When we want to save a photo we do not always know in what kind of format the store we and what are the most appropriate for our purposes . In this article we will resolve, as far as possible, these doubts, explaining the differences between the TIFF, PSD and JPG formats and which is the one that best suits our needs.
The first thing to know is that both the TIFF format as the PSD and JPG are storage formats in which we can keep our photographs . However, and as we will see below, the main difference between them is that some of these formats support editing, while others are already finished files . So, the first question that we we do is what we do with that picture .
TIFF format
The TIFF format is a generic image file that is characterized by compressing the information without loss of it. That is why it is more commonly known as a working file , since we can always reopen it to continue editing it . This is possible thanks to the fact that the TIFF file supports layers, transparencies and masks and, as we said before, it compresses without losing information, so that whenever we open it we can continue with our editing work without the photograph having suffered a loss of quality . Compared to other formats, the resulting file will be very heavysince it supports a lot of information.
PSD format
The PSD is similar to the TIFF , however is the native file Photoshop software . Unlike TIFF , PSD does not compress anything , so it does not lose quality . This type of format also supports layers, masks and transparencies, so it will allow us to continue working on editing the photograph as long as we open it with the Photoshop program . Therefore, its characteristics are very similar to those of TIFF, being a working file but a little less heavy .
JPG format
For its part, the JPG is also a generic file , and therefore compatible with various image viewing programs , however it is very light and this is because it is a final file . When created, it performs compression in which information about layers, masks, and transparencies is lost . This is how this type of format will be used when we already have the photograph completely edited and we do not want to apply more changes to it. Being light, it is the ideal format to send said photo in JPG by email, take it to print or upload it to a web page or to our social media profile.
This is how the TIFF and PSD formats are the ideal files to work on the photographs, since they save all the information of our edition without registering loss of information or quality , being able to open, save, and close as many times as we want, without the photograph be affected. We will use the JPG format to save the final result and be able to send it as many times as we want since it is a much lighter format than the previous ones. One last tip : we always save the TIFF or PSD photography if we want to re-edit it in the future.