If I export a photo (in TIFF format) to my Desktop, I get an error message indicating that the file cannot be opened. However, if I export a JPEG photo to the Desktop, it opens with Preview. This seems odd to me. (I might add that I am running OS 10.15.7). Can someone please suggest what the problem might be? Thank you so much.
iMac Line (2012 and Later)
Mask AI looks like an interesting program, sorry you are experiencing this frustration. But other users have reported this, I believe it is specific to Mask AI or to your installation. See for example,
https://community.topazlabs.com/t/mask-ai-mac-os-problem-exporting-composite-image/16674
Perhaps you can save your work in another format (jpg) and then use Preview to convert to TIFF? Not sure what your workflow is, so I don't know if that is satisfactory or not.
Another thing to look at is in the Mask AI program preferences (from inside Mask AI), so if there are different options for saving to TIFF or other formats that you can try, to see if the TIFF file can be saved in a way that is usable for you.
Download the open-ended, free trial of GraphicConverter. It has been continuous updated for the last 30 years, and can be very useful.
Missing information. What application are. you using to originally open, or create, and export that .tif image to your Desktop?
The file was created in a photo processing application called Mask AI (by Topaz Labs). After I'm finished working on the photo, I have the option to save it either as a JPEG or a TIFF file. If I save it as a TIFF file to my Desktop, Preview cannot open the image.
Maybe a better approach would be to identify an alternative to Preview that might be able to open the TIFF created in Mask AI. Can anyone offer any suggestions? Thank you kindly.
Once you open the image what do you plan on doing with it?
Do you really need the tiff format?
I will look into GraphicConverter. Thank you.
I want to retain the TIFF format for further processing in Lightroom Classic. If I export the image as a JPEG, I lose a lot of the data.
Take a JPEG file on your Mac and open it with Preview and then save it as a TIFF. Confirm that you can open the TIFF file.
Then try saving a file as JPEG from Mask AI to confirm that you can also open that with Preview.
That would leave the AI Mask saved TIFF files as the problem remaining. For that, contacting AI Mask vendor might be required, because you'll have ascertained that the issue is unique to AI Mask TIFF files.
There is another troubleshooting step you can take. In Safari, try File => Open File ... and select the TIFF file that you can't open in Preview from AI Mask. Can Safari open the problem TIFF file?
Steve626: Following your suggestions, the problem appears to be that the TIFF file (not JPEGs) sent directly to my Desktop from Mask AI is damaged (according to the error message I get). TIFF files exported from anywhere else can be easily opened. In addition, Safari cannot open that "damaged" TIFF file. So there is a problem exchanging TIFF files between Mask AI & the Mac Desktop.
According to the developer of Mask AI, this has not been a reported issue by Mac users. That is what has been perplexing.
Cannot Open TIFF Photo
