TGA to HDR Converter
Convert TGA to HDR in your browser. TGA files usually come from game engines, 3D renderers and texture painting tools; HDR is the better fit for 3D lighting and environment maps. You get a Radiance RGBE (.hdr) file, with the 8-bit sRGB values converted to linear light. Nothing is uploaded.
- Processed locally
- No upload, no wait
- No sign-up
- No watermark
Drop images here
or choose files · paste with Ctrl/⌘ V
TGA expected · other image formats also work
How to use TGA to HDR
- 1
Add your TGA files: drop them here, choose them, or paste from the clipboard.
- 2
Pick the colour that replaces transparent areas, since HDR has none.
- 3
Click Convert. Each file is decoded and encoded in a background thread on this device.
- 4
Download the .hdr files one at a time or together as a ZIP.
Why use Aback Images for tga to hdr
Where the HDR goes next
HDR opens in Blender, Photoshop, Houdini, Unreal Engine, Unity and Affinity Photo.
HDR next to TGA
Both sides are lossless, so the size depends on how well the HDR encoder handles this picture compared with the TGA's uncompressed or run-length encoded (RLE).
Written without a lossy pass
The HDR is written losslessly, so the pixels decoded from the TGA arrive unchanged.
Processed on your device
Your images are decoded, edited and encoded inside this browser tab by Web Workers. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
TGA vs HDR
What changes from TGA to HDR
Encoding: the TGA uses uncompressed or run-length encoded (RLE); HDR uses run-length encoded RGBE scanlines, and the download is a Radiance RGBE (.hdr) file, with the 8-bit sRGB values converted to linear light.
Bit depth: 8, 15, 16, 24 or 32 bits per pixel in the TGA; HDR allows an 8-bit mantissa per channel sharing an 8-bit exponent (RGBE), 32 bits per pixel, and the HDR written here has RGBE, 32 bits per pixel.
Colour: RGB, greyscale or a colour map in the TGA; HDR supports linear RGB (or XYZ in the XYZE variant), written here as linear-light RGB.
Transparency: the TGA stores it as the fourth byte of each 32-bit pixel (or one bit in 16-bit files); the HDR has none, so transparent areas are filled with the colour you choose.
Metadata: the TGA can carry an image ID field and an optional extension area with author and date; HDR can carry a text header with FORMAT, EXPOSURE and optional comments, but nothing is copied across.
About TGA
TGA is a simple raster format still widely used for game textures and 3D rendering pipelines because it stores alpha channels reliably and loads fast.
A TGA has an 18-byte header (ID length, colour map type, image type 2 for true colour or 10 for RLE, origin, size, bits per pixel and a descriptor byte whose bits give the alpha depth and whether rows run top-down), then the pixels; version 2 files end with a 'TRUEVISION-XFILE' footer.
TGA files usually come from game engines, 3D renderers and texture painting tools.
About HDR
Radiance .hdr stores high dynamic range light values, widely used for 3D environment maps and HDRI lighting.
A Radiance file starts with '#?RADIANCE' (or '#?RGBE'), text lines such as FORMAT=32-bit_rle_rgbe and EXPOSURE, a blank line, a resolution line like '-Y 2048 +X 4096', then the scanlines.
When converting TGA to HDR makes sense
HDR is the better choice for 3D lighting and environment maps, while TGA suits game textures and 3D software.
HDR strengths: True high dynamic range; Standard for HDRI environment maps. Drawbacks to weigh: Needs tone mapping to view on normal screens.
Limitations
- Some writers store rows bottom-up and some top-down; the descriptor byte says which, and the decoder follows it, so orientation is preserved.
- Game textures often hide data in the alpha byte (gloss or height); a target without transparency discards it.
- No range is added: the HDR holds the 8-bit picture in linear light, and nothing in it is brighter than the original white.
- 3D software treats the file as linear light, so an ordinary photo used as an environment map may need its exposure raised to light a scene well.
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Frequently asked questions
Does converting TGA to HDR lose quality?
HDR is written losslessly, so the pixels are stored exactly as decoded.
What happens to transparency when converting TGA to HDR?
TGA stores transparency as the fourth byte of each 32-bit pixel (or one bit in 16-bit files). HDR has no alpha channel, so transparent pixels are composited onto a solid colour, white unless you pick another. To keep transparency, convert to PNG, WebP or AVIF instead.
Does saving as HDR make a real HDRI?
No. A real HDRI is merged from several exposures. This file holds an 8-bit image in linear light, so 3D software reads it correctly, but it has no more range than the source.
Which apps open HDR files?
Blender, Photoshop, Houdini, Unreal Engine, Unity and Affinity Photo. It does not open in web browsers.
Are my images uploaded anywhere?
No. Processing happens inside your browser with WebAssembly and Web Workers. The site only downloads the app code and codecs; your files never leave your device. You can confirm this with the live upload counter on the tool, or in your browser's network panel.
Can I process many files at once?
Yes. Drop a whole selection or folder. Files are processed in parallel on several worker threads, each result can be downloaded on its own, and everything can be saved as one ZIP.
Is it free? Is there a file limit or watermark?
It is free with no account, no watermark and no daily limit. The only limit is your device's memory: very large images (over roughly 100 megapixels) may be refused to keep the tab from crashing.