TIFF is a high-quality raster image format designed for situations where image fidelity must be preserved. It is widely used in professional photography, archiving, scanning, and print production.
TIFF files store bitmap image data along with extensive metadata. The format supports multiple layers, colour channels, and colour profiles. It is often used when the image must remain uncompressed or only minimally compressed to preserve all available information.
Lossless compression: Maintains image quality and full data integrity
High bit depth: Supports 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit channels, which is essential for professional image editing and scientific applications
Multi-page support: Can store multiple images or layers in one file
Alpha channels: Supports transparency and masking
Large file sizes: Due to its uncompressed or minimally compressed nature
Scanned negatives, especially medium and large format film
Archival photography where no generational loss is acceptable
Prepress workflows in publishing and printing
Scientific imaging, such as satellite and medical imaging
As an intermediate file in non-destructive editing chains
In your workflow, TIFF files act as high-fidelity containers that preserve the full chromatic and material trace of a scanned film image. When you scan Agfa stock into a TIFF, you’re capturing not only the light information but also the chemical and environmental artefacts embedded in the film’s emulsion. This format provides a stable basis for further computational transformation—whether through AI editing, vectorisation, or toolpath extraction—while maintaining the integrity of the original image data. In categorical terms, the TIFF serves as a morphism-preserving representation of the film’s material state, prior to computational abstraction.
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