Layer compression

[LazDodge]

Hello -
When I first scan an image as a tiff, I open it in Photoshop and then when I go to save it, a Tiff Options dialog box pops up. I'm given three choices of image compression and layer compression:

Image Compression:
None *default
LZW
ZIP
JPEG

Layer Compression:
RLE (faster saves, bigger files) *default
ZIP (slower saves, smaller files)
Discard Layers and Save Copy

Reading especially about layer compression, I'm a bit confused. Do I stay with the defaults or would other options be better choices?

Thanks for any help and guidance!

- Jeff

[Tony W]

Re: Layer compression

It really depends on what application your TIFF is going to be read by.

For maximumum compatibility no compression is the safe bet due to the fact that older applications may have trouble reading TIFF (hopefully rare)

LZW it is possible that you could end up with a file larger than the original!

For the smallest files ZIP is the better choice for image compression and will always (nearly?) result in a reduced file size.

Layer Compression:

As long as your applications for reading TIFF support it ZIP again should be a better choice for a smaller file

[andrewrodney]

Re: Layer compression

http://digitaldog.net/files/TIFFvsPSD.pdf

[LazDodge]

Re: Layer compression

Thanks Tony and Andrew. Definitely will have a look at that linked article. I'm trying to set this up so that the final result will always be the best possible outcome. It seems to be as much prep as process.

Every day is a school day!

Thanks again!

- Jeff