If I Save As.. the JPEG file to TIFF, will it be safe from loss?

Question

Since the JPEG is a loss-quality format when editing and saving, but my camrea does not support TIFF output, can I just convert all JPEG files to TIFF from camera by going Save AS.... the first time I open them? Will they be about the same as if I shot in TIFF??? I like to do a lot of editing later and want to preserve the original quality of the photos. PLEASE *** ANSWER ONLY IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT*** Thanks a lot!!

Answer 1

Yes, if you Save As to TIFF (without Saving in JPEG), you will have captured the image as it came from the camera. Then you can repeatedly edit and save in TIFF without loss from the file format. I used to always save my master copies in TIFF.

This does not mean that your edits won't cause loss. If you Resize with Resampling, you will no longer have the original pixels. If you downsize, Resampling will throw out pixels. If you enlarge, Resampling will invent pixels.

And of course, if you alter the Color Balance, Saturation, Brightness and Contrast, etc., the original camera image characteristics are lost.

TIFF takes about 3 to 5 times as much hard drive space as JPEG. If that is a problem for you, consider this:

JPEG loss is only detectable if you repeatedly edit, save and REOPEN the same image. It's in the Saving and Reopening that the loss occurs. You can Edit and Save all you want without incremental loss, as long as you do not Reopen.

You could save the image as it came from the camera as a master copy in Large File Size JPEG. Then never Save to that file name again. This will be 99.99% as good as what came from the camera. And will save you about 60-80% of the TIFF hard drive space. This is what I do now.

Now when you want to make an edited copy, start from the master copy, and save to a new file name. If you want to ensure no-loss during the process, save your work-in-progress in TIFF, then store the final product as Large File JPEG.

One additional advantage of JPEG: It is widely recognized by computer and DVD systems. So you can be pretty sure that it will present easily to other people. TIFF won't do that, so I often had to convert to JPEG anyway.

Good Luck

Answer 2

Sorry you cannot go from JPEG to TIFF. There is not enough info (pixles) in a JPEG to support a TIFF image . TIFF is a RAW format file, usualy a large file like 80 Mb to 650Mb or 80Gb files. From a TiFF stand point you can then make a smaller file such as a JPEG for internet use. If I were to send you a 16Gb file, your computer would take anywere from an hour or two to open it IF it did'nt crash in the process of opening the file. Most point and shoot cameras will only shoot a JPEG file Image. The professional cameras can shoot a TiFF file up to a certan file size

Answer 3

You can save them as a Tiff file which will prevent lost resolution, but be warned tiff files take up a lot of memory. You can also make a duplicate of your original jpeg in layers
and then use that to do your editing on. That way your original is preserved, without taking up so much memory.

Answer 4

No. It doesn't matter whether it's audio or visual, once something is lost, there is no way of putting it back. These files are jpegs before you ever view them. It doesn't matter what you save them to. However, you can get some nice effects out of photoshop that may "touch up" the photos, but you will never "get back" more than what you started with.

Of course, that also depends on your camera. If it can take shots as .bmp files, that would be "lossless" though it would eat up your memory cards. Check your camera's settings. Whatever settings allow you to take the least number of pictures is the best that you will get with that camera.

Answer 5

http://news.com.com/Adobe+offers+standard+for+raw+photo+formats/2100-1013_3-5383867.html

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=106&platform=Windows