TIFFEPlike

TIFFEPlike is a family of image file formats designed to be TIFF-like while extending the capabilities of the original Tagged Image File Format. The aim is to address modern imaging requirements such as higher bit depth, multi-page or multi-frame collections, extensive metadata, archival reliability, and improved extensibility, while preserving compatibility with existing TIFF-based tooling where feasible.

Technical design: It retains the basic TIFF-like structure of an offset-based Image File Directory (IFD) with tagged fields but introduces a separate set of extended tag IDs and a standardized metadata container. It also supports tiling and strip-based storage, multi-channel images, and floating-point pixel formats.

Metadata and provenance: It includes robust support for XMP, Exif, and IPTC blocks, plus optional digital signatures and provenance metadata to aid long-term archiving. It defines schemas for imaging parameters, calibration, and acquisition context.

Compression and interoperability: Supports traditional TIFF compressions (none, LZW, Deflate, PackBits) as well as modern codecs; aims for backward compatibility by providing a TIFF-compatible mode; not all readers support extended tags, so full TIFFEPlike compatibility may require explicit mode selection.

Status and usage: There is no formal global standard for TIFFEPlike as of now. Several independent projects publish reference implementations and draft specifications. The format is used in some research and archival projects that require richer metadata and long-term storage; general consumer image software has limited support.

See also: TIFF, Exif, XMP, GeoTIFF.