JPEG vs TIFF Film Scans: Which Do You Actually Need?

JPEG or TIFF? If your photos mostly live on your phone and Instagram, our JPEG scans are all you need. If you edit, print big, or the roll really matters, get the TIFFs. Here's the difference between JPEG and TIFF film scans, and why.

When you order develop and scan with us, you choose between two kinds of scan. For sharing gives you JPEGs. For editing gives you TIFFs. There's £4 a roll between them, and we get asked a lot whether it's worth it.

Personally, I always go for the high res TIFFs on my own rolls. But that's because of what I do with my photos, and plenty of people genuinely don't need them. Here's how to work out which one is right for you.

The Quick Version

• For sharing: JPEG files, roughly 2MB each. Big enough for a sharp 6x4 print, and perfect for your phone, Instagram and the family group chat.
• For editing: TIFF files, roughly 20MB each. Sharp at 8x12, and in real life they print comfortably up to A3. You get a small JPEG of every frame too, so you can still browse and share straight away.

An 8x12 is four times the size of a 6x4. Lay four 6x4 prints in a square and that's your 8x12.

What's the Difference Between JPEG and TIFF?

Two things change between our tiers: how big the scan is, and what kind of file it's saved as.

Size is about pixels. The more pixels, the bigger you can print before it starts looking soft. A good rule for a sharp print is 300 pixels per inch, so a 6x4 needs about 1800 x 1200 pixels and an 8x12 needs about 3600 x 2400.

File type is about how the picture is stored.

A JPEG is compressed. It quietly throws away detail you mostly can't see, to keep the file small. That's why it opens on anything, uploads in a second and doesn't fill up your phone. The catch is that every time you edit and save a JPEG, it compresses again and loses a little more.

A TIFF doesn't throw anything away. It keeps everything the scanner saw, and you can edit it, save it and edit it again without it getting any worse. The price is size. One of our TIFFs weighs about the same as ten JPEGs.

Why the Big Scans Are TIFFs, and Why They Cost More

We pair the sizes and file types on purpose. The people who want big, high resolution scans are usually planning to print or edit them, or they're working photographers. Those are exactly the people who need a TIFF. If your photos are mostly going on your phone, 20MB files would just clog it up, so the smaller scans come as JPEGs.

The £4 isn't just for the file type. A high resolution scan takes almost twice as long on the scanner as a low resolution one. So you're paying for that extra scanning time, as well as a bigger, better quality file at the end of it.

When JPEGs Are All You Need

Be honest about where most of your photos end up. On your phone, on Instagram, in a WhatsApp group, and maybe the best few printed at 6x4.

For all of that, JPEGs are perfect. Instagram shrinks and recompresses every photo you upload anyway, so a 20MB TIFF won't look any better there than our JPEG. Most social apps won't even take a TIFF.

JPEGs are the right call if:

• You mostly look at your photos on a phone or share them online
• You don't edit, or just do a quick tweak in your phone's photo app
• You only print the odd favourite at 6x4
• You shoot a lot of rolls and want to keep the cost down

When It's Worth Getting TIFFs

Go for TIFFs if any of these sound like you:

• You edit in Lightroom, Photoshop or similar, and like to lift shadows, fix colour or rescue a tricky frame
• You want prints bigger than 6x4, for your wall, a zine or an exhibition
• You crop a lot. Cropping throws pixels away, so you need more to start with
• It's a roll that matters, like a wedding, a big trip or the last photos of someone
• You want an archive that will still hold up in 20 years, whatever screens and printers look like by then

That last one is why I always tick TIFF. You can always make a JPEG from a TIFF. You can never make a TIFF from a JPEG.

How Big Can You Really Print?

The 8x12 figure is the safe, pin-sharp number. In real life you can go a lot bigger, because big prints get looked at from further away.

For a recent exhibition I was in, I printed from my own 8x12 TIFF scans. They printed comfortably at A3, and I could probably have got away with A2.

Planning to go really big, like A1? That's what our archival scans are for. They're scanned for an 18x12 print at full quality, around 60MB per image for 35mm, and they blow up comfortably to around A1. You can have a whole roll done or just a few favourite frames. Prices are in our FAQ.

Want a Different Mix?

Our tiers suit most people, but they're not set in stone. If you'd rather have a lower resolution TIFF, or a higher resolution JPEG, we can do that too. Choose the tier with the size you want, then tell us the file type in the Notes for us box when you order.

Common Myths About Scan Sizes

"A bigger file means a better photo." Not quite. A bigger scan records more of what's on the negative, but it can't add what isn't there. Focus, exposure and grain come from you and the film. A soft, underexposed frame is still soft and underexposed as a TIFF, just bigger.

"I need TIFFs for Instagram." You don't. Instagram will squash it down to a small JPEG of its own.

"TIFFs are only for professionals." No. If you edit at all, or want to print bigger than a postcard, they're for you.

A Couple of Practical Tips

Went for JPEGs and fell in love with one frame? It's not too late. As long as you've still got the negatives, get in touch and we can rescan your favourites at a higher resolution. Yet another reason to keep your negs safe.

Your scans arrive as a link to your own private download page. JPEGs save straight to your iPhone's camera roll. TIFFs are big, so download them on a computer with a decent connection and some free space. The link lasts 30 days, so download everything and keep a backup somewhere other than your laptop.

The Simple Rule

Sharing? JPEG. Editing or printing big? TIFF. Not sure, and the roll matters? TIFF. It saves you sending the negatives back later.

Either way, it's the same careful develop and the same hand-checked scan. You choose when you build your order.