How do I fix jagged edges in exported PNG or TIFF files?

[nilu2021]

Hello,

I am a beginner in Adobe Photoshop.

When saving a Photoshop file in Photoshop PDF, I find that the letters are smooth and do not have any jagged or rough edges.

However, when I export the same Photoshop file in PNG or TIFF, I find that the letters have jagged edges when zoomed to 100%.

How do I fix this issue?

I have attached both PDF and PNG screenshots zoomed to 100%.

Thanks a lot!

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

This is entirely normal and expected.

Your type in the PDF is still treated as a vector object, and is not rendered until it gets to output stage. e.g. Your monitor screen is such an output device, so the more you enlarge it, the better it looks. Whereas PNG, TIF, JPG, are pixel-based and are "fixed" after export at whatever resolution your file is at or whatever you specified when output. Even at 300 ppi, type will be rasterized into these defined pixels. In order to improve the look, "anti-aliasing" is added which makes the type look smoother to the naked eye. Without it, your pixels would be even more jagged.

[@mj]

Hi @nilu2021 ,

Evetything that Brad @ Roaring Mouse said.

This may help you understand the difference between vector and raster formats that Brad @ Roaring Mouse refers to in his really good explanation.

https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/file-types/image/comparison/raster-vs-vector.html

May seem daunting now, but it will make sense.

Let us know how you go.

mj

Mohammed Jogie | iMSD.co.za |

Adobe Certified Associate |  Expert | Instructor |

Adobe Community Professional | Creative Ambassador | User Group Manager |

Member International Society of Typographic Designers | Lifetime Friend International Council of Design | Interaction Design Association Local Leader |

Member Pan Afrikan Design Institute | Ambassador Visual Arts Network South Africa | Central Executive Committee Member Printing SA |

[Conrad_C]

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@nilu2021 wrote:

However, when I export the same Photoshop file in PNG or TIFF, I find that the letters have jagged edges when zoomed to 100%.

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If you are zooming to 100% in Photoshop, remember what that means: One image pixel to one screen pixel. If you are using a display that is less than 150 ppi or so, then of course you can see individual pixels at 100%.

But, for example, if the TIFF or PNG is printed, then the print size must be taken into account. If you have a TIFF image that is 1200 px wide, and the print size is 4 inches wide, then it will print at 300 pixels per inch; at that pixel density you are not going to see jaggies. 100% in Photoshop might be a realistic magnification for web graphics, but 100% does not help you judge whether graphics will be smooth in print.

And, if you are using a display of under 150 ppi or so to design for today’s phones, tablets, and higher-resolution computer displays that can be from 200 ppi to over 500 ppi, then 100% magnification in Photoshop is once again not representing how small the pixels are actually going to look (and how there simply aren’t going to be any jaggies) in the final medium.

Another way to look at it: When you are zoomed in at 100%, stop and take a look at the total size of the entire graphic on the screen. Are you really going to show it that big in the final medium? If not, then whatever jaggies you are seeing are going to be much less visible, or even invisible, at the final presentation size of that graphic.

[D Fosse]

In fact, PDF is the only way to preserve text as vector data from Photoshop.

Any other output from Photoshop will rasterize the text to the base document pixel grid.