Is there any sensible reason to use layered .tifs as work files instead of .psd? I recieved a layered .tif file from other agency designer and was baffled as why would someone use it as a format for handing over to someone else. Is this a compatibility issue? Both author and I are working on Adobe CC package, latest versions.
Same goes for embedding files in Illustrator or InDesign. Is there any advantage to convert .psd file to .tif and then link it? In my opinion it impedes workflow – it adds unnecessary steps between editing .psd file and seeing it in other compatibile program.
Answer
If working in InDesign, then no there’s no viable reason to use the .tif format over psd format.
Not everyone uses InDesign though. Therefore not every workflow can utilize the .psd format for linked assets. PSD and AI are proprietary Adobe formats so they work fairly seamlessly with other Adobe products. However, as soon as you throw a non-Adobe product into the workflow, that seamlessness may disappear. You may have received .tif files because you are not directly connected to the original editing office. Therefore if the file leaves their workspace they may wish to deliver the most common denominator and a .tiff would ensure a wider range of application support, even if the editing capabilities were lost.
QuarkXpress doesn’t support linking to .ai files last I checked. Not sure about XPress with .psd but I’d suspect it’s similar.
There’s also some who think a .tif may be better because its more universal. While that’s somewhat true, I don’t feel it’s always the safest format to save editing data. See here: Saving Working Files as PSD or TIFF?
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Hassan , Answer Author : Scott