PNG to TIFF Converter
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Supports: PNG
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Need help?PNG vs TIFF — Which Should You Convert To?
If you are sending images to a print shop, a desktop-publishing tool like InDesign or QuarkXPress, or a document-archiving system, convert your PNG to TIFF — that is the format those pipelines expect. If the image is headed for a website, an app, or email, you are usually better off staying on PNG. Both formats are lossless and both can hold an alpha (transparency) channel, so a PNG-to-TIFF conversion here keeps every pixel and the transparency intact; what changes is the container and which compression schemes are available. Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically a few hours after conversion — no sign-up, no watermark, never shared or made public.
PNG and TIFF Side by Side
| Property | PNG | TIFF (TIF) |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | ISO/IEC 15948 (W3C, 2003) | TIFF 6.0 (Adobe, finalized June 3 1992) |
| Compression | Lossless only (DEFLATE) | Lossless (LZW, ZIP/Deflate, PackBits), lossy (JPEG), or none |
| Color models | RGB / RGBA, grayscale, indexed — no CMYK | RGB, grayscale, indexed, and CMYK |
| Bit depth | 8 or 16 bits per channel | 1, 8, or 16 bits per channel (per this tool) |
| Transparency | Full 8-bit alpha (256 levels), widely supported | Alpha supported, but not honored by every viewer |
| Multi-page | No | Yes (a single TIFF can hold many pages) |
| Typical use | Web graphics, logos, screenshots, app assets | Print, scanning, photography, archival, prepress |
| File size | Usually smaller | Usually larger, especially uncompressed |
When to Pick TIFF
- A print shop, prepress workflow, or publication asked for TIFF, often at 300 DPI or higher.
- You need a CMYK image for offset printing — PNG cannot store CMYK, TIFF can.
- You are archiving scans or photos and want a format with a long, well-documented preservation track record.
- You need to bundle several images (for example, scanned document pages) into one multi-page file.
When to Keep PNG
- The image is for a website, web app, or email, where PNG is universally supported and TIFF often is not.
- You want the smallest lossless file — PNG's DEFLATE compression usually beats an uncompressed or LZW TIFF.
- You rely on broad transparency support across browsers and design tools; PNG's alpha is honored almost everywhere, TIFF's is not.
- You only need RGB color and 8-bit-per-channel depth, which PNG already covers.
How to Convert PNG to TIFF
- Upload Your PNG File: Drag and drop your image onto the upload area or click "+ Add Files". You can queue several PNGs and convert them with the same settings.
- Choose a Compression Type: Under Advanced Options, set Compression Type. LZW is the default and the most broadly compatible TIFF compression; DEFLATE (ZIP) and PackBits are also lossless, while the lossy JPEG option trades quality for a smaller file.
- Set Quality and Resolution (Optional): Use Quality Preset and Image resolution to control output. Leave resolution on "Keep original" to preserve the source dimensions and every pixel.
- Convert and Download: Click "Convert" and download your TIFF. No sign-up, no watermark.
Need the reverse direction later? Use TIF to PNG. For a smaller web-ready file instead of TIFF, PNG to JPG is usually the better target.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I lose any quality converting PNG to TIFF?
Not if you keep a lossless compression type. PNG is always lossless, and TIFF's LZW, ZIP/Deflate, and PackBits options are lossless too, so every pixel is preserved. Quality only drops if you deliberately pick the lossy JPEG compression option, which discards data to shrink the file.
Does the TIFF keep my PNG's transparency?
Yes — the alpha channel is carried over, so transparent areas in your PNG stay transparent in the TIFF. The catch is on the viewing side: TIFF transparency is not honored by every image viewer or print tool the way PNG transparency is, so a TIFF that looks transparent in one program may show a background in another.
Why is my TIFF so much larger than the PNG?
PNG's DEFLATE compression is aggressive and lossless, so PNGs are usually compact. TIFF can be stored uncompressed, and even LZW-compressed TIFF rarely matches PNG's size on the same image. If file size matters, choose LZW or DEFLATE compression rather than leaving the TIFF uncompressed.
Can a PNG-to-TIFF conversion give me a CMYK file for printing?
PNG only stores RGB data, so a straight conversion produces an RGB TIFF — it cannot invent CMYK ink values that were never in the source. TIFF itself supports CMYK, but a true CMYK separation for offset printing should be done in print software (such as Photoshop or Acrobat) with the correct color profile, not by format conversion alone.
Is TIF the same as TIFF?
Yes. TIF and TIFF are the same format; the two spellings are just a three-letter versus four-letter file extension, a holdover from older systems that capped extensions at three characters. This converter outputs the standard format either way.
What is the difference between LZW, DEFLATE, and PackBits compression?
All three are lossless. LZW is the long-standing TIFF default and has the widest support across viewers and printing software. DEFLATE (ZIP) is the same algorithm PNG uses and often produces a slightly smaller file. PackBits is a simple run-length scheme that compresses best on images with large flat areas but generally less than LZW or DEFLATE.
How large a PNG can I upload here?
There is no per-file count limit and no watermark. The practical limit is upload size and time rather than your device, since the file is processed on our servers; very large images simply take longer to upload and convert. In our testing, a typical 1080p screenshot PNG converted to an LZW TIFF in a few seconds end to end.