Editing TIFF (section)

==== Byte order ====
Every TIFF file begins with a two-[[byte]] indicator of [[byte order]]: "<code>II</code>" for little-endian (a.k.a. "Intel byte ordering", {{circa|1980}})<ref name="ReferenceA">David Beecher, author of dozens of image processing engines over the last 30 years. Any TIFF file can be viewed with a HEX editor to confirm this.</ref> or "<code>MM</code>" for big-endian (a.k.a. "Motorola byte ordering", {{circa|1980}})<ref name="ReferenceA"/> byte ordering. The next two-byte word contains the format version number, which has always been 42 for every version of TIFF (e.g., TIFF v5.0 and TIFF v6.0).<ref>{{cite book
 |     author = Aldus/Microsoft
 |      title = TIFF
 |    section = 1) Structure
 |    version = Revision 5.0
 |  publisher = Aldus Corporation and Microsoft Corporation
 |       date = 1988-08-08
 |        url = http://cool-palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/imaging/std/tiff5.html
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081204070129/http://cool-palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/imaging/std/tiff5.html
 |archive-date = 2008-12-04
 | access-date = 2009-06-29
 |      quote = The number 42 was chosen for its deep philosophical significance.
 }}</ref>
All two-byte words, double words, etc., in the TIFF file are assumed to be in the indicated byte order. The TIFF 6.0 specification states that compliant TIFF readers must support both byte orders (<code>II</code> and <code>MM</code>); writers may use either.<ref>{{cite book
 |author      = Adobe Developers Association
 |title       = TIFF
 |section     = Section 7: Additional baseline TIFF Requirements
 |version     = Revision 6.0
 |publisher   = Adobe Systems Incorporated
 |date        = 1992-06-03
 |url         = https://www.adobe.io/content/dam/udp/en/open/standards/tiff/TIFF6.pdf
 |access-date  = 2022-06-29
 |quote       = ‘MM’ and ‘II’ byte order. TIFF readers must be able to handle both byte orders. TIFF writers can do whichever is most convenient or efficient.
 |page        = 26
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108174645/https://www.adobe.io/content/dam/udp/en/open/standards/tiff/TIFF6.pdf
 |archive-date=8 January 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref>