diff --git a/Tests/test_file_tar.py b/Tests/test_file_tar.py
index 0f87ea2c0..fa33d3802 100644
--- a/Tests/test_file_tar.py
+++ b/Tests/test_file_tar.py
@@ -2,21 +2,27 @@ from tester import *
 
 from PIL import Image, TarIO
 
+codecs = dir(Image.core)
+if "zip_decoder" not in codecs and "jpeg_decoder" not in codecs:
+    skip("neither jpeg nor zip support not available")
+
 # sample ppm stream
 tarfile = "Images/lena.tar"
 
 def test_sanity():
-    tar = TarIO.TarIO(tarfile, 'lena.png')
-    im = Image.open(tar)
-    im.load()
-    assert_equal(im.mode, "RGB")
-    assert_equal(im.size, (128, 128))
-    assert_equal(im.format, "PNG")
+    if "zip_decoder" in codecs:
+        tar = TarIO.TarIO(tarfile, 'lena.png')
+        im = Image.open(tar)
+        im.load()
+        assert_equal(im.mode, "RGB")
+        assert_equal(im.size, (128, 128))
+        assert_equal(im.format, "PNG")
 
-    tar = TarIO.TarIO(tarfile, 'lena.jpg')
-    im = Image.open(tar)
-    im.load()
-    assert_equal(im.mode, "RGB")
-    assert_equal(im.size, (128, 128))
-    assert_equal(im.format, "JPEG")
+    if "jpeg_decoder" in codecs:
+        tar = TarIO.TarIO(tarfile, 'lena.jpg')
+        im = Image.open(tar)
+        im.load()
+        assert_equal(im.mode, "RGB")
+        assert_equal(im.size, (128, 128))
+        assert_equal(im.format, "JPEG")
 
diff --git a/Tests/test_file_tiff.py b/Tests/test_file_tiff.py
index 6db12c4ff..cd3f2915b 100644
--- a/Tests/test_file_tiff.py
+++ b/Tests/test_file_tiff.py
@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@ from PIL import Image
 
 import random
 
+codecs = dir(Image.core)
+
+if "group4_encoder" not in codecs or "group4_decoder" not in codecs:
+    skip("tiff support not available")
+
 def test_sanity():
 
     file = tempfile("temp.tif")
diff --git a/Tests/test_font_pcf.py b/Tests/test_font_pcf.py
index 958657eaa..60e6e0e26 100644
--- a/Tests/test_font_pcf.py
+++ b/Tests/test_font_pcf.py
@@ -3,6 +3,11 @@ from tester import *
 from PIL import Image, FontFile, PcfFontFile
 from PIL import ImageFont, ImageDraw
 
+codecs = dir(Image.core)
+
+if "zip_encoder" not in codecs or "zip_decoder" not in codecs:
+    skip("zlib support not available")
+
 fontname = "Tests/fonts/helvO18.pcf"
 tempname = tempfile("temp.pil", "temp.pbm")
 
diff --git a/Tests/test_image_draft.py b/Tests/test_image_draft.py
index 41df761a6..e512aa033 100644
--- a/Tests/test_image_draft.py
+++ b/Tests/test_image_draft.py
@@ -2,6 +2,11 @@ from tester import *
 
 from PIL import Image
 
+codecs = dir(Image.core)
+
+if "jpeg_encoder" not in codecs or "jpeg_decoder" not in codecs:
+    skip("jpeg support not available")
+
 filename = "Images/lena.jpg"
 
 data = tostring(Image.open(filename).resize((512, 512)), "JPEG")
diff --git a/Tests/test_image_split.py b/Tests/test_image_split.py
index 7fc70182b..07a779664 100644
--- a/Tests/test_image_split.py
+++ b/Tests/test_image_split.py
@@ -30,7 +30,13 @@ def test_split_merge():
     assert_image_equal(lena("YCbCr"), split_merge("YCbCr"))
 
 def test_split_open():
-    file = tempfile("temp.png")
+    codecs = dir(Image.core)
+
+    if 'zip_encoder' in codecs:
+        file = tempfile("temp.png")
+    else:
+        file = tempfile("temp.pcx")
+
     def split_open(mode):
         lena(mode).save(file)
         im = Image.open(file)
@@ -39,4 +45,5 @@ def test_split_open():
     assert_equal(split_open("L"), 1)
     assert_equal(split_open("P"), 1)
     assert_equal(split_open("RGB"), 3)
-    assert_equal(split_open("RGBA"), 4)
+    if 'zip_encoder' in codecs:
+        assert_equal(split_open("RGBA"), 4)
diff --git a/Tests/test_imagefile.py b/Tests/test_imagefile.py
index 7493e0846..382ae27f2 100644
--- a/Tests/test_imagefile.py
+++ b/Tests/test_imagefile.py
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ from tester import *
 from PIL import Image
 from PIL import ImageFile
 
+codecs = dir(Image.core)
+
 # save original block sizes
 MAXBLOCK = ImageFile.MAXBLOCK
 SAFEBLOCK = ImageFile.SAFEBLOCK
@@ -31,12 +33,13 @@ def test_parser():
     assert_image_equal(*roundtrip("GIF"))
     assert_image_equal(*roundtrip("IM"))
     assert_image_equal(*roundtrip("MSP"))
-    try:
-        # force multiple blocks in PNG driver
-        ImageFile.MAXBLOCK = 8192
-        assert_image_equal(*roundtrip("PNG"))
-    finally:
-        ImageFile.MAXBLOCK = MAXBLOCK
+    if "zip_encoder" in codecs:
+        try:
+            # force multiple blocks in PNG driver
+            ImageFile.MAXBLOCK = 8192
+            assert_image_equal(*roundtrip("PNG"))
+        finally:
+            ImageFile.MAXBLOCK = MAXBLOCK
     assert_image_equal(*roundtrip("PPM"))
     assert_image_equal(*roundtrip("TIFF"))
     assert_image_equal(*roundtrip("XBM"))
@@ -44,8 +47,9 @@ def test_parser():
     assert_image_equal(*roundtrip("TGA"))
     assert_image_equal(*roundtrip("PCX"))
 
-    im1, im2 = roundtrip("JPEG") # lossy compression
-    assert_image(im1, im2.mode, im2.size)
+    if "jpeg_encoder" in codecs:
+        im1, im2 = roundtrip("JPEG") # lossy compression
+        assert_image(im1, im2.mode, im2.size)
 
     # XXX Why assert exception and why does it fail?
     # https://github.com/python-imaging/Pillow/issues/78
@@ -55,6 +59,9 @@ def test_safeblock():
 
     im1 = lena()
 
+    if "zip_encoder" not in codecs:
+        skip("PNG (zlib) encoder not available")
+
     try:
         ImageFile.SAFEBLOCK = 1
         im2 = fromstring(tostring(im1, "PNG"))