Easily Search TIFF/TIF Files Including Metadata Thanks to Enterprise Search

Although TIFF/TIF files are widely used in the printing industry, photography and medicine thanks to their exceptional image quality, they come with a major disadvantage in terms of searchability: the image information is available purely as pixels and content, even text, cannot be searched by default. In order to obtain a searchable file anyway, users often consider: “How can I convert a TIFF into a PDF?”. If the Portable Document Format is created with a text recognition function, the file can be searched for text in images. However, users have to accept a considerable loss of quality.

What many people do not know: TIFF or TIF files do not necessarily have to be converted into PDFs in order to be searchable. The use of so-called “Object Character Recognition” (OCR capability) is crucial. With this technology, characters in digital images are recognized and can then be interpreted as text. This also conceals the secret of the company’s internal search engine searchit, which can perform a full-text search in TIFF and TIF files in this way.

Thanks to the full-text search, which also includes metadata, TIFF files or TIF files can be found more quickly and easily on the searchit interface. The search via metadata is particularly important for the TIF and TIFF formats. The full text search in the input field offers suggestions for completing the search terms as well as a synonym search. All indexed files from every possible data source are included in the search. Instead of starting several search queries, for example in Sharepoint and the file server, searchit can be used to access all sources simultaneously. Metadata created by the user as well as automatically recognized metadata and automatically generated tags are taken into account.

Numerous filter options are available for a user-friendly and efficient search for TIFF or TIF files. The quickest way to search is via the “Images” tab and by selecting the file type “TIFF” in the interactive tile view. This means that only files in TIFF and TIF formats are displayed. The gallery view with image preview makes it easier to identify and find the right file. With just one click on the corresponding “Metadata” button, users can find out even more quickly whether they have found the file with the correct image details, creation and modification date.

No search results from zipped folders and minutes-long loading times – searching in File Explorer often proves to be tedious, especially as the large TIFF and TIF files often have to be stored in compressed form. In contrast, the searchit search engine is able to find TIFFs and TIFs in multiple zipped folders and include all indexed metadata in the search.

Enterprise Search avoids another problem in dealing with the TIFF/TIF format: In agencies and clinics, for example, it is common practice to install expensive licenses for Photoshop and the like only on selected computers. The unpleasant side effect is the restricted access to the images and scans generated there. By using searchit, any employee with access rights can search for TIFF files or TIF files, even from their home office. The company’s internal search engine ensures greater transparency and faster workflows.