Format name: TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)
Extension: tif
Type: bitmapped
Compression algorithm: CCITT-RLE, CCITT-FAX3, CCITT-FAX4, LZW, OJPEG, JPEG, CCITT-RLEW, Packbits, Deflate
Color depth: up to 48 bits
Platforms: all
Released in: 1986
The format was released in 1986 and was generally used to hold scanned white and black images (Tiff 3.0). Released in 1987, Tiff 4.0 got prevalence for it supported incompact color RGB images. Tiff 5.0 format, released in 1988, made possible to hold palette color images and support LZW compression algorithm (read more about LZW compression algorithm here). , Released in 1992, Tiff 6.0, supported CMYK and YcbCr color images and Jpeg compression algorithm (read more about Jpeg compression algorithm here).
The current Tiff (Tiff 6.0) is a rich and flexible file format, supported by many programs. The format is capable to record halftone images with different pixel intensity. So, it is considered to be a perfect format for graphic data storage and processing.
Tiff format is one of the most multipurpose and integrated raster formats. It is easily ported among platforms and used for different purposes (besides Internet).