diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 1a282ac1..024a81f3 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@
 - support 16-bit palette TIFFs, plus palette TIFFs can have an alpha
 - libgsf is now required 
 - dzsave can directly write a ZIP file 
+- add ".vips" as an alternative suffix for vips files
+- added vips_tiffload_buffer()
+- added vips_foreign_load_buffer(), vips_foreign_save_buffer()
+- added vips_object_set_from_string()
 
 6/3/14 started 7.38.6
 - grey ramp minimum was wrong
diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index b3a4177b..e908969c 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -1,4 +1,30 @@
 
+- use vips_object_set_from_string() for vips_foreign_load_options() and
+  friends
+
+
+
+- use this for dzsave_buffer 
+
+
+
+- clean up foreign.c, there seems to be some cruft
+
+- vips_filename_suffix_match() is used by
+  vips_foreign_load_new_from_foreign_sub(), but it splits on ':' ... argh!
+
+  deprecate this thing and stop ':' split
+
+  vips_foreign_find_save() should split on [], there's something to find the
+  start of the rightmost [] pair, use that
+
+  see also vips_foreign_find_save_buffer()
+
+
+  
+
+- support 1/2/4 bit palette tiff with alpha
+
 - can we use postbuild elsewhere? look at use of "preclose" / "written", etc. 
 
 
diff --git a/compile b/compile
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..531136b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compile
@@ -0,0 +1,347 @@
+#! /bin/sh
+# Wrapper for compilers which do not understand '-c -o'.
+
+scriptversion=2012-10-14.11; # UTC
+
+# Copyright (C) 1999-2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+# Written by Tom Tromey <tromey@cygnus.com>.
+#
+# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option)
+# any later version.
+#
+# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+# As a special exception to the GNU General Public License, if you
+# distribute this file as part of a program that contains a
+# configuration script generated by Autoconf, you may include it under
+# the same distribution terms that you use for the rest of that program.
+
+# This file is maintained in Automake, please report
+# bugs to <bug-automake@gnu.org> or send patches to
+# <automake-patches@gnu.org>.
+
+nl='
+'
+
+# We need space, tab and new line, in precisely that order.  Quoting is
+# there to prevent tools from complaining about whitespace usage.
+IFS=" ""	$nl"
+
+file_conv=
+
+# func_file_conv build_file lazy
+# Convert a $build file to $host form and store it in $file
+# Currently only supports Windows hosts. If the determined conversion
+# type is listed in (the comma separated) LAZY, no conversion will
+# take place.
+func_file_conv ()
+{
+  file=$1
+  case $file in
+    / | /[!/]*) # absolute file, and not a UNC file
+      if test -z "$file_conv"; then
+	# lazily determine how to convert abs files
+	case `uname -s` in
+	  MINGW*)
+	    file_conv=mingw
+	    ;;
+	  CYGWIN*)
+	    file_conv=cygwin
+	    ;;
+	  *)
+	    file_conv=wine
+	    ;;
+	esac
+      fi
+      case $file_conv/,$2, in
+	*,$file_conv,*)
+	  ;;
+	mingw/*)
+	  file=`cmd //C echo "$file " | sed -e 's/"\(.*\) " *$/\1/'`
+	  ;;
+	cygwin/*)
+	  file=`cygpath -m "$file" || echo "$file"`
+	  ;;
+	wine/*)
+	  file=`winepath -w "$file" || echo "$file"`
+	  ;;
+      esac
+      ;;
+  esac
+}
+
+# func_cl_dashL linkdir
+# Make cl look for libraries in LINKDIR
+func_cl_dashL ()
+{
+  func_file_conv "$1"
+  if test -z "$lib_path"; then
+    lib_path=$file
+  else
+    lib_path="$lib_path;$file"
+  fi
+  linker_opts="$linker_opts -LIBPATH:$file"
+}
+
+# func_cl_dashl library
+# Do a library search-path lookup for cl
+func_cl_dashl ()
+{
+  lib=$1
+  found=no
+  save_IFS=$IFS
+  IFS=';'
+  for dir in $lib_path $LIB
+  do
+    IFS=$save_IFS
+    if $shared && test -f "$dir/$lib.dll.lib"; then
+      found=yes
+      lib=$dir/$lib.dll.lib
+      break
+    fi
+    if test -f "$dir/$lib.lib"; then
+      found=yes
+      lib=$dir/$lib.lib
+      break
+    fi
+    if test -f "$dir/lib$lib.a"; then
+      found=yes
+      lib=$dir/lib$lib.a
+      break
+    fi
+  done
+  IFS=$save_IFS
+
+  if test "$found" != yes; then
+    lib=$lib.lib
+  fi
+}
+
+# func_cl_wrapper cl arg...
+# Adjust compile command to suit cl
+func_cl_wrapper ()
+{
+  # Assume a capable shell
+  lib_path=
+  shared=:
+  linker_opts=
+  for arg
+  do
+    if test -n "$eat"; then
+      eat=
+    else
+      case $1 in
+	-o)
+	  # configure might choose to run compile as 'compile cc -o foo foo.c'.
+	  eat=1
+	  case $2 in
+	    *.o | *.[oO][bB][jJ])
+	      func_file_conv "$2"
+	      set x "$@" -Fo"$file"
+	      shift
+	      ;;
+	    *)
+	      func_file_conv "$2"
+	      set x "$@" -Fe"$file"
+	      shift
+	      ;;
+	  esac
+	  ;;
+	-I)
+	  eat=1
+	  func_file_conv "$2" mingw
+	  set x "$@" -I"$file"
+	  shift
+	  ;;
+	-I*)
+	  func_file_conv "${1#-I}" mingw
+	  set x "$@" -I"$file"
+	  shift
+	  ;;
+	-l)
+	  eat=1
+	  func_cl_dashl "$2"
+	  set x "$@" "$lib"
+	  shift
+	  ;;
+	-l*)
+	  func_cl_dashl "${1#-l}"
+	  set x "$@" "$lib"
+	  shift
+	  ;;
+	-L)
+	  eat=1
+	  func_cl_dashL "$2"
+	  ;;
+	-L*)
+	  func_cl_dashL "${1#-L}"
+	  ;;
+	-static)
+	  shared=false
+	  ;;
+	-Wl,*)
+	  arg=${1#-Wl,}
+	  save_ifs="$IFS"; IFS=','
+	  for flag in $arg; do
+	    IFS="$save_ifs"
+	    linker_opts="$linker_opts $flag"
+	  done
+	  IFS="$save_ifs"
+	  ;;
+	-Xlinker)
+	  eat=1
+	  linker_opts="$linker_opts $2"
+	  ;;
+	-*)
+	  set x "$@" "$1"
+	  shift
+	  ;;
+	*.cc | *.CC | *.cxx | *.CXX | *.[cC]++)
+	  func_file_conv "$1"
+	  set x "$@" -Tp"$file"
+	  shift
+	  ;;
+	*.c | *.cpp | *.CPP | *.lib | *.LIB | *.Lib | *.OBJ | *.obj | *.[oO])
+	  func_file_conv "$1" mingw
+	  set x "$@" "$file"
+	  shift
+	  ;;
+	*)
+	  set x "$@" "$1"
+	  shift
+	  ;;
+      esac
+    fi
+    shift
+  done
+  if test -n "$linker_opts"; then
+    linker_opts="-link$linker_opts"
+  fi
+  exec "$@" $linker_opts
+  exit 1
+}
+
+eat=
+
+case $1 in
+  '')
+     echo "$0: No command.  Try '$0 --help' for more information." 1>&2
+     exit 1;
+     ;;
+  -h | --h*)
+    cat <<\EOF
+Usage: compile [--help] [--version] PROGRAM [ARGS]
+
+Wrapper for compilers which do not understand '-c -o'.
+Remove '-o dest.o' from ARGS, run PROGRAM with the remaining
+arguments, and rename the output as expected.
+
+If you are trying to build a whole package this is not the
+right script to run: please start by reading the file 'INSTALL'.
+
+Report bugs to <bug-automake@gnu.org>.
+EOF
+    exit $?
+    ;;
+  -v | --v*)
+    echo "compile $scriptversion"
+    exit $?
+    ;;
+  cl | *[/\\]cl | cl.exe | *[/\\]cl.exe )
+    func_cl_wrapper "$@"      # Doesn't return...
+    ;;
+esac
+
+ofile=
+cfile=
+
+for arg
+do
+  if test -n "$eat"; then
+    eat=
+  else
+    case $1 in
+      -o)
+	# configure might choose to run compile as 'compile cc -o foo foo.c'.
+	# So we strip '-o arg' only if arg is an object.
+	eat=1
+	case $2 in
+	  *.o | *.obj)
+	    ofile=$2
+	    ;;
+	  *)
+	    set x "$@" -o "$2"
+	    shift
+	    ;;
+	esac
+	;;
+      *.c)
+	cfile=$1
+	set x "$@" "$1"
+	shift
+	;;
+      *)
+	set x "$@" "$1"
+	shift
+	;;
+    esac
+  fi
+  shift
+done
+
+if test -z "$ofile" || test -z "$cfile"; then
+  # If no '-o' option was seen then we might have been invoked from a
+  # pattern rule where we don't need one.  That is ok -- this is a
+  # normal compilation that the losing compiler can handle.  If no
+  # '.c' file was seen then we are probably linking.  That is also
+  # ok.
+  exec "$@"
+fi
+
+# Name of file we expect compiler to create.
+cofile=`echo "$cfile" | sed 's|^.*[\\/]||; s|^[a-zA-Z]:||; s/\.c$/.o/'`
+
+# Create the lock directory.
+# Note: use '[/\\:.-]' here to ensure that we don't use the same name
+# that we are using for the .o file.  Also, base the name on the expected
+# object file name, since that is what matters with a parallel build.
+lockdir=`echo "$cofile" | sed -e 's|[/\\:.-]|_|g'`.d
+while true; do
+  if mkdir "$lockdir" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    break
+  fi
+  sleep 1
+done
+# FIXME: race condition here if user kills between mkdir and trap.
+trap "rmdir '$lockdir'; exit 1" 1 2 15
+
+# Run the compile.
+"$@"
+ret=$?
+
+if test -f "$cofile"; then
+  test "$cofile" = "$ofile" || mv "$cofile" "$ofile"
+elif test -f "${cofile}bj"; then
+  test "${cofile}bj" = "$ofile" || mv "${cofile}bj" "$ofile"
+fi
+
+rmdir "$lockdir"
+exit $ret
+
+# Local Variables:
+# mode: shell-script
+# sh-indentation: 2
+# eval: (add-hook 'write-file-hooks 'time-stamp)
+# time-stamp-start: "scriptversion="
+# time-stamp-format: "%:y-%02m-%02d.%02H"
+# time-stamp-time-zone: "UTC"
+# time-stamp-end: "; # UTC"
+# End:
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index be910efd..8ae7d2c1 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -9,7 +9,8 @@ AC_PREREQ(2.62)
 # gobject-introspection recommends -Wno-portability
 # foreign stops complaints about a missing README (we use README.md instead)
 # and missing INSTALL (the standard Gnu INSTALL is not very useful)
-AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([-Wno-portability foreign])
+# subdir-objects lets us have dumy.cc in a subdir
+AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([-Wno-portability foreign subdir-objects])
 
 AC_CONFIG_HEADERS(config.h)
 AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR([m4])
diff --git a/libvips/convolution/gaussblur.c b/libvips/convolution/gaussblur.c
index 8b1c253c..c41ea12b 100644
--- a/libvips/convolution/gaussblur.c
+++ b/libvips/convolution/gaussblur.c
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ vips_gaussblur_build( VipsObject *object )
 	/* Stop at 20% of max ... bit mean, but means mask radius is roughly
 	 * right.
 	 */
-	if( vips_gaussmat( &t[0], gaussblur->radius / 2, 0.2, 
+	if( vips_gaussmat( &t[0], gaussblur->radius / 2.0, 0.2, 
 		"separable", TRUE,
 		"integer", gaussblur->precision != VIPS_PRECISION_FLOAT,
 		NULL ) )
@@ -162,8 +162,8 @@ vips_gaussblur_init( VipsGaussblur *gaussblur )
  * This operator runs vips_gaussmat() and vips_convsep() for you on an image. 
  *
  * @radius is not used directly. Instead the standard deviation of
- * vips_gaussmat() is set to @radius / 2 and the minimum amplitude set to 20%.
- * This gives a mask radius of approximately @radius pixels.
+ * vips_gaussmat() is set to @radius / 2.0 and the minimum amplitude set to 
+ * 20%. This gives a mask radius of approximately @radius pixels.
  *
  * See also: vips_gaussmat(), vips_conv().
  * 
diff --git a/libvips/deprecated/format.c b/libvips/deprecated/format.c
index be3849ec..36bbe1c0 100644
--- a/libvips/deprecated/format.c
+++ b/libvips/deprecated/format.c
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ vips_format_get_flags( VipsFormatClass *format, const char *filename )
 /* VIPS format class.
  */
 
-static const char *vips_suffs[] = { ".v", NULL };
+static const char *vips_suffs[] = { ".v", ".vips", NULL };
 
 int
 im_isvips( const char *filename )
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/foreign.c b/libvips/foreign/foreign.c
index eb91a9b8..6d3b03b6 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/foreign.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/foreign.c
@@ -87,10 +87,12 @@
  * the file name extension) with JPEG compression.
  *
  * |[
- * vips_foreign_save_options (my_image, "frank.tiff[compression=jpeg]");  
+ * vips_foreign_save_options (my_image, "frank.tiff[compression=jpeg]", NULL);  
  * ]|
  *
- * Is the same thing, but with the option in the filename.
+ * Is the same thing, but with the option in the filename. You can put
+ * name - value pairs after the filename as well: these will override any
+ * options set in the filename. 
  *
  * You can also invoke the operations directly, for example:
  *
@@ -108,9 +110,8 @@
  * transparently supported by vips_image_new_from_file() and friends.
  *
  * VIPS comes with VipsForeign for TIFF, JPEG, PNG, Analyze, PPM, OpenEXR, CSV,
- * Matlab, Radiance, RAW, FITS and VIPS. It also 
- * includes import filters which can
- * load with libMagick and with OpenSlide. 
+ * Matlab, Radiance, RAW, FITS, WebP and VIPS. It also includes import filters 
+ * which can load with libMagick and with OpenSlide. 
  */
 
 /**
@@ -159,7 +160,7 @@
  * Add a new loader to VIPS by subclassing #VipsForeignLoad. Subclasses need to 
  * implement at least @header().
  *
- * As a complete example, here's the code for the PNG loader, minus the actual
+ * As a complete example, here's code for a PNG loader, minus the actual
  * calls to libpng.
  *
  * |[
@@ -505,7 +506,7 @@ vips_foreign_load_new_from_foreign_sub( VipsForeignLoadClass *load_class,
  *
  * Searches for an operation you could use to load @filename. 
  *
- * See also: vips_foreign_read().
+ * See also: vips_foreign_load().
  *
  * Returns: the name of an operation on success, %NULL on error
  */
@@ -532,6 +533,46 @@ vips_foreign_find_load( const char *filename )
 	return( G_OBJECT_CLASS_NAME( load_class ) );
 }
 
+/* Can this VipsForeign open this buffer?
+ */
+static void *
+vips_foreign_find_load_buffer_sub( VipsForeignLoadClass *load_class, 
+	void **buf, size_t *len )
+{
+	if( load_class->is_a_buffer &&
+		load_class->is_a_buffer( *buf, *len ) ) 
+		return( load_class );
+
+	return( NULL );
+}
+
+/**
+ * vips_foreign_find_load:
+ * @filename: file to find a loader for
+ *
+ * Searches for an operation you could use to load @filename. 
+ *
+ * See also: vips_foreign_load_buffer().
+ *
+ * Returns: the name of an operation on success, %NULL on error
+ */
+const char *
+vips_foreign_find_load_buffer( void *buf, size_t len )
+{
+	VipsForeignLoadClass *load_class;
+
+	if( !(load_class = (VipsForeignLoadClass *) vips_foreign_map( 
+		"VipsForeignLoad",
+		(VipsSListMap2Fn) vips_foreign_find_load_buffer_sub, 
+		&buf, &len )) ) {
+		vips_error( "VipsForeignLoad", 
+			"%s", _( "buffer is not in a known format" ) ); 
+		return( NULL );
+	}
+
+	return( G_OBJECT_CLASS_NAME( load_class ) );
+}
+
 /**
  * vips_foreign_find_load_options:
  * @filename: file to find a loader for
@@ -1022,7 +1063,7 @@ vips_foreign_find_save_sub( VipsForeignSaveClass *save_class,
  * @filename may not contain embedded options. See
  * vips_foreign_find_save_options() if your filename may have options in.
  *
- * See also: vips_foreign_write().
+ * See also: vips_foreign_save().
  *
  * Returns: the name of an operation on success, %NULL on error
  */
@@ -1044,6 +1085,55 @@ vips_foreign_find_save( const char *filename )
 	return( G_OBJECT_CLASS_NAME( save_class ) );
 }
 
+/* Can we write this buffer with this file type?
+ */
+static void *
+vips_foreign_find_save_buffer_sub( VipsForeignSaveClass *save_class, 
+	const char *suffix )
+{
+	VipsObjectClass *object_class = VIPS_OBJECT_CLASS( save_class );
+	VipsForeignClass *class = VIPS_FOREIGN_CLASS( save_class );
+
+	if( class->suffs &&
+		vips_ispostfix( object_class->nickname, "_buffer" ) &&
+		vips_filename_suffix_match( suffix, class->suffs ) )
+		return( save_class );
+
+	return( NULL );
+}
+
+/**
+ * vips_foreign_find_save_buffer:
+ * @suffix: name to find a saver for
+ *
+ * Searches for an operation you could use to write to a buffer in @suffix
+ * format. 
+ *
+ * @filename may not contain embedded options. See
+ * vips_foreign_find_save_options() if your filename may have options in.
+ *
+ * See also: vips_foreign_save_buffer().
+ *
+ * Returns: the name of an operation on success, %NULL on error
+ */
+const char *
+vips_foreign_find_save_buffer( const char *suffix )
+{
+	VipsForeignSaveClass *save_class;
+
+	if( !(save_class = (VipsForeignSaveClass *) vips_foreign_map( 
+		"VipsForeignSave",
+		(VipsSListMap2Fn) vips_foreign_find_save_buffer_sub, 
+		(void *) suffix, NULL )) ) {
+		vips_error( "VipsForeignSave",
+			_( "\"%s\" is not a known file format" ), suffix );
+
+		return( NULL );
+	}
+
+	return( G_OBJECT_CLASS_NAME( save_class ) );
+}
+
 /**
  * vips_foreign_find_save_options:
  * @filename: name to find a saver for
@@ -1051,7 +1141,7 @@ vips_foreign_find_save( const char *filename )
  * Searches for an operation you could use to write to @filename.
  *
  * @filename may contain embedded options. See
- * vips_foreign_find_save() if your filename does not options in.
+ * vips_foreign_find_save() if your filename does not have options in.
  *
  * See also: vips_foreign_write().
  *
@@ -1473,6 +1563,44 @@ vips_foreign_load( const char *filename, VipsImage **out, ... )
 	return( result );
 }
 
+/**
+ * vips_foreign_load_buffer:
+ * @buf: start of memory buffer
+ * @len: length of memory buffer
+ * @out: output image
+ * @...: %NULL-terminated list of optional named arguments
+ *
+ * Loads @buf, @len into @out using the loader recommended by
+ * vips_foreign_find_load_buffer().
+ *
+ * See also: vips_foreign_save(), vips_foreign_load_options().
+ *
+ * Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
+ */
+int
+vips_foreign_load_buffer( void *buf, size_t len, VipsImage **out, ... )
+{
+	const char *operation;
+	VipsArea *area;
+	va_list ap;
+	int result;
+
+	if( !(operation = vips_foreign_find_load_buffer( buf, len )) )
+		return( -1 );
+
+	/* We don't take a copy of the data or free it.
+	 */
+	area = vips_area_new_blob( NULL, buf, len );
+
+	va_start( ap, out );
+	result = vips_call_split( operation, ap, area, out );
+	va_end( ap );
+
+	vips_area_unref( area );
+
+	return( result );
+}
+
 /**
  * vips_foreign_save:
  * @in: image to write
@@ -1504,6 +1632,99 @@ vips_foreign_save( VipsImage *in, const char *filename, ... )
 	return( result );
 }
 
+/**
+ * vips_foreign_save_buffer:
+ * @in: image to write
+ * @suffix: format to write 
+ * @buf: return buffer start here
+ * @len: return buffer length here
+ * @...: %NULL-terminated list of optional named arguments
+ *
+ * Saves @in to a memory buffer selected from @suffix. @suffix may also set
+ * save options, for example it could be ".jpg[Q=80]". 
+ * Save options may also be given  
+ * as a NULL-terminated list of name-value pairs.
+ *
+ * See also: vips_foreign_load_buffer().
+ *
+ * Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
+ */
+int
+vips_foreign_save_buffer( VipsImage *in, 
+	const char *suffix, void **buf, size_t *len, 
+	... )
+{
+	char str[VIPS_PATH_MAX];
+	char *p;
+	const char *operation_name;
+	VipsOperation *operation;
+	VipsArea *area;
+	va_list ap;
+	int result;
+
+	/* Take any [options] off the suffix.
+	 */
+	vips_strncpy( str, suffix, VIPS_PATH_MAX );
+	if( (p = (char *) vips__find_rightmost_brackets( str )) )
+		*p = '\0';
+
+	if( !(operation_name = vips_foreign_find_save_buffer( str )) )
+		return( -1 );
+
+	if( !(operation = vips_operation_new( operation_name )) )
+		return( -1 );
+
+	g_object_set( operation, "in", in, NULL );
+
+	/* Now set any operation args from the options list.
+	 */
+	if( (p = (char *) vips__find_rightmost_brackets( suffix )) &&
+		vips_object_set_from_string( VIPS_OBJECT( operation ), p ) ) {
+		vips_object_unref_outputs( VIPS_OBJECT( operation ) );
+		g_object_unref( operation ); 
+		return( -1 ); 
+	}
+
+	/* Set any from varargs.
+	 */
+	va_start( ap, len );
+	result = vips_object_set_valist( VIPS_OBJECT( operation ), ap );
+	va_end( ap );
+
+	if( result ) {
+		vips_object_unref_outputs( VIPS_OBJECT( operation ) );
+		g_object_unref( operation ); 
+		return( -1 ); 
+	}
+
+	if( vips_cache_operation_buildp( &operation ) ) {
+		vips_object_unref_outputs( VIPS_OBJECT( operation ) );
+		g_object_unref( operation ); 
+		return( -1 );
+	}
+
+	g_object_get( operation, "buffer", &area, NULL );
+
+	/* Getting @buffer will have upped its count so it'll be safe.
+	 * We can junk all other outputs,
+	 */
+	vips_object_unref_outputs( VIPS_OBJECT( operation ) );
+	g_object_unref( operation ); 
+
+	if( area ) { 
+		if( buf ) {
+			*buf = area->data;
+			area->free_fn = NULL;
+		}
+		if( len ) 
+			*len = area->length;
+
+		vips_area_unref( area );
+	}
+
+	return( 0 );
+}
+
 /**
  * vips_foreign_load_options:
  * @filename: file to load
@@ -1651,7 +1872,8 @@ vips_foreign_operation_init( void )
 	extern GType vips_foreign_save_jpeg_file_get_type( void ); 
 	extern GType vips_foreign_save_jpeg_buffer_get_type( void ); 
 	extern GType vips_foreign_save_jpeg_mime_get_type( void ); 
-	extern GType vips_foreign_load_tiff_get_type( void ); 
+	extern GType vips_foreign_load_tiff_file_get_type( void ); 
+	extern GType vips_foreign_load_tiff_buffer_get_type( void ); 
 	extern GType vips_foreign_save_tiff_get_type( void ); 
 	extern GType vips_foreign_load_vips_get_type( void ); 
 	extern GType vips_foreign_save_vips_get_type( void ); 
@@ -1709,7 +1931,8 @@ vips_foreign_operation_init( void )
 #endif /*HAVE_LIBWEBP*/
 
 #ifdef HAVE_TIFF
-	vips_foreign_load_tiff_get_type(); 
+	vips_foreign_load_tiff_file_get_type(); 
+	vips_foreign_load_tiff_buffer_get_type(); 
 	vips_foreign_save_tiff_get_type(); 
 #endif /*HAVE_TIFF*/
 
@@ -1807,6 +2030,44 @@ vips_tiffload( const char *filename, VipsImage **out, ... )
 	return( result );
 }
 
+/**
+ * vips_tiffload_buffer:
+ * @buf: memory area to load
+ * @len: size of memory area
+ * @out: image to write
+ * @...: %NULL-terminated list of optional named arguments
+ *
+ * Optional arguments:
+ *
+ * @page: load this page
+ *
+ * Read a TIFF-formatted memory block into a VIPS image. Exactly as
+ * vips_tiffload(), but read from a memory source. 
+ *
+ * See also: vips_tiffload().
+ *
+ * Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error.
+ */
+int
+vips_tiffload_buffer( void *buf, size_t len, VipsImage **out, ... )
+{
+	va_list ap;
+	VipsArea *area;
+	int result;
+
+	/* We don't take a copy of the data or free it.
+	 */
+	area = vips_area_new_blob( NULL, buf, len );
+
+	va_start( ap, out );
+	result = vips_call_split( "tiffload_buffer", ap, area, out );
+	va_end( ap );
+
+	vips_area_unref( area );
+
+	return( result );
+}
+
 /**
  * vips_tiffsave:
  * @in: image to save 
@@ -1899,46 +2160,6 @@ vips_tiffsave( VipsImage *in, const char *filename, ... )
 	return( result );
 }
 
-/**
- * vips_jpegload_buffer:
- * @buf: memory area to load
- * @len: size of memory area
- * @out: image to write
- * @...: %NULL-terminated list of optional named arguments
- *
- * Read a JPEG-formatted memory block into a VIPS image. It can read most 
- * 8-bit JPEG images, including CMYK and YCbCr.
- *
- * This function is handy for processing JPEG image thumbnails.
- *
- * Caution: on return only the header will have been read, the pixel data is
- * not decompressed until the first pixel is read. Therefore you must not free
- * @buf until you have read pixel data from @out.
- *
- * See also: vips_jpegload().
- *
- * Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error.
- */
-int
-vips_jpegload_buffer( void *buf, size_t len, VipsImage **out, ... )
-{
-	va_list ap;
-	VipsArea *area;
-	int result;
-
-	/* We don't take a copy of the data or free it.
-	 */
-	area = vips_area_new_blob( NULL, buf, len );
-
-	va_start( ap, out );
-	result = vips_call_split( "jpegload_buffer", ap, area, out );
-	va_end( ap );
-
-	vips_area_unref( area );
-
-	return( result );
-}
-
 /**
  * vips_jpegload:
  * @filename: file to load
@@ -2008,6 +2229,45 @@ vips_jpegload( const char *filename, VipsImage **out, ... )
 	return( result );
 }
 
+/**
+ * vips_jpegload_buffer:
+ * @buf: memory area to load
+ * @len: size of memory area
+ * @out: image to write
+ * @...: %NULL-terminated list of optional named arguments
+ *
+ * Optional arguments:
+ *
+ * @shrink: shrink by this much on load
+ * @fail: fail on warnings
+ *
+ * Read a JPEG-formatted memory block into a VIPS image. Exactly as
+ * vips_jpegload(), but read from a memory buffer. 
+ *
+ * See also: vips_jpegload().
+ *
+ * Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error.
+ */
+int
+vips_jpegload_buffer( void *buf, size_t len, VipsImage **out, ... )
+{
+	va_list ap;
+	VipsArea *area;
+	int result;
+
+	/* We don't take a copy of the data or free it.
+	 */
+	area = vips_area_new_blob( NULL, buf, len );
+
+	va_start( ap, out );
+	result = vips_call_split( "jpegload_buffer", ap, area, out );
+	va_end( ap );
+
+	vips_area_unref( area );
+
+	return( result );
+}
+
 /**
  * vips_jpegsave:
  * @in: image to save 
@@ -2121,7 +2381,7 @@ vips_jpegsave_buffer( VipsImage *in, void **buf, size_t *len, ... )
 			*buf = area->data;
 			area->free_fn = NULL;
 		}
-		if( buf ) 
+		if( len ) 
 			*len = area->length;
 
 		vips_area_unref( area );
@@ -2282,7 +2542,7 @@ vips_webpsave_buffer( VipsImage *in, void **buf, size_t *len, ... )
 			*buf = area->data;
 			area->free_fn = NULL;
 		}
-		if( buf ) 
+		if( len ) 
 			*len = area->length;
 
 		vips_area_unref( area );
@@ -2611,7 +2871,7 @@ vips_pngsave_buffer( VipsImage *in, void **buf, size_t *len, ... )
 			*buf = area->data;
 			area->free_fn = NULL;
 		}
-		if( buf ) 
+		if( len ) 
 			*len = area->length;
 
 		vips_area_unref( area );
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/jpeg2vips.c b/libvips/foreign/jpeg2vips.c
index 0eabd0fa..2483de3c 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/jpeg2vips.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/jpeg2vips.c
@@ -1247,14 +1247,27 @@ vips__jpeg_read_buffer( void *buf, size_t len, VipsImage *out,
 	return( result );
 }
 
+int
+vips__isjpeg_buffer( void *buf, size_t len )
+{
+	guchar *str = (guchar *) buf;
+
+	if( len >= 2 &&
+		str[0] == 0xff && 
+		str[1] == 0xd8 )
+		return( 1 );
+
+	return( 0 );
+}
+
 int
 vips__isjpeg( const char *filename )
 {
 	unsigned char buf[2];
 
-	if( vips__get_bytes( filename, buf, 2 ) )
-		if( (int) buf[0] == 0xff && (int) buf[1] == 0xd8 )
-			return( 1 );
+	if( vips__get_bytes( filename, buf, 2 ) &&
+		vips__isjpeg_buffer( buf, 2 ) )
+		return( 1 );
 
 	return( 0 );
 }
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/jpegload.c b/libvips/foreign/jpegload.c
index c24dd690..7c9c1609 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/jpegload.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/jpegload.c
@@ -287,6 +287,12 @@ vips_foreign_load_jpeg_buffer_load( VipsForeignLoad *load )
 	return( 0 );
 }
 
+static gboolean
+vips_foreign_load_jpeg_buffer_is_a( void *buf, size_t len )
+{
+	return( vips__isjpeg_buffer( buf, len ) );
+}
+
 static void
 vips_foreign_load_jpeg_buffer_class_init( 
 	VipsForeignLoadJpegBufferClass *class )
@@ -301,6 +307,7 @@ vips_foreign_load_jpeg_buffer_class_init(
 	object_class->nickname = "jpegload_buffer";
 	object_class->description = _( "load jpeg from buffer" );
 
+	load_class->is_a_buffer = vips_foreign_load_jpeg_buffer_is_a;
 	load_class->header = vips_foreign_load_jpeg_buffer_header;
 	load_class->load = vips_foreign_load_jpeg_buffer_load;
 
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/jpegsave.c b/libvips/foreign/jpegsave.c
index 5ced2b36..5c54e537 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/jpegsave.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/jpegsave.c
@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@ vips_foreign_save_jpeg_class_init( VipsForeignSaveJpegClass *class )
 {
 	GObjectClass *gobject_class = G_OBJECT_CLASS( class );
 	VipsObjectClass *object_class = (VipsObjectClass *) class;
+	VipsForeignClass *foreign_class = (VipsForeignClass *) class;
 	VipsForeignSaveClass *save_class = (VipsForeignSaveClass *) class;
 
 	gobject_class->set_property = vips_object_set_property;
@@ -120,6 +121,8 @@ vips_foreign_save_jpeg_class_init( VipsForeignSaveJpegClass *class )
 	object_class->nickname = "jpegsave_base";
 	object_class->description = _( "save jpeg" );
 
+	foreign_class->suffs = vips__jpeg_suffs;
+
 	save_class->saveable = VIPS_SAVEABLE_RGB_CMYK;
 	save_class->format_table = bandfmt_jpeg;
 
@@ -204,7 +207,6 @@ vips_foreign_save_jpeg_file_class_init( VipsForeignSaveJpegFileClass *class )
 {
 	GObjectClass *gobject_class = G_OBJECT_CLASS( class );
 	VipsObjectClass *object_class = (VipsObjectClass *) class;
-	VipsForeignClass *foreign_class = (VipsForeignClass *) class;
 
 	gobject_class->set_property = vips_object_set_property;
 	gobject_class->get_property = vips_object_get_property;
@@ -213,8 +215,6 @@ vips_foreign_save_jpeg_file_class_init( VipsForeignSaveJpegFileClass *class )
 	object_class->description = _( "save image to jpeg file" );
 	object_class->build = vips_foreign_save_jpeg_file_build;
 
-	foreign_class->suffs = vips__jpeg_suffs;
-
 	VIPS_ARG_STRING( class, "filename", 1, 
 		_( "Filename" ),
 		_( "Filename to save to" ),
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/pngload.c b/libvips/foreign/pngload.c
index a4954f66..2d1ba065 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/pngload.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/pngload.c
@@ -198,6 +198,7 @@ vips_foreign_load_png_buffer_class_init( VipsForeignLoadPngBufferClass *class )
 	object_class->nickname = "pngload_buffer";
 	object_class->description = _( "load png from buffer" );
 
+	load_class->is_a_buffer = vips__png_ispng_buffer;
 	load_class->header = vips_foreign_load_png_buffer_header;
 	load_class->load = vips_foreign_load_png_buffer_load;
 
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/tiff.h b/libvips/foreign/tiff.h
index 5090df53..4cb489d1 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/tiff.h
+++ b/libvips/foreign/tiff.h
@@ -50,12 +50,18 @@ int vips__tiff_write( VipsImage *in, const char *filename,
 	gboolean bigtiff,
 	gboolean rgbjpeg );
 
-int vips__tiff_read( const char *filename, VipsImage *out, int page, 
-	gboolean readbehind );
 int vips__tiff_read_header( const char *filename, VipsImage *out, int page );
+int vips__tiff_read( const char *filename, VipsImage *out, 
+	int page, gboolean readbehind );
 gboolean vips__istifftiled( const char *filename );
+gboolean vips__istiff_buffer( void *buf, size_t len );
 gboolean vips__istiff( const char *filename );
 
+int vips__tiff_read_header_buffer( void *buf, size_t len, VipsImage *out, 
+	int page );
+int vips__tiff_read_buffer( void *buf, size_t len, VipsImage *out, 
+	int page, gboolean readbehind );
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif /*__cplusplus*/
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/tiff2vips.c b/libvips/foreign/tiff2vips.c
index 8ffcc79b..19ec69e0 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/tiff2vips.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/tiff2vips.c
@@ -144,6 +144,8 @@
  * 11/4/14
  * 	- support 16 bits per sample palette images
  * 	- palette images can have an alpha
+ * 22/4/14
+ * 	- add read from buffer
  */
 
 /*
@@ -208,6 +210,8 @@ typedef struct _ReadTiff {
 	/* Parameters.
 	 */
 	char *filename;
+	void *buf;
+	size_t len;
 	VipsImage *out;
 	int page;
 	gboolean readbehind; 
@@ -225,6 +229,10 @@ typedef struct _ReadTiff {
 	 */
 	gboolean memcpy;
 
+	/* The current 'file pointer' for memory buffers.
+	 */
+	size_t pos;
+
 	/* Geometry.
 	 */
 	uint32 twidth, theight;		/* Tile size */
@@ -1635,15 +1643,16 @@ readtiff_destroy( VipsObject *object, ReadTiff *rtiff )
 }
 
 static ReadTiff *
-readtiff_new( const char *filename, VipsImage *out, int page, 
-	gboolean readbehind )
+readtiff_new( VipsImage *out, int page, gboolean readbehind )
 {
 	ReadTiff *rtiff;
 
 	if( !(rtiff = VIPS_NEW( out, ReadTiff )) )
 		return( NULL );
 
-	rtiff->filename = vips_strdup( VIPS_OBJECT( out ), filename );
+	rtiff->filename = NULL;
+	rtiff->buf = NULL;
+	rtiff->len = 0;
 	rtiff->out = out;
 	rtiff->page = page;
 	rtiff->readbehind = readbehind;
@@ -1651,6 +1660,7 @@ readtiff_new( const char *filename, VipsImage *out, int page,
 	rtiff->sfn = NULL;
 	rtiff->client = NULL;
 	rtiff->memcpy = FALSE;
+	rtiff->pos = 0;
 	rtiff->twidth = 0;
 	rtiff->theight = 0;
 	rtiff->separate = FALSE;
@@ -1669,33 +1679,138 @@ readtiff_new( const char *filename, VipsImage *out, int page,
 	return( rtiff );
 }
 
-/* Pull out the nth directory from a TIFF file.
- */
-static TIFF *
-get_directory( const char *filename, int page )
+static ReadTiff *
+readtiff_new_filename( const char *filename, VipsImage *out, int page, 
+	gboolean readbehind )
 {
-	TIFF *tif;
+	ReadTiff *rtiff;
 	int i;
 
+	if( !(rtiff = readtiff_new( out, page, readbehind )) )
+		return( NULL );
+
+	rtiff->filename = vips_strdup( VIPS_OBJECT( out ), filename );
+
 	/* No mmap --- no performance advantage with libtiff, and it burns up
 	 * our VM if the tiff file is large.
 	 */
-	if( !(tif = TIFFOpen( filename, "rm" )) ) {
-		vips_error( "tiff2vips", 
-			_( "unable to open \"%s\" for input" ),
+	if( !(rtiff->tiff = TIFFOpen( filename, "rm" )) ) {
+		vips_error( "tiff2vips", _( "unable to open \"%s\" for input" ),
 			filename );
 		return( NULL );
 	}
 
 	for( i = 0; i < page; i++ ) 
-		if( !TIFFReadDirectory( tif ) ) {
-			/* Run out of directories.
-			 */
-			TIFFClose( tif );
+		if( !TIFFReadDirectory( rtiff->tiff ) ) {
+			vips_error( "tiff2vips", 
+				_( "TIFF does not contain page %d" ), 
+				rtiff->page );
 			return( NULL );
 		}
 
-	return( tif );
+	return( rtiff );
+}
+
+static tsize_t 
+my_tiff_read( thandle_t st, tdata_t buffer, tsize_t size )
+{
+	ReadTiff *rtiff = (ReadTiff *) st;
+
+	size_t available = rtiff->len - rtiff->pos;
+	size_t copy = VIPS_MIN( size, available );
+
+	memcpy( buffer, rtiff->buf + rtiff->pos, copy );
+	rtiff->pos += copy;
+
+	return( copy ); 
+}
+
+static tsize_t 
+my_tiff_write( thandle_t st, tdata_t buffer, tsize_t size )
+{
+	g_assert( 0 ); 
+
+	return( 0 ); 
+}
+
+static int 
+my_tiff_close( thandle_t st )
+{
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static toff_t 
+my_tiff_seek( thandle_t st, toff_t pos, int whence )
+{
+	ReadTiff *rtiff = (ReadTiff *) st;
+
+	if( whence == SEEK_SET )
+		rtiff->pos = pos;
+	else if( whence == SEEK_CUR )
+		rtiff->pos += pos;
+	else if( whence == SEEK_END )
+		rtiff->pos = rtiff->len + pos;
+	else
+		g_assert( 0 ); 
+
+	return( rtiff->pos ); 
+}
+
+static toff_t 
+my_tiff_size( thandle_t st )
+{
+	ReadTiff *rtiff = (ReadTiff *) st;
+
+	return( rtiff->len ); 
+}
+
+static int 
+my_tiff_map( thandle_t st, tdata_t *start, toff_t *len )
+{
+	g_assert( 0 ); 
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static void 
+my_tiff_unmap( thandle_t st, tdata_t start, toff_t len )
+{
+	g_assert( 0 ); 
+
+	return;
+}
+
+static ReadTiff *
+readtiff_new_buffer( void *buf, size_t len, VipsImage *out, int page, 
+	gboolean readbehind )
+{
+	ReadTiff *rtiff;
+	int i;
+
+	if( !(rtiff = readtiff_new( out, page, readbehind )) )
+		return( NULL );
+
+	rtiff->buf = buf;
+	rtiff->len = len;
+
+	if( !(rtiff->tiff = TIFFClientOpen( "memory buffer", "rm",
+		(thandle_t) rtiff,
+		my_tiff_read, my_tiff_write, my_tiff_seek, my_tiff_close, 
+		my_tiff_size, my_tiff_map, my_tiff_unmap )) ) { 
+		vips_error( "tiff2vips", "%s", 
+			_( "unable to open memory buffer for input" ) );
+		return( NULL );
+	}
+
+	for( i = 0; i < page; i++ ) 
+		if( !TIFFReadDirectory( rtiff->tiff ) ) {
+			vips_error( "tiff2vips", 
+				_( "TIFF does not contain page %d" ), 
+				rtiff->page );
+			return( NULL );
+		}
+
+	return( rtiff );
 }
 
 /* 
@@ -1732,15 +1847,10 @@ vips__tiff_read( const char *filename, VipsImage *out, int page,
 
 	vips__tiff_init();
 
-	if( !(rtiff = readtiff_new( filename, out, page, readbehind )) )
+	if( !(rtiff = readtiff_new_filename( filename, 
+		out, page, readbehind )) )
 		return( -1 );
 
-	if( !(rtiff->tiff = get_directory( rtiff->filename, rtiff->page )) ) {
-		vips_error( "tiff2vips", _( "TIFF file does not "
-			"contain page %d" ), rtiff->page );
-		return( -1 );
-	}
-
 	if( TIFFIsTiled( rtiff->tiff ) ) {
 		if( read_tilewise( rtiff, out ) )
 			return( -1 );
@@ -1760,16 +1870,9 @@ vips__tiff_read_header( const char *filename, VipsImage *out, int page )
 
 	vips__tiff_init();
 
-	if( !(rtiff = readtiff_new( filename, out, page, FALSE )) )
+	if( !(rtiff = readtiff_new_filename( filename, out, page, FALSE )) )
 		return( -1 );
 
-	if( !(rtiff->tiff = get_directory( rtiff->filename, rtiff->page )) ) {
-		vips_error( "tiff2vips", 
-			_( "TIFF file does not contain page %d" ), 
-			rtiff->page );
-		return( -1 );
-	}
-
 	if( parse_header( rtiff, out ) )
 		return( -1 );
 
@@ -1795,16 +1898,72 @@ vips__istifftiled( const char *filename )
 }
 
 gboolean
-vips__istiff( const char *filename )
+vips__istiff_buffer( void *buf, size_t len )
 {
-	unsigned char buf[2];
+	char *str = (char *) buf; 
 
-	if( vips__get_bytes( filename, buf, 2 ) )
-		if( (buf[0] == 'M' && buf[1] == 'M') ||
-			(buf[0] == 'I' && buf[1] == 'I') ) 
-			return( TRUE );
+	if( len >= 2 &&
+		((str[0] == 'M' && str[1] == 'M') ||
+		 (str[0] == 'I' && str[1] == 'I')) ) 
+		return( TRUE );
 
 	return( FALSE );
 }
 
+gboolean
+vips__istiff( const char *filename )
+{
+	unsigned char buf[2];
+
+	if( vips__get_bytes( filename, buf, 2 ) &&
+		vips__istiff_buffer( buf, 2 ) )
+		return( TRUE );
+
+	return( FALSE );
+}
+
+int
+vips__tiff_read_header_buffer( void *buf, size_t len, VipsImage *out, int page )
+{
+	ReadTiff *rtiff;
+
+	vips__tiff_init();
+
+	if( !(rtiff = readtiff_new_buffer( buf, len, out, page, FALSE )) )
+		return( -1 );
+
+	if( parse_header( rtiff, out ) )
+		return( -1 );
+
+	return( 0 );
+}
+
+int
+vips__tiff_read_buffer( void *buf, size_t len, VipsImage *out, 
+	int page, gboolean readbehind )
+{
+	ReadTiff *rtiff;
+
+#ifdef DEBUG
+	printf( "tiff2vips: libtiff version is \"%s\"\n", TIFFGetVersion() );
+	printf( "tiff2vips: libtiff starting for %s\n", filename );
+#endif /*DEBUG*/
+
+	vips__tiff_init();
+
+	if( !(rtiff = readtiff_new_buffer( buf, len, out, page, readbehind )) )
+		return( -1 );
+
+	if( TIFFIsTiled( rtiff->tiff ) ) {
+		if( read_tilewise( rtiff, out ) )
+			return( -1 );
+	}
+	else {
+		if( read_stripwise( rtiff, out ) )
+			return( -1 );
+	}
+
+	return( 0 );
+}
+
 #endif /*HAVE_TIFF*/
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/tiffload.c b/libvips/foreign/tiffload.c
index cbcff533..a5c19b95 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/tiffload.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/tiffload.c
@@ -55,10 +55,6 @@
 typedef struct _VipsForeignLoadTiff {
 	VipsForeignLoad parent_object;
 
-	/* Filename for load.
-	 */
-	char *filename; 
-
 	/* Load this page. 
 	 */
 	int page;
@@ -67,11 +63,58 @@ typedef struct _VipsForeignLoadTiff {
 
 typedef VipsForeignLoadClass VipsForeignLoadTiffClass;
 
-G_DEFINE_TYPE( VipsForeignLoadTiff, vips_foreign_load_tiff, 
+G_DEFINE_ABSTRACT_TYPE( VipsForeignLoadTiff, vips_foreign_load_tiff, 
 	VIPS_TYPE_FOREIGN_LOAD );
 
+static void
+vips_foreign_load_tiff_class_init( VipsForeignLoadTiffClass *class )
+{
+	GObjectClass *gobject_class = G_OBJECT_CLASS( class );
+	VipsObjectClass *object_class = (VipsObjectClass *) class;
+
+	/* Other libraries may be using libtiff, we want to capture tiff
+	 * warning and error as soon as we can.
+	 *
+	 * This class init will be triggered during startup.
+	 */
+	vips__tiff_init();
+
+	gobject_class->set_property = vips_object_set_property;
+	gobject_class->get_property = vips_object_get_property;
+
+	object_class->nickname = "tiffload_base";
+	object_class->description = _( "load tiff" );
+
+	VIPS_ARG_INT( class, "page", 10, 
+		_( "Page" ), 
+		_( "Load this page from the image" ),
+		VIPS_ARGUMENT_OPTIONAL_INPUT,
+		G_STRUCT_OFFSET( VipsForeignLoadTiff, page ),
+		0, 100000, 0 );
+}
+
+static void
+vips_foreign_load_tiff_init( VipsForeignLoadTiff *tiff )
+{
+	tiff->page = 0; 
+}
+
+typedef struct _VipsForeignLoadTiffFile {
+	VipsForeignLoadTiff parent_object;
+
+	/* Filename for load.
+	 */
+	char *filename; 
+
+} VipsForeignLoadTiffFile;
+
+typedef VipsForeignLoadTiffClass VipsForeignLoadTiffFileClass;
+
+G_DEFINE_TYPE( VipsForeignLoadTiffFile, vips_foreign_load_tiff_file, 
+	vips_foreign_load_tiff_get_type() );
+
 static VipsForeignFlags
-vips_foreign_load_tiff_get_flags_filename( const char *filename )
+vips_foreign_load_tiff_file_get_flags_filename( const char *filename )
 {
 	VipsForeignFlags flags;
 
@@ -85,30 +128,33 @@ vips_foreign_load_tiff_get_flags_filename( const char *filename )
 }
 
 static VipsForeignFlags
-vips_foreign_load_tiff_get_flags( VipsForeignLoad *load )
+vips_foreign_load_tiff_file_get_flags( VipsForeignLoad *load )
 {
-	VipsForeignLoadTiff *tiff = (VipsForeignLoadTiff *) load;
+	VipsForeignLoadTiffFile *file = (VipsForeignLoadTiffFile *) load;
 
-	return( vips_foreign_load_tiff_get_flags_filename( tiff->filename ) );
+	return( vips_foreign_load_tiff_file_get_flags_filename( 
+		file->filename ) );
 }
 
 static int
-vips_foreign_load_tiff_header( VipsForeignLoad *load )
+vips_foreign_load_tiff_file_header( VipsForeignLoad *load )
 {
 	VipsForeignLoadTiff *tiff = (VipsForeignLoadTiff *) load;
+	VipsForeignLoadTiffFile *file = (VipsForeignLoadTiffFile *) load;
 
-	if( vips__tiff_read_header( tiff->filename, load->out, tiff->page ) )
+	if( vips__tiff_read_header( file->filename, load->out, tiff->page ) )
 		return( -1 );
 
 	return( 0 );
 }
 
 static int
-vips_foreign_load_tiff_load( VipsForeignLoad *load )
+vips_foreign_load_tiff_file_load( VipsForeignLoad *load )
 {
 	VipsForeignLoadTiff *tiff = (VipsForeignLoadTiff *) load;
+	VipsForeignLoadTiffFile *file = (VipsForeignLoadTiffFile *) load;
 
-	if( vips__tiff_read( tiff->filename, load->real, tiff->page, 
+	if( vips__tiff_read( file->filename, load->real, tiff->page, 
 		load->access == VIPS_ACCESS_SEQUENTIAL ) )
 		return( -1 );
 
@@ -118,20 +164,13 @@ vips_foreign_load_tiff_load( VipsForeignLoad *load )
 const char *vips__foreign_tiff_suffs[] = { ".tif", ".tiff", NULL };
 
 static void
-vips_foreign_load_tiff_class_init( VipsForeignLoadTiffClass *class )
+vips_foreign_load_tiff_file_class_init( VipsForeignLoadTiffFileClass *class )
 {
 	GObjectClass *gobject_class = G_OBJECT_CLASS( class );
 	VipsObjectClass *object_class = (VipsObjectClass *) class;
 	VipsForeignClass *foreign_class = (VipsForeignClass *) class;
 	VipsForeignLoadClass *load_class = (VipsForeignLoadClass *) class;
 
-	/* Other libraries may be using libtiff, we want to capture tiff
-	 * warning and error as soon as we can.
-	 *
-	 * This class init will be triggered during startup.
-	 */
-	vips__tiff_init();
-
 	gobject_class->set_property = vips_object_set_property;
 	gobject_class->get_property = vips_object_get_property;
 
@@ -142,28 +181,95 @@ vips_foreign_load_tiff_class_init( VipsForeignLoadTiffClass *class )
 
 	load_class->is_a = vips__istiff;
 	load_class->get_flags_filename = 
-		vips_foreign_load_tiff_get_flags_filename;
-	load_class->get_flags = vips_foreign_load_tiff_get_flags;
-	load_class->header = vips_foreign_load_tiff_header;
-	load_class->load = vips_foreign_load_tiff_load;
+		vips_foreign_load_tiff_file_get_flags_filename;
+	load_class->get_flags = vips_foreign_load_tiff_file_get_flags;
+	load_class->header = vips_foreign_load_tiff_file_header;
+	load_class->load = vips_foreign_load_tiff_file_load;
 
 	VIPS_ARG_STRING( class, "filename", 1, 
 		_( "Filename" ),
 		_( "Filename to load from" ),
 		VIPS_ARGUMENT_REQUIRED_INPUT, 
-		G_STRUCT_OFFSET( VipsForeignLoadTiff, filename ),
+		G_STRUCT_OFFSET( VipsForeignLoadTiffFile, filename ),
 		NULL );
-
-	VIPS_ARG_INT( class, "page", 10, 
-		_( "Page" ), 
-		_( "Load this page from the file" ),
-		VIPS_ARGUMENT_OPTIONAL_INPUT,
-		G_STRUCT_OFFSET( VipsForeignLoadTiff, page ),
-		0, 100000, 0 );
 }
 
 static void
-vips_foreign_load_tiff_init( VipsForeignLoadTiff *tiff )
+vips_foreign_load_tiff_file_init( VipsForeignLoadTiffFile *file )
+{
+}
+
+typedef struct _VipsForeignLoadTiffBuffer {
+	VipsForeignLoadTiff parent_object;
+
+	/* Load from a buffer.
+	 */
+	VipsArea *buf;
+
+} VipsForeignLoadTiffBuffer;
+
+typedef VipsForeignLoadTiffClass VipsForeignLoadTiffBufferClass;
+
+G_DEFINE_TYPE( VipsForeignLoadTiffBuffer, vips_foreign_load_tiff_buffer, 
+	vips_foreign_load_tiff_get_type() );
+
+static int
+vips_foreign_load_tiff_buffer_header( VipsForeignLoad *load )
+{
+	VipsForeignLoadTiff *tiff = (VipsForeignLoadTiff *) load;
+	VipsForeignLoadTiffBuffer *buffer = (VipsForeignLoadTiffBuffer *) load;
+
+	if( vips__tiff_read_header_buffer( 
+		buffer->buf->data, buffer->buf->length, load->out, 
+		tiff->page ) ) 
+		return( -1 );
+
+	return( 0 );
+}
+
+static int
+vips_foreign_load_tiff_buffer_load( VipsForeignLoad *load )
+{
+	VipsForeignLoadTiff *tiff = (VipsForeignLoadTiff *) load;
+	VipsForeignLoadTiffBuffer *buffer = (VipsForeignLoadTiffBuffer *) load;
+
+	if( vips__tiff_read_buffer( 
+		buffer->buf->data, buffer->buf->length, load->real, 
+		tiff->page,
+		load->access == VIPS_ACCESS_SEQUENTIAL ) )
+		return( -1 );
+
+	return( 0 );
+}
+
+static void
+vips_foreign_load_tiff_buffer_class_init( 
+	VipsForeignLoadTiffBufferClass *class )
+{
+	GObjectClass *gobject_class = G_OBJECT_CLASS( class );
+	VipsObjectClass *object_class = (VipsObjectClass *) class;
+	VipsForeignLoadClass *load_class = (VipsForeignLoadClass *) class;
+
+	gobject_class->set_property = vips_object_set_property;
+	gobject_class->get_property = vips_object_get_property;
+
+	object_class->nickname = "tiffload_buffer";
+	object_class->description = _( "load tiff from buffer" );
+
+	load_class->is_a_buffer = vips__istiff_buffer;
+	load_class->header = vips_foreign_load_tiff_buffer_header;
+	load_class->load = vips_foreign_load_tiff_buffer_load;
+
+	VIPS_ARG_BOXED( class, "buffer", 1, 
+		_( "Buffer" ),
+		_( "Buffer to load from" ),
+		VIPS_ARGUMENT_REQUIRED_INPUT, 
+		G_STRUCT_OFFSET( VipsForeignLoadTiffBuffer, buf ),
+		VIPS_TYPE_BLOB );
+}
+
+static void
+vips_foreign_load_tiff_buffer_init( VipsForeignLoadTiffBuffer *buffer )
 {
 }
 
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/vipsjpeg.h b/libvips/foreign/vipsjpeg.h
index 3e2872c2..c4271add 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/vipsjpeg.h
+++ b/libvips/foreign/vipsjpeg.h
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ int vips__jpeg_write_buffer( VipsImage *in,
 	gboolean optimize_coding, gboolean progressive, gboolean strip,
 	gboolean no_subsample );
 
+int vips__isjpeg_buffer( void *buf, size_t len );
 int vips__isjpeg( const char *filename );
 int vips__jpeg_read_file( const char *name, VipsImage *out, 
 	gboolean header_only, int shrink, gboolean fail, gboolean readbehind );
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/vipsload.c b/libvips/foreign/vipsload.c
index 54d7b324..dd8a445f 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/vipsload.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/vipsload.c
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ vips_foreign_load_vips_header( VipsForeignLoad *load )
 	return( 0 );
 }
 
-static const char *vips_suffs[] = { ".v", NULL };
+const char *vips__suffs[] = { ".v", ".vips", NULL };
 
 static void
 vips_foreign_load_vips_class_init( VipsForeignLoadVipsClass *class )
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ vips_foreign_load_vips_class_init( VipsForeignLoadVipsClass *class )
 	object_class->nickname = "vipsload";
 	object_class->description = _( "load vips from file" );
 
-	foreign_class->suffs = vips_suffs;
+	foreign_class->suffs = vips__suffs;
 
 	load_class->is_a = vips_foreign_load_vips_is_a;
 	load_class->get_flags = vips_foreign_load_vips_get_flags;
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/vipspng.c b/libvips/foreign/vipspng.c
index 5062741a..31ae0895 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/vipspng.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/vipspng.c
@@ -561,13 +561,23 @@ vips__png_read( const char *filename, VipsImage *out, gboolean readbehind )
 	return( 0 );
 }
 
+int
+vips__png_ispng_buffer( void *buf, size_t len )
+{
+	if( len >= 8 &&
+		!png_sig_cmp( buf, 0, 8 ) )
+		return( TRUE ); 
+
+	return( FALSE ); 
+}
+
 int
 vips__png_ispng( const char *filename )
 {
 	unsigned char buf[8];
 
 	return( vips__get_bytes( filename, buf, 8 ) &&
-		!png_sig_cmp( buf, 0, 8 ) );
+		vips__png_ispng_buffer( buf, 8 ) ); 
 }
 
 static void
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/vipspng.h b/libvips/foreign/vipspng.h
index 051ac55b..0bcd6467 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/vipspng.h
+++ b/libvips/foreign/vipspng.h
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ extern "C" {
 
 int vips__png_header( const char *name, VipsImage *out );
 int vips__png_read( const char *name, VipsImage *out, gboolean readbehind );
+int vips__png_ispng_buffer( void *buf, size_t len );
 int vips__png_ispng( const char *filename );
 gboolean vips__png_isinterlaced( const char *filename );
 extern const char *vips__png_suffs[];
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/vipssave.c b/libvips/foreign/vipssave.c
index 47af18fc..74929a80 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/vipssave.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/vipssave.c
@@ -75,7 +75,9 @@ vips_foreign_save_vips_build( VipsObject *object )
 	return( 0 );
 }
 
-static const char *vips_suffs[] = { ".v", NULL };
+/* From vipsload.c.
+ */
+extern const char *vips__suffs[];
 
 static void
 vips_foreign_save_vips_class_init( VipsForeignSaveVipsClass *class )
@@ -94,7 +96,7 @@ vips_foreign_save_vips_class_init( VipsForeignSaveVipsClass *class )
 	object_class->description = _( "save image to vips file" );
 	object_class->build = vips_foreign_save_vips_build;
 
-	foreign_class->suffs = vips_suffs;
+	foreign_class->suffs = vips__suffs;
 
 	save_class->saveable = VIPS_SAVEABLE_ANY;
 	for( i = 0; i < VIPS_CODING_LAST; i++ )
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/webp.h b/libvips/foreign/webp.h
index 7441b893..28bf0906 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/webp.h
+++ b/libvips/foreign/webp.h
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ extern "C" {
 
 extern const char *vips__webp_suffs[];
 
+int vips__iswebp_buffer( void *buf, size_t len );
 int vips__iswebp( const char *filename );
 
 int vips__webp_read_file_header( const char *name, VipsImage *out ); 
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/webp2vips.c b/libvips/foreign/webp2vips.c
index 2611d4ff..2bd93736 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/webp2vips.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/webp2vips.c
@@ -87,13 +87,23 @@ typedef struct {
 	WebPIDecoder *idec;
 } Read;
 
+int
+vips__iswebp_buffer( void *buf, size_t len )
+{
+	if( len >= MINIMAL_HEADER &&
+		WebPGetInfo( buf, MINIMAL_HEADER, NULL, NULL ) )
+		return( 1 );
+
+	return( 0 );
+}
+
 int
 vips__iswebp( const char *filename )
 {
 	unsigned char header[MINIMAL_HEADER];
 
 	if( vips__get_bytes( filename, header, MINIMAL_HEADER ) &&
-		WebPGetInfo( header, MINIMAL_HEADER, NULL, NULL ) )
+		vips__iswebp_buffer( header, MINIMAL_HEADER ) )
 		return( 1 );
 
 	return( 0 );
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/webpload.c b/libvips/foreign/webpload.c
index 2099e8bf..9dd79249 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/webpload.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/webpload.c
@@ -233,6 +233,7 @@ vips_foreign_load_webp_buffer_class_init(
 	object_class->nickname = "webpload_buffer";
 	object_class->description = _( "load webp from buffer" );
 
+	load_class->is_a_buffer = vips__iswebp_buffer; 
 	load_class->header = vips_foreign_load_webp_buffer_header;
 	load_class->load = vips_foreign_load_webp_buffer_load;
 
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/webpsave.c b/libvips/foreign/webpsave.c
index 432e6e96..d1342ba7 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/webpsave.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/webpsave.c
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ vips_foreign_save_webp_class_init( VipsForeignSaveWebpClass *class )
 {
 	GObjectClass *gobject_class = G_OBJECT_CLASS( class );
 	VipsObjectClass *object_class = (VipsObjectClass *) class;
+	VipsForeignClass *foreign_class = (VipsForeignClass *) class;
 	VipsForeignSaveClass *save_class = (VipsForeignSaveClass *) class;
 
 	gobject_class->set_property = vips_object_set_property;
@@ -89,6 +90,8 @@ vips_foreign_save_webp_class_init( VipsForeignSaveWebpClass *class )
 	object_class->nickname = "webpsave_base";
 	object_class->description = _( "save webp" );
 
+	foreign_class->suffs = vips__webp_suffs;
+
 	save_class->saveable = VIPS_SAVEABLE_RGBA;
 	save_class->format_table = bandfmt_webp;
 
@@ -151,7 +154,6 @@ vips_foreign_save_webp_file_class_init( VipsForeignSaveWebpFileClass *class )
 {
 	GObjectClass *gobject_class = G_OBJECT_CLASS( class );
 	VipsObjectClass *object_class = (VipsObjectClass *) class;
-	VipsForeignClass *foreign_class = (VipsForeignClass *) class;
 
 	gobject_class->set_property = vips_object_set_property;
 	gobject_class->get_property = vips_object_get_property;
@@ -160,8 +162,6 @@ vips_foreign_save_webp_file_class_init( VipsForeignSaveWebpFileClass *class )
 	object_class->description = _( "save image to webp file" );
 	object_class->build = vips_foreign_save_webp_file_build;
 
-	foreign_class->suffs = vips__webp_suffs;
-
 	VIPS_ARG_STRING( class, "filename", 1, 
 		_( "Filename" ),
 		_( "Filename to save to" ),
diff --git a/libvips/include/vips/foreign.h b/libvips/include/vips/foreign.h
index a2ab314f..d539618e 100644
--- a/libvips/include/vips/foreign.h
+++ b/libvips/include/vips/foreign.h
@@ -161,6 +161,13 @@ typedef struct _VipsForeignLoadClass {
 	 */
 	gboolean (*is_a)( const char * );
 
+	/* Is a buffer in this format. 
+	 *
+	 * This function should return %TRUE if the buffer contains an image of 
+	 * this type. 
+	 */
+	gboolean (*is_a_buffer)( void *, size_t );
+
 	/* Get the flags from a filename. 
 	 *
 	 * This function should examine the file and return a set
@@ -207,6 +214,7 @@ typedef struct _VipsForeignLoadClass {
 GType vips_foreign_load_get_type( void );
 
 const char *vips_foreign_find_load( const char *filename );
+const char *vips_foreign_find_load_buffer( void *buf, size_t len );
 const char *vips_foreign_find_load_options( const char *filename );
 
 VipsForeignFlags vips_foreign_flags( const char *loader, const char *filename );
@@ -300,6 +308,7 @@ typedef struct _VipsForeignSaveClass {
 GType vips_foreign_save_get_type( void );
 
 const char *vips_foreign_find_save( const char *filename );
+const char * vips_foreign_find_save_buffer( const char *suffix );
 const char *vips_foreign_find_save_options( const char *filename );
 
 /* Read/write an image convenience functions.
@@ -314,6 +323,12 @@ int vips_foreign_load_options( const char *filename, VipsImage **out, ... )
 int vips_foreign_save_options( VipsImage *in, const char *filename, ... )
 	__attribute__((sentinel));
 
+int vips_foreign_load_buffer( void *buf, size_t len, VipsImage **out, ... )
+	__attribute__((sentinel));
+int vips_foreign_save_buffer( VipsImage *in, 
+	const char *suffix, void **buf, size_t *len, ... )
+	__attribute__((sentinel));
+
 int vips_openslideload( const char *filename, VipsImage **out, ... )
 	__attribute__((sentinel));
 
@@ -397,6 +412,8 @@ typedef enum {
 
 int vips_tiffload( const char *filename, VipsImage **out, ... )
 	__attribute__((sentinel));
+int vips_tiffload_buffer( void *buf, size_t len, VipsImage **out, ... )
+	__attribute__((sentinel));
 int vips_tiffsave( VipsImage *in, const char *filename, ... )
 	__attribute__((sentinel));
 
diff --git a/libvips/include/vips/object.h b/libvips/include/vips/object.h
index a23af7ec..2489c439 100644
--- a/libvips/include/vips/object.h
+++ b/libvips/include/vips/object.h
@@ -587,6 +587,7 @@ VipsObject *vips_object_new( GType type,
 int vips_object_set_valist( VipsObject *object, va_list ap );
 int vips_object_set( VipsObject *object, ... )
 	__attribute__((sentinel));
+int vips_object_set_from_string( VipsObject *object, const char *string );
 
 VipsObject *vips_object_new_from_string( VipsObjectClass *object_class, 
 	const char *p );
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/object.c b/libvips/iofuncs/object.c
index dd07472c..70cf40eb 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/object.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/object.c
@@ -2054,7 +2054,7 @@ vips_object_set_valist( VipsObject *object, va_list ap )
  * Input arguments are given in-line, output arguments are given as pointers
  * to where the output value should be written.
  *
- * See also: vips_object_set_valist().
+ * See also: vips_object_set_valist(), vips_object_set_from_string(). 
  *
  * Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
  */
@@ -2072,7 +2072,7 @@ vips_object_set( VipsObject *object, ... )
 }
 
 /* Set object args from a string. @p should be the initial left bracket and
- * there should be no tokens after the matching right bracket.
+ * there should be no tokens after the matching right bracket. @p is modified. 
  */
 static int
 vips_object_set_args( VipsObject *object, const char *p )
@@ -2154,6 +2154,44 @@ vips_object_set_args( VipsObject *object, const char *p )
 	return( 0 );
 }
 
+/**
+ * vips_object_set_from_string:
+ * @object: object to set arguments on
+ * @string: arguments as a string
+ *
+ * Set object arguments from a string. The string can be something like
+ * "a=12", or "a = 12, b = 13", or "fred". The string can optionally be
+ * enclosed in brackets. 
+ *
+ * You'd typically use this between creating the object and building it. 
+ *
+ * See also: vips_object_set(), vips_object_build(),
+ * vips_cache_operation_buildp(). 
+ *
+ * Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
+ */
+int
+vips_object_set_from_string( VipsObject *object, const char *string )
+{
+	const char *q;
+	VipsToken token;
+	char buffer[VIPS_PATH_MAX];
+	char str[VIPS_PATH_MAX];
+
+	vips_strncpy( buffer, string, VIPS_PATH_MAX );
+
+	/* Does string start with a bracket? If it doesn't, enclose the whole
+	 * thing in [].
+	 */
+	if( !(q = vips__token_get( buffer, &token, str, VIPS_PATH_MAX )) ||
+		token != VIPS_TOKEN_LEFT )
+		vips_snprintf( buffer, VIPS_PATH_MAX, "[%s]", string );
+	else
+		vips_strncpy( buffer, string, VIPS_PATH_MAX );
+
+	return( vips_object_set_args( object, buffer ) ); 
+}
+
 VipsObject *
 vips_object_new_from_string( VipsObjectClass *object_class, const char *p )
 {
@@ -2177,7 +2215,7 @@ vips_object_new_from_string( VipsObjectClass *object_class, const char *p )
 	/* More tokens there? Set any other args.
 	 */
 	if( q && 
-		vips_object_set_args( object, q ) ) {
+		vips_object_set_from_string( object, q ) ) {
 		g_object_unref( object );
 		return( NULL );
 	}
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/util.c b/libvips/iofuncs/util.c
index 2a816b90..59ebc04d 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/util.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/util.c
@@ -765,16 +765,13 @@ vips__file_open_write( const char *filename, gboolean text_mode )
 char *
 vips__file_read( FILE *fp, const char *filename, unsigned int *length_out )
 {
-        long len;
+        gint64 len;
 	size_t read;
         char *str;
 
-        /* Find length.
-         */
-        fseek( fp, 0L, 2 );
-        len = ftell( fp );
-	if( len > 20 * 1024 * 1024 ) {
-		/* Seems crazy!
+	len = vips_file_length( fileno( fp ) ); 
+	if( len > 1024 * 1024 * 1024 ) {
+		/* Over a gb? Seems crazy!
 		 */
                 vips_error( "vips__file_read", 
 			_( "\"%s\" too long" ), filename );