is the Adobe PSD format a lossless format like TIFF?

What major disadvantages (other than Adobe suddenly going out of
business or pulling its support of the format) does everyone see for
scanning photos directly into PhotoShop in its native PSD format?

The problem is, that not all programs can read the PSD-Format and it is no
open standard.
The TIFF-Format is an open standard that nearly every picture-program can
read. Things like layers can be saved as well as in Photoshop. So it is no
problem to use TIFF, I use it instead of the PSD-format at photos.

Here's my situation - I do have a number of photos (a few hundred) that
were scanned in PhotoShop and that I have as PSD files. What sort of
loss, if any, will occur if I export these files as TIFF? I need to
archive these photos and thousands more that I still need to scan. I
would realy like to make the best decision on what to do.

It's no matter whether you saved your pictures in the PSD or the TIFF
format. In Photoshop you can run an action to convert thousands of photos
automatically in the TIFF format and back. So don't worry if you saved pics
in the PSD-format, it's easy to convert them

Also, I'm no PhotoShop expert. If I scan my future images as TIFF, can
I edit them in PhotoShop and then save back to my TIFF file without a
loss?

TIFF-files can be saved without a loss if you choose the options right (see
the options of saving TIFF-Files in the Photoshop-help).

Thanks in advance!!

Tim

Greetings

Björn

 

[Neil Gould]

Is the Adobe PSD format a lossless format like TIFF?
Yes.

What major disadvantages (other than Adobe suddenly going out of
business or pulling its support of the format) does everyone see for
scanning photos directly into PhotoShop in its native PSD format?

Depending on your needs, equipment, and methods, the answer could range
from there being no disadvantage to being a really bad idea. Photoshop
sometimes relies on a different driver to run the scanner than the native
scanner software would use in stand-alone mode. If your needs are
simple -- for example, output to a desktop printer -- there could be no
perceivable difference. However, if you are preparing files for output to
a Lightjet or other higher-end use, you could lose a lot of control over
image quality due the quality of the driver supplied as a Photoshop
plug-in.

Here's my situation - I do have a number of photos (a few hundred)
that were scanned in PhotoShop and that I have as PSD files. What
sort of loss, if any, will occur if I export these files as TIFF? I
need to archive these photos and thousands more that I still need to
scan. I would realy like to make the best decision on what to do.

You are not likely to suffer any consequences by saving these files in
TIFF format.

Also, I'm no PhotoShop expert. If I scan my future images as TIFF,
can I edit them in PhotoShop and then save back to my TIFF file
without a loss?

Yes.

Regards,

Neil

 

[Hecate]

Is the Adobe PSD format a lossless format like TIFF?

What major disadvantages (other than Adobe suddenly going out of
business or pulling its support of the format) does everyone see for
scanning photos directly into PhotoShop in its native PSD format?

Here's my situation - I do have a number of photos (a few hundred) that
were scanned in PhotoShop and that I have as PSD files. What sort of
loss, if any, will occur if I export these files as TIFF? I need to
archive these photos and thousands more that I still need to scan. I
would realy like to make the best decision on what to do.

Also, I'm no PhotoShop expert. If I scan my future images as TIFF, can
I edit them in PhotoShop and then save back to my TIFF file without a
loss?

There's no problem switching between formats. There are a few things
that you can't do in Tiff that you can do in PSD, so working in PSD
and saving in Tiff is normal (At least for the end result). There is
really no problem with either format other than most other software
will always recognise a Tiff, but not necessarily a PSD.

--

Hecate - The Real One
(e-mail address removed)
Fashion: Buying things you don't need, with money
you don't have, to impress people you don't like...

 

[gazza95]

You may want to consider a couple of other points. I now always archive
a copy of the original unedited scan in tiff format. Having found
better ways of dealing with imperfect images it is often good to go bad
to the original and try again. The final image I tend to store as
either jpeg or compressed tiff using a lossless compression method e.g
lzh, zip etc. The jpeg is mainly for old family photos of poorer
quality. There are however a few scan where I have done a lot of
editing using various adjustment layers. For these images I also store
the psd version. This means that if I want ot go back an change
something I still have the adjustmetn layer information.

 

[Wayne]

Is the Adobe PSD format a lossless format like TIFF?

What major disadvantages (other than Adobe suddenly going out of
business or pulling its support of the format) does everyone see for
scanning photos directly into PhotoShop in its native PSD format?

Here's my situation - I do have a number of photos (a few hundred) that
were scanned in PhotoShop and that I have as PSD files. What sort of
loss, if any, will occur if I export these files as TIFF? I need to
archive these photos and thousands more that I still need to scan. I
would realy like to make the best decision on what to do.

Also, I'm no PhotoShop expert. If I scan my future images as TIFF, can
I edit them in PhotoShop and then save back to my TIFF file without a
loss?

PSD is lossless.

Adobe will probably remain in business for the foreseeable future.

But there is absolutely no reason or advantage to scan into PSD files.

If you are just archiving scanned images, PSD would be an inappropriate
choice of file format, because it offers nothing towards that use, and
it is proprietary to Photoshop. Not everyone has a $600 copy of
Photoshop, so you are just being restrictive for no good reason.

You have to consider the purpose of PSD, and ask if your goal matches or
involves that PSD purpose. Most photo editors have a similar special
proprietary format to be able to save their images while in work, while
layers and selections and other editing in-work features exist, those
editing features which their program supports (while editing is in-work,
before completion). PSD is simply the one of these that Photoshop
created, to save in-work editing jobs. Most better editor programs have
their own special file format in the same way. And they are great, for
that purpose.

But when and if your images are complete, and they no longer contain any
layers and other in-work editing features, or like your scanned images
which never had any in the first place, then why use a proprietary
format to save them? Why not use a universal format which everyone can
read?

The purpose of TIF is to be that universal format, which everyone can
read. TIF is lossless, and LZW compression is lossless. There is no
shortcoming of TIF. There will be no loss to open PSD and save as TIF
(unless of course that PSD properly does contain layers and other
in-work editing features). And no loss to open TIF and edit and save
back to PSD if more editing work is needed in the future. Both are
lossless. When you finish the editing job, then save the result as TIF.
That is what it is for.

If you are not using layers, then forget PSD.

 

[Dances With Crows]

(e-mail address removed) says...
PSD is lossless. Adobe will probably remain in business for the
foreseeable future. But there is absolutely no reason or advantage to
scan into PSD files.

AOL, but read on.

If you are just archiving scanned images, PSD would be an
inappropriate choice of file format, because it offers nothing towards
that use, and it is proprietary to Photoshop. Not everyone has a $600
copy of Photoshop

Eh? Gimp and ImageMagick can read PSD, and almost certainly write it to
some degree. Gimp and ImageMagick are Free, not $600. You can just do
"convert FILE.psd FILE.tif" with ImageMagick and get decent results.

You have to consider the purpose of PSD, and ask if your goal matches
or involves that PSD purpose.
Yes.

But when and if your images are complete, and they no longer contain
any layers and other in-work editing features, or like your scanned
images which never had any in the first place, then why use a
proprietary format to save them? Why not use a universal format which
everyone can read?
True.

TIF is lossless

Not necessarily. Most of the compression methods used in TIFF are
lossless, but JPEG is a supported compression method, and that's lossy.
Programs that handle JPEG-TIFF properly are rare though. JPEG-TIFF is
not commonly used, for various reasons.

and LZW compression is lossless

Some European countries may still be affected by Unisys's stupid patent
on LZW compression.

When you finish the editing job, then save the result as TIF. That is
what it is for. If you are not using layers, then forget PSD.

AOL, mostly. Remember JPEG-TIFF, and also the final use of the image.
Sometimes JPEG or PNG is better than TIFF. Web browsers don't display
TIFF, f'rexample. TIFF should be backwards-combatible and (mostly)
future-proof for archiving, though, since its specification is Open and
every non-trivial graphics program supports it. And, of course, it's
trivial to convert TIFF to other open formats....