For TIFF exports from Lightroom, should I use LZW or ZIP compression?
Asked 4/13/2011
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When exporting TIFF files from Lightroom, which lossless compression option is the better choice: LZW or ZIP? I'm mainly interested in practical differences such as file size, save speed, bit depth, and compatibility.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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Better is a relative term and, to some degree, will vary in terms of amount between the two depending on a variety of factors including the bit-depth, frequency of discrete colours, etc. Some experimentation may be necessary on this front, though my reading indicates LZW is good for lower bit-depth images with lots of the same colours and tones in it and ZIP for when that is not the case. In other words, if the image is 8 bits go LZW and if it is 16 bits go with ZIP, as a rule of thumb, but with the caveat that it's not an absolute rule and there may be exceptions.
The only other thing I'd note is that LZW has been in the TIFF standard since 1992 and ZIP since 2002 (as part of a supplement when Adobe added it). While that's probably more than enough time for it to no longer be an issue, there may be the odd piece of software out there that handles LZW compression but not ZIP.
Originally by user472. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user472
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Both LZW and ZIP are lossless, so image quality is the same. The practical differences are file size, save time, and compatibility.
A good rule of thumb from the community answers is:
- 8-bit TIFF: use LZW
- 16-bit TIFF: use ZIP
Why: LZW tends to work well on lower bit-depth images and is often faster than ZIP on 8-bit files, while ZIP can compress 16-bit TIFFs more effectively. On 8-bit files, the size difference between LZW and ZIP may be small, but ZIP can take much longer to save. On 16-bit files, ZIP may produce smaller files than LZW.
If maximum save speed matters most, use no compression at all. TIFF compression can significantly increase save times, and the file size savings may be modest.
For compatibility and long-term preservation, LZW has broader historical support in TIFF and is often considered the safer choice. ZIP is also part of the TIFF standard, but older or less robust software may be more likely to have trouble with it.
So: choose LZW for broad compatibility and most 8-bit exports, ZIP for many 16-bit exports when smaller files matter, and no compression when speed matters most.
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