Overview
Aldus created TIFF in 1986; Adobe maintains the specification today. A TIFF file is a collection of tagged directories, which lets it hold multiple pages, many colour models (including CMYK), high bit depths and rich metadata.
TIFF supports several compression schemes — none, LZW, Deflate, PackBits, JPEG and CCITT fax — so two TIFF files can be very different internally. Camera raw formats such as DNG are built on TIFF.
Advantages
- +Lossless options with high bit depth
- +CMYK and other print colour models
- +Multiple pages in one file
- +Rich metadata; archival standard
Disadvantages
- −Large files
- −Most browsers cannot display TIFF (Safari is the exception)
- −Many variants — not every program reads every TIFF
How TIFF compression works
Depends on the file: uncompressed, lossless LZW or Deflate (often with a horizontal predictor), PackBits run-length encoding, lossy JPEG, or CCITT Group 3/4 for black-and-white documents.
Common use cases
- Print production and publishing
- Scanned documents and faxes
- Archival master images
- GIS (GeoTIFF) and scientific imaging
Browser and software support
Only Safari displays TIFF natively. JFIF.IO decodes TIFF in your browser with a JavaScript decoder, so you can convert it in any browser.
How to convert TIFF
Use the converter at the top of this page: drop your file, choose an output format and download the result. Conversions run in your browser, so nothing is uploaded.
- JPG has no transparency. Transparent areas will be filled with the background colour.
Processed locally in your browser
TIFF FAQ
Why can’t my browser open a TIFF file?
Chrome, Firefox and Edge do not include a TIFF decoder. Convert the file to JPG or PNG to view and share it.
TIFF or PNG?
Both can be lossless. PNG is smaller and web-friendly; TIFF supports CMYK, multiple pages and higher bit depths needed in print and archiving.
Are multi-page TIFFs supported?
Yes. Every page is added as a separate image that you can convert individually.