XCF to TIFF
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Supports: XCF
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Need help?How to Convert XCF to TIFF Online
- Upload Your XCF File: Drag and drop your GIMP project file or click "+ Add Files" to select. Batch conversion supported — process an entire folder of GIMP exports at once.
- Pick Compression Type: The default Quality Preset is "Very High (Recommended)". Under Compression Type, choose LZW for the most compatible lossless compression (the prepress and archival default), Deflate (zlib) for slightly smaller lossless files, JPEG for lossy compression with adjustable Image Quality (%), PackBits for fast lossless RLE, or No Compression for raw uncompressed pixels. CCITT Fax 4 is available for 1-bit bilevel scans.
- Adjust Resolution and File Size (Optional): Under Image Resolution choose Keep original, a Preset Resolution, or set Width x Height (aspect ratio locked). For a target output, set Target file size (%) of original, an exact size in KB or MB, or use Image Quality (%) when JPEG compression is selected.
- Convert and Download: Click Convert. Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours — no sign-up, no watermark, never shared. The output keeps the.tiff extension by default; toggle to.tif if your downstream tool expects the three-letter form (the bytes are identical either way).
Why Convert XCF to TIFF?
XCF is GIMP's native project format — short for "eXperimental Computing Facility" after GIMP's UC Berkeley origins. It stores everything GIMP knows about your image (layers, paths, channels, guides, selections), but only GIMP itself can open it. TIFF (Tagged Image File Format), created by Stephen Carlsen at Aldus Corporation in 1986 and now maintained by Adobe, is the industry standard for high-fidelity raster images in print, archival, and scientific imaging.
- Print and prepress delivery — Commercial printers, magazines, and book publishers expect TIFF (typically with LZW compression at 300 DPI) for cover art, illustrations, and photo plates. XCF files cannot be placed in InDesign, QuarkXPress, or Affinity Publisher; flatten to TIFF first.
- Archival masters — Libraries, museums, and the US Library of Congress recommend uncompressed or LZW-compressed TIFF as a sustainable preservation format. Converting your XCF working file to TIFF gives you a layer-flat archival copy that any imaging tool will read decades from now.
- Scientific and medical imaging — DICOM, microscopy, and GIS pipelines ingest TIFF (often 16-bit grayscale, BigTIFF for files over 4 GB). XCF is unsupported in those workflows.
- Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom interop — Photoshop reads TIFF natively but cannot open XCF without third-party plugins. Send a flattened TIFF to a designer working in Adobe CC.
- Multi-page document scans — TIFF supports multi-page containers (one file, many image directories), used for fax archives, scanned books, and OCR pipelines. XCF is single-image only.
- High bit-depth output — TIFF supports 1-bit (bilevel scans), 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit floating-point per channel. Export 16-bit TIFFs from GIMP's high-precision modes for HDR or scientific work without banding.
XCF vs TIFF — Format Comparison
| Property | XCF | TIFF |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | GIMP project (1997) | Aldus 1986; Adobe since 1994 |
| Primary use | GIMP working files | Print, archival, scientific imaging |
| Layers | Preserved | Not in baseline TIFF (flattened on export) |
| Paths, guides, channels | Preserved | Lost on conversion |
| Compression | RLE (pre-2.10) or zlib (2.10+) | LZW, Deflate, JPEG, PackBits, ZSTD, CCITT G4 |
| Bit depth | 8/16/32-bit per channel | 1, 8, 16, 32-bit per sample |
| Color spaces | RGB, Grayscale, Indexed | RGB, CMYK, Grayscale, Lab, YCbCr, Indexed |
| Multi-page | No | Yes (multi-IFD) |
| App support | GIMP only | Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture One, Preview, IrfanView, ImageMagick, every print RIP |
| Typical extension | .xcf | .tiff or.tif (identical) |
TIFF Compression Quick Guide
| Compression | Lossy/Lossless | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| LZW | Lossless | Default for prepress and general-purpose TIFF; broad compatibility |
| Deflate (zlib) | Lossless | ~10-20% smaller than LZW; supported by Photoshop and modern tools |
| PackBits | Lossless | Fast RLE; good for screenshots, scans with large flat areas |
| JPEG | Lossy | Smallest output; not recommended for print masters or further editing |
| CCITT Fax Group 4 | Lossless | 1-bit bilevel only (scanned documents, line art); huge savings for B&W |
| ZSTD | Lossless | Best ratio of modern codecs; supported in libtiff 4.0.10+ but not all readers |
| None | — | Largest files; required by some scientific and forensic pipelines |
Frequently Asked Questions
Are my GIMP layers preserved in the TIFF?
No — baseline TIFF does not store layers, so the export flattens all visible layers into a single composite image. If you need to keep layered editing intact, save the XCF separately and only use the TIFF as a flattened delivery copy. Photoshop's proprietary layered TIFF extension is not produced by this converter.
Should I pick LZW, Deflate, or JPEG compression?
LZW is the safe default — every TIFF reader from 1992 onward supports it, and it is the de-facto prepress standard. Deflate (zlib) typically produces files 10-20% smaller than LZW and is supported by Photoshop, Lightroom, ImageMagick, and modern viewers, but a few legacy print RIPs may stumble on it. Pick JPEG only if you need the smallest possible TIFF and you accept lossy compression — JPEG-in-TIFF is a poor choice for print masters or files you will edit again.
What's the difference between.tif and.tiff?
There is no functional difference. The 8.3 filename limit on early MS-DOS forced the three-letter.tif extension; modern systems support either. The bytes inside the file are identical. Choose.tiff for explicit modern documentation, or.tif if your downstream system expects the legacy form. Use XCF to TIF if your workflow specifies the three-letter extension.
What DPI should I set for print?
300 DPI is the prepress standard for offset printing and most magazines. Use 600 DPI for line art, fine illustration, and high-end art books. 150 DPI is acceptable for newspaper print and large-format banners viewed from a distance. Web preview proofs are fine at 72 or 96 DPI. Set DPI under the resolution options.
Will TIFF preserve transparency from my XCF?
Yes — TIFF supports an alpha channel and the converter writes the composite alpha from your flattened XCF. Note that some print workflows expect a flat white or knockout background; if your printer requires no alpha, flatten in GIMP onto a solid background before exporting the XCF.
How big will my TIFF file be?
TIFF is uncompressed by default (one byte per channel per pixel for 8-bit RGB). A 4000 x 3000 pixel image is roughly 36 MB uncompressed, around 18-25 MB with LZW or Deflate, and 2-5 MB with JPEG-in-TIFF. Use Target file size (%) or specific size to constrain the output if you need to stay under an email or upload cap.
Can I export 16-bit TIFF for HDR or scientific work?
Yes — set the bit depth to 16-bit. GIMP 2.10+ stores high-precision data in XCF, and the converter preserves it on export. 16-bit TIFFs are roughly twice the size of 8-bit but avoid banding in gradients and are required by many scientific imaging pipelines.
Does the converter support multi-page TIFF from a single XCF?
No — XCF is a single-image format with layers, while multi-page TIFF requires multiple independent image directories. To build a multi-page TIFF from several XCF files, convert each XCF to TIFF first, then merge them with a tool like ImageMagick's convert *.tiff out.tif.
What's the file size limit and is it free?
The browser-based converter handles files up to upload size and connection speed — typically several hundred MB on modern laptops. Conversion is free, runs on our servers, requires no sign-up, and adds no watermark. For related workflows see XCF to PNG for web-friendly output, XCF to PDF for document delivery, or Compress TIFF to shrink an existing TIFF.