Lossless editing with JPEG?

[Peacemaker636]

Is there anyway that I can edit a JPEG and then have the edited image also be a JPEG without any quality loss from the original? Would converting it to a TIFF or other lossless format and then when I'm done editing saving it as a JPEG work?

 

[Digital Matt]

Yes. Save your images as tiff and include the layers once done editing. This file is lossless and can be re-edited and re-saved over and over. Save a copy as a jpg for printing or viewing on the web.

 

[Peacemaker636]

So I can open a JPEG, edit it, save it as a TIFF, then save the TIFF as a JPEG and no quality will be lost? Is there a way where I can make Photoshop go through that process every time I save an image as a JPEG (I know about actions, but it seems like PS should do that everytime you save a JPEG as a JPEG, so as to not reduce quality).

 

[Digital Matt]

Anytime you save as a jpg, you are adding compression. If you shoot in jpg, and save your edited file as tiff, then save a copy as jpg, that resulting jpg will have been compressed 2 times, once in camera, and once again in photoshop. Everytime you save something as a jpg, it gets compressed, and quality is lost. The point of saving the tiff is, if you need to ever edit it again, crop it, interpolate it to a different size, or whatever, you can do it from that tiff, and not repeated saves from a jpg, which compounds the quality loss.

 

[Peacemaker636]

Okay, I get it now. I would save in TIFF but it's too large, so I guess I'll just save straight to JPEG :blushing:.

 

[Digital Matt]

Memory is cheap. Memories are priceless. I shoot in raw and save in TIFF. The only time I save a jpeg is for uploading to the web, or for printing.

 

[PNA]

Memory is cheap. Memories are priceless. I shoot in raw and save in TIFF. The only time I save a jpeg is for uploading to the web, or for printing.

Once you save the RAW to TIFF do you delite the RAW?

 

[Digital Matt]

No, you should never delete a raw file. That's like throwing away your negs!

 

[PNA]

Then exactly what is the purpose of saving to TIFF and the editing? Can't you edit in RAW and save that in JPG?





Is this a stupid question??????

 

[markc]

One thing to remember is that you don't edit "in" a file format. You save as a file format. You edit whatever data you have open.

If you open a RAW, edit, and then save as a TIFF, you can keep layers accessible so that you can easily go back and change things. You can also go back and resize and then save as JPG for the web. If you print lab requires JPG for printing, you can go back to the TIFF and save as JPG at 99% quality so that you don't loose much data.

Even if you start with a JPG, if you save your edits as a TIFF, you get the same benefits and don't further degrade the image. If you really want to stay with JPG all the way through, boost the quality all the way up to 99%. The image will get a bit larger, but you won't loose much quality on each resave.

 

[Digital Matt]

Then exactly what is the purpose of saving to TIFF and the editing? Can't you edit in RAW and save that in JPG?

TIFF is a lossless image format that can save photoshop layers, compressing them, and offering a lower file size than a .psd. It's either TIFF or PSD to save editing so that it can be re-edited. This is always a must. As new technique is learned, I will often go back and change the way I've done things to get a higher quality image. Also, I get different sized prints made of my images, and each time I open the TIFF and copy all the layers to a new document with the correct color space and profile of the printer, and resize it to the size I need.

The raw file is crucial for archiving as the digital negative. The TIFF contains all the editing done, and the jpg is the print. I never go straight from RAW to print with no editing.

 

[PNA]

Understood.....based on your explaination, I need an additional external hard drive to hold the RAW and edited TIFF files....

Not a problem, done.

Actually I been doing what you have described with the exception of saving the TIFF with layers. That takes up memory, but as you stated "memory is cheap".

Thanks, Paul

 

[Digital Matt]

I myself have to look at storage. I have almost 400gigs of photos, and I'm looking to do backups to DVD and external HD, plus expand my immediate storage capability.

 

[PNA]

I've read the DVDs have a deterioration rate....????

 

[Digital Matt]

Everything deteriorates. I'm sure a standard DVD, if kept properly, will outlast you, and if you are unsure, you can always buy gold DVDs.

http://www.lightimpressionsdirect.com/servlet/OnlineShopping?Dsp=20000&PCR=30000:200000:207000