2005.09.16 04:13 "Re: [Tiff] What do you call...", by Joris Van Damme

I know this isn't Baseline Tiff since Baseline Tiff doesn't care where the location of the directory is. Is there another term that would describe this functionality? Or would "only images generated from the camera is supported" enough and can be understood by everyone?

No. Digital camera software that generates TIFFs, too, can put the first IFD any place they like. Possibly, the camera software/driver/whatever that you have tested puts it at a specific location. Other camera's or even other software/driver/whatever for the same may behave differently. Even the camera's you've tested may behave differently in some specific situation, there's no way to know for sure other then reverse engineering them. And also, possibly 'those that were manipulated in the PC or any software', that you've tested, put the first IFD at a location other then offset 8, but other PC software may behave differently and put it at offset 8.

If you impose this kind of limitation, it is likely you haven't thought of ColorMap data, for instance, or any other situation that makes crucial data larger then 4 bytes, like having multiple strips or tiles, because all those data blocks too, can be located just anywhere and you're obviously depending on fixed order and position. In short, you're likely supporting a few odd files from a single source only. There's no term for that. You would best describe it as 'seems to support output from this or that particular version of this or that particular camera, as far as tested'.

Sorry, but that's just what you get if you ignore the spec on an extremely basic pillar property of the file format you wish to support.

Joris Van Damme
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