Why do my JPEG and TIFF exports look different when zoomed in?
Asked 6/20/2020
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I exported the same RAW file from Lightroom twice, changing only the file type: one maximum-quality JPEG and one TIFF. When I compare a tiny area at high magnification, the JPEG looks smoother while the TIFF looks more jagged or aliased.
Is this because the TIFF is higher quality, or is something else causing the difference?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
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The differences you see are caused by different interpolation algorithms used by the viewers you're using when showing images at greater than 100% magnification. Some interpolation algorithms have a smoothing effect (bicubic), while others can cause aliasing (bilinear, nearest neighbor).
The images are also displayed with slightly different magnification, which can be seen with difference layer blending. Notice that when the left side of the images line up, the right side is mismatched.
There is no significant difference between the source JPEG and TIFF. As can be seen from the file sizes (10MB vs 90MB), JPEG is more suitable for sharing, while 16-bit TIFF contain additional color information that may be useful when extensive editing is required.
Here are 100% crops from the JPG and TIFF (saved as PNG), along with the result of difference layer blending.
Originally by user75526. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user75526
6y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
What you’re seeing is most likely a display/zoom issue, not a real image-quality difference.
When JPEG and TIFF files are viewed at more than 100% or at slightly different zoom ratios, the software may use different interpolation methods to scale them on screen. Some methods look smoother, while others can make edges appear more jagged or aliased. If the two views are not at exactly the same magnification, that can exaggerate the difference further.
So no, the TIFF is not inherently “worse” or jagged because it is higher quality. In this case, there’s no significant visual difference in the actual image content.
The main practical difference is that TIFF can store more data, such as 16-bit color, which is useful for heavy post-processing. JPEG uses compression and is much smaller, making it better for sharing or delivery. For normal viewing, a maximum-quality JPEG and a TIFF exported from the same RAW can look essentially identical.
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