# which file format for images edited in photoshop?



## Tom75 (Oct 26, 2012)

Hi,

I have now for a while used the "edit in photoshop function" in LR. The files I am editing are originally a RAW file which have to saved as another file format such as tiff or psd when the editing is done and the images are imported back to LR.

I have saved these files so far as psd but would like to know if that is the best solution and if yes, why. Or should I rather use tiff and if yes, why?

Which format is quality wise the best option?

Regards,
Tom


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## Su Bayfield (Oct 26, 2012)

Hi Tom

As I understand it Tiff is the better file format as it handles metadata more reliably. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not sure about the actual difference in quality though.

Regards
Su


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## johnbeardy (Oct 26, 2012)

Yes, TIF. No quality differences, and there's almost nothing that a PSD can do that a TIF can't do just as well, and in the long run it's important to have a file format like TIF that's much more likely to be readable in other programs. For instance, TIF has none of the problems with PSDs where the user saved them without ticking the Maximise Compatibility box.

John


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## Tom75 (Oct 26, 2012)

Thanks for the information. I have used psd so far because I thought tif only creates bigger files with no other advantages. 

I have read some of Scott Kelby's photography books and he also mentioned that tif is basically pointless to use but I don't know was what his reason was.

Regards,
Tom


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## johnbeardy (Oct 26, 2012)

I'm not sure Scott ever really goes into such issues in any depth, Tom, and you'll probably find most experts would point you towards TIF. Choose one of TIF's compression options and size is about the same (PSDs can be smaller if you untick maximize compatibility and  store up problems for yourself), and the longer term archival issues are important. I wouldn't advise you to switch if you didn't want to, but on balance I advise people to use TIF.


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## Victoria Bampton (Oct 26, 2012)

If I remember correctly, there once was a time when TIFFs couldn't save certain data, which PSDs could, but that time has largely passed.  There are still one or two exceptions, like a Duotone image has to be a PSD, but they're pretty few and far between.


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## donoreo (Oct 26, 2012)

I also use TIF with Elements.


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## Tom75 (Oct 29, 2012)

Thanks everybody for the comments. I will try to use tif and check if I notice any differences, problems or advantages.

Regards,
Tom


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## johnbeardy (Oct 29, 2012)

You probably won't notice any in the short or medium term - it's a long-term gain.


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## johnbeardy (Oct 30, 2012)

Coincidentally, an example of this need for long term thinking has just popped up. Capture One 7 has just been released and is now a bit more like Lightroom with cataloguing features, but while you can import TIF files, you can't bring in PSD. Maybe that will be rectified in 7.1 but I'll bet you'll also have to maximise compatibility of the PSD's. Sure, you may not wish to switch to C1 right now, but in the long run we all change applications or sometimes run more than one, so you have to think about these things. You just don't get these problems with TIF.

John


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## Tom75 (Nov 1, 2012)

Thanks again John, thats a very good point and good to know.

Regards,
Tom


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