TGA vs. TIFF

[mamurphy 0]

I've always rendered sequences and provided stills with alpha (for broadcast) in the TGA format.

 

One of the editors here requested an image and insisted the file be TIFF because they use TIFF and don't want to 'mess up' their systems with different file formats."

 

Anyone care to tell me the benefits of TIFF over TGA? I've always thought it was more of a print format while TGA was specifically made for broadcast output.

Edited December 1, 2007 by mamurphy

[mfh 0]

they both have lossless compression. I don't think there's a particular difference. One tastes like chocolate, one tastes like vanilla?

[theta 0]

We always use uncompressed .tga's here for output for video/film.

[Pleaseluggage 0]

actually, Tiff comes in different flavors such that a tiff rendered in lightwave is not readable in some editing stations compared to a tga. TIFF's are too varied and seriously, you may run across an editing station that doesn't take a TIFF as I have a few times recently with NBC and Spike. TIFFs changed somewhere along the line and I have been burned more than once and had to re-sequence them on a tight deadline because they had an old editing station.

 

But, that being said, if it's worked for them before, it works. Do what they ask and if anything goes wrong, it's not your fault.

[Guest Sao_Bento]

actually, Tiff comes in different flavors such that a tiff rendered in lightwave is not readable in some editing stations compared to a tga. TIFF's are too varied and seriously, you may run across an editing station that doesn't take a TIFF as I have a few times recently with NBC and Spike. TIFFs changed somewhere along the line and I have been burned more than once and had to re-sequence them on a tight deadline because they had an old editing station.

 

But, that being said, if it's worked for them before, it works. Do what they ask and if anything goes wrong, it's not your fault.

Tiffs have a couple of different compression options that can muck up the works in some applications. I'd make sure what flavor of TIFF they want, so you don't take the blame. There's nothing wrong with TGA, if less options means less chance for a mismatch, I guess you could say that's an advantage over TIFF.

At any rate, I'd just give em what they want and save making a stink for things that matter.

[shiftypixel 0]

I like TGA better just because I can't accidently save it with layers out of Photoshop. That's been an issue in the past that's created extra work for me.

 

Additionally, there are a few editing systems I've encountered that will not take TIFFs.

[BKM 0]

More info...

 

There are many flavors of tif's that are not interchangable or compatible particularly, whereas there is only 1 tga flavor, as far as I know.

 

TGA's come as 8bit, 16bit, 24bit, and 32bit.

 

8 bit = 256 gray scale

16 bit = R, G, B, with 32 levels each; 2 levels Alpha (on/off)

24 bit = R, G, B, with 256 levels each

32 bit = R, G, B, A, with 256 levels each

 

But, AFAIK TGA's do not come in "flavor" specific variations the same as the evolution of TIFF's. TGA's came from TrueVision in the early 80's and have remained unchanged. But, I could be wrong. PNG's are replacing TGA's to some extent and offer 48bit RGB with Alpha.

 

Oh, TGA's cannot hold a DPI/PPI setting, so Photoshop will assign its default of 72 PPI.

[Guest Sao_Bento]

I like TGA better just because I can't accidently save it with layers out of Photoshop.

Good point. I hate that crap.

[theta 0]

I think our DVS CLipster can only accept uncompressed .tga's, which i think is why we use that format. I'm not sure if it can accept .tiffs or not.

[mamurphy 0]

i thought as much. thanks for the input.

 

I've only been doing this for, like, eight years. So I probably don't know what I'm doing (sarcasm)

 

I'll save the fight for another day.

[ClintVideo 1]

With a dpsVelocity you can have 'em all. Simultaneously.

 

Cf

[JR01 0]

for those who care...if you want CS2 to handle Targa alpha transparency like it did in previous versions on PC, go back to Photoshop 7.0/Plug-Ins/File Format and copy the "Targa.8BI" file into the same folder in CS2...works perfect especially if you're old school like myself. Kinda a side-bar but there you go

 

 

 

 

 

 

JR

[Mylenium 0]

TIFFs changed somewhere along the line and I have been burned more than once and had to re-sequence them on a tight deadline because they had an old editing station.

 

No, actually nothing changed, it simply evolved. As the name says "Tagged Interchangeable File Format", it's an extension of the IFF standard and thus is more or less merely a container format with only a basic pre-defined internal data-structure on that the compression and storage routines build, the uncompressed flat variety being probably the most widely used one of the more than 120 "flavors". Simple truth is, nobody can really keep track of all those minute variations. In addition, most developers of certain programs do not bother to implement even basic LZW compression, even though there is no longer any patent issues. This makes it often impossible to work efficiently with TIFFs since they simply won't load.

 

Mylenium

[graymachine 0]

Maybe the two formats could be combined into a TGIF!

 

AHHHHhahahah!

 

Friday humor.

[Mylenium 0]

Maybe the two formats could be combined into a TGIF!

 

Mmh, how about TVCAF (TrueVisionCombinedwithotherAntiquatedFormat)? ;O)

 

Mylenium