Scanned File Extension is .JPG but File Type is TIF - Smart Collection Consideration

[Paul_DS256]

Lightroom Version Number

LR Classic 9.4

Operating System

1. Windows 10

An interesting (at least for me) FWIW.

I was setting up a Smart Collection and discovered a number of scanned photos with a .JPG extension but that LR recognized a TIF. I'm trying to remember if I created these scans of composite prints or if a relative sent them to me. I think it's the latter. I checked my Epson Scan software and you select the file TYPE (PDF, JPG,TIF) and the Epson software assigns the extension. There is no way I could see to scan TIF and save JPG.

So the first benefit I found was that LR actually interrogates the file to determine it's file type instead of relying on the file extension. In the Smart Collection, if you want to select by file extension, you have to use the FILENAME field (e.g. .TIF). The FILE TYPE field uses what LR thinks the file is.

One potential problem is that Windows 10 displays the image properly, but does not have any indication that it is really a TIF file. It uses the file extension to say what type of file it is. Likely not a problem until you are using a utility that can only process JPG's and balks when it tries to load the TIF.

I now have some renaming to do.

 

[clee01l]

There would be little difference in the data block if the file is an 8 bit TIFF or an 8Bit JPEG except that the 8 bit TIFF is a lossless recovery. I would recommend the you open the suspected file with an EXIF Viewer to inspect the Header block fields. There is should tell you whether it was encoded as TIF or JPEG. And also whether the Data block is 8 bit or 16 bit

 

[Paul_DS256]

There would be little difference in the data block if the file is an 8 bit TIFF or an 8Bit JPEG except that the 8 bit TIFF is a lossless recovery.

Thanks for the insight Cletus. Here's what EXIFTOOL_GUI shows me. It appears to be 8bit

 

[Paul_DS256]

Another problem I discovered was that LR would not allow me to change the file extension in RENAME PHOTO. Regardless of what I tried, it retained the ".JPG". A Google search resulted in a number of posts, including Lightroom Queen, confirming this.

I ended up having to export the files as TIF, adding them back to the catalog, then delete the original .JPG.

 

[ChuckTin]

Properly done, and by definition, a file's identity is encoded, not defined by it's extension.
However there are some utility programs that will allow you to set the extension to anything you choose regardless of the file indentity.
Tiff is almost always a superior choice in scanning anyway because of the compression in jpegs.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

 

[clee01l]

Lightroom won’t let you rename the extension but you can do this outside of Lightroom. The cataloged “*.jpg” file will now show in LrC as missing. You can now point to the “missing” file now named with the correct extension. (NOTE: I’m pretty sure this find missing file will work this way. I’m on my iPadPro and can’t verify(.