GIMP will not open my TIFF file...

[Peter Reader]

Hi all,

Just processed an image in DSS. To make the image a JPEG I convert it using GIMP but I got this error message today:

Opening 'C:\Users\Peter\Pictures\Scope\Deep Sky\Orion Compilation crop.tif' failed: TIFF image plug-In could not open image

All other TIFF images have opened fine except this one -the only difference is that I used 2 sets of data for this image.

Any ideas?

[Peter Reader]

Just downloaded pixillion instead.

[Psychobilly]

Did you change the bit depth ?

Did you do some processing changes and then save them as an embebed tif..?

[Peter Reader]

Yes for the second I think. bit depth is 16 I think...

[Psychobilly]

IIRC Gimp as it stands can only handle 8 bit tiffs...

[Peter Reader]

Yes but when I usually open the 16bit images it warns me it must convert them to 8bit. I accept and it opens, and then convert to JPEG...

[Psychobilly]

Did you use the embedded or apply changes before saving option?

[Peter Reader]

I think I applied them

[Psychobilly]

Then possibly the only other thing that might have changed in DSS.... Were they saved in compressed form ?

[Peter Reader]

I will have to check. IN the mean time I'm using pixillion to convert the TIFF images. Apparently stacking and saving one set of images only solves the issue and allows the image to be opened in GIMP.

This isn't the end of the world as I can convert the image to JPEG and then fiddle in GIMP if I need to. Although I usually only process slightly in DSS.

Thanks for the help

[fkimage]

if you image changed from 8bit to 16bit, then that's the problem. some tiff image plug-in vb.net just don't work for 16bits. just download another one works for you.

[David Smith]

I had problems opening Tiffs with GIMP at one point. Turned out I had inadvertently created a compressed Tiff which GIMP didn't like at all. 16 bit images do not seem to be a problem as they just get converted to 8 bit when you open them.

[umadog]

If you can find a package that lets you do what you want in 16 bit that would be much better. The 16 bit files have 65 thousand possible gray levels whereas the 8 bit have only 256. It's easy to lose information when you're processing stuff in 8 bit. You could maybe try pre-process in ImageJ (or Fiji), which opens 16 bit tiffs. You can use that for contrast enhancements, etc. Then do the final touch up in Gimp.