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How to read TIFF images in Java

suda

In this article, I will explain how to read Tiff files in Java. We also have a related article covering how to write TIFF files in Java.

ImageIO does not read TIFF file types by default so you will need to use an ImageIO plugin or an external library. I will demonstrate using an Open source ImageIO plugin called TwelveMonkeys (which extends ImageIO to provide TIFF reading support), and using the JDeli Image Library.

 

 

How to read a TIFF image in Java with ImageIO

  1. Download TwelveMonkeys plugin and add to your class path.
  2. Create a File handle, InputStream, or URL pointing to the raw TIFF image.
  3. ImageIO will now be able to read a TIFF file into a BufferedImage. 
    BufferedImage image = ImageIO.read(tiffFileOrInputStreamOrURL)

How to read a TIFF image in Java with JDeli

  1. Add JDeli to your class or module path. (download the trial jar).
  2. Create a File handle, InputStream pointing to the raw TIFF image. You can also use a byte[] containing the image data.
  3. Read the TIFF image into a BufferedImage 
    BufferedImage image = JDeli.read(tiffFile);

How to read a multi-file TIFF image in Java with JDeli

  1. Add JDeli to your class or module path. (download the trial jar).
  2. Create a File handle, InputStream pointing to the raw TIFF image. You can also use a byte[] containing the image data.
  3. Read the TIFF file into a TiffDecoder instance 
    RandomAccessFile raf = new RandomAccessFile("yourTiffFileLocation", "r");
TiffDecoder decoder = new TiffDecoder(raf);
  4. Loop through the separate images in the TIFF file 
    for (int i = 1; i <= decoder.getPageCount(); i++) {
BufferedImage decodedImage = decoder.read(i);
  // Insert BufferedImage handling code here
}
raf.close();

Why use JDeli to read TIFF?

JDeli offers a range of advantages over ImageIO and alternatives, including: