When you'd do this
A printer, publisher, archive, or a GIS or scanning workflow asks for TIFF, and you have PNGs, JPGs, WebPs or other images to hand over.
What to expect
Every opaque pixel is kept exactly. Uncompressed, a 4032 × 3024 image's pixels take about 35 MB — 47 MB with transparency; LZW (the default) and Deflate shrink that without loss, by how much depending on the image. From a JPG, the TIFF keeps the JPG's pixels as they are.
Recommended settings
LZW for the widest compatibility — every TIFF reader handles it. Deflate is often a little smaller, but a few older programs can't open it. Choose None only if the receiving system asks for uncompressed files.
Where it opens
Photoshop, Affinity Photo, GIMP, InDesign, macOS Preview, Windows Photos, and print and archive systems. Browsers other than Safari can't show it.
Good to know
- The TIFF is 8-bit RGB, with transparency when the image has some — not CMYK, 16-bit or layered. Do print colour conversions in your layout app.
- The original's DPI isn't carried over: set the print size in your layout app.
- One page per file: each image becomes its own TIFF.
How to do it
- Choose your images, or drop or paste them on the page — any mix of formats.
- Each is set to TIFF. Change one on its own row if you like, and set TIFF compression and Resize in Settings.
- Convert all, then download each TIFF, or all of them in one .zip.
Questions
- LZW or Deflate?
- LZW opens in every program that reads TIFF. Deflate can be smaller but isn't supported everywhere. Both are lossless.
- Does converting JPG to TIFF improve quality?
- No. The TIFF keeps the JPG's pixels exactly, compression artefacts included.
- Can I make a CMYK TIFF?
- No — TIFFs made here are RGB. Convert to CMYK in your layout or print software.