1.2. TIFF format

In the same way in which a piece of information can be expressed in various ways, for example differing from one language to another, digital image information can be expressed in several quasi-grammatical conventions. These conventions are called file formats.

The most common formats for image files are for instance:

·         Bitmap with file name extension *.bmp

·         JPEG with file name extension *.jpg

·         TIFF (“Tagged Image File Format“) with file name extension *.tif

EXTIF pro extracts image files of any format and writes them in TIFF format on the hard disk - therefore the name “EXTIF”.

The TIFF-format is considerably flexible, allowing data compression without loss, and is compatible with Windows-PCs as well as with Apple Mac’s, so that the image files are easily portable from Windows to Mac.

The image file format also plays a very important role when we want to see the end-result using an image viewer program (“Image Viewer”) or simply leaving the information to be processed by the typesetter.

The image file format also plays an important role later on, when it comes to viewing the end-result by an image viewer software or having the information processed by an exposure device.