TIF

Aldus Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) bitmap image

File type: Bitmap image file

Files with tif file extension are generally bitmap images in Tagged Image File Format (TIFF). TIFF/IT is a standard for the exchange of digital adverts and complete pages. TIFF files typically only contain bitmap and no vector data.

Found 2 different file type records with the same tif filename suffix.

.tif (1)

What is tif file?

File type category:
Bitmap image file

Date updated: June 23, 2025

The tif file extension is traditionally used for Tagged Image File Format - one of the most widely supported lossless (does not lose information during compression) file formats for storing bit-mapped images (both PCs and Macintosh computers).

TIFF/IT is a standard for the exchange of digital adverts and complete pages. The .tif files only contain bitmap data, no vector data. They are not rasterized (although they could be) but may also contain 256 gray-levels per channel.

Typically, TIFF images larger than 4GB are called BigTIFF and use the same tif file extension.

The tif file extension is also used for Digital Raster Graphic image file - A digital raster graphic (DRG) is a scanned image of a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) standard series topographic map, including all map collar information.

TIFF format is also used by GeoTiff format for GDAL - A geographic format, basically 2D with height optionally. Focuses on system transformations and projections

The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the Universal Transverse Mercator projection. The horizontal positional accuracy and datum of the DRG matches the accuracy and datum of the source map. The map is scanned at a minimum resolution of 250 dots per inch.

MIME types used:

image/tif
image/x-tif
image/tiff
image/x-tiff
application/tif
application/x-tif
application/tiff
application/x-tiff

How to open tif file?

Most current graphic editors support the TIF format and are able to open it.

How to convert tif file?

Editors that can open *.tif files can usually also save them to another file format.

Suggested software to open tif file:

XnView MP

ACDSee Photo Manager

Multi-Page TIFF Editor

Adobe Illustrator for Mac

Associated software actions with the tif file

.tif (2)

Andor Bio-Imaging Division (ABD) TIFF image

File type category:
Bitmap image file

Date updated: April 5, 2023

File extension tif is also associated with the Andor Bio-Imaging Division (ABD) TIFF file format that is used by research imaging and spectroscopy software developed by Oxford Instruments.

Similar format to Aldus Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) bitmap image, with additional metadata.