TIFF to JPG Converter

Encoding: the TIFF uses none, LZW, PackBits, Deflate or JPEG, chosen per file; JPG uses lossy DCT coding in 8×8 pixel blocks, with colour usually stored at half resolution, and the download is a standard JPEG at the quality you choose.

Bit depth: 1 to 16 bits per channel, or 32-bit floating point in the TIFF; JPG allows 8 bits per channel, and the JPG written here has 8 bits per channel. 16-bit and floating-point TIFFs are reduced to 8 bits per channel.

Colour: RGB, CMYK, Lab, greyscale or palette, often with an ICC profile in the TIFF; JPG supports YCbCr shown as RGB, greyscale, or CMYK from print software, written here as 8-bit sRGB.

Transparency: the TIFF stores it as an extra sample declared in the ExtraSamples tag; the JPG has none, so transparent areas are filled with the colour you choose.

Other images: the TIFF can hold several pages, each in its own image file directory; only the main image is converted.

Metadata: the TIFF can carry EXIF, XMP, IPTC and ICC, all stored as tags; JPG can carry EXIF (camera, date, GPS), XMP, IPTC and an ICC profile in APP segments, but nothing is copied across.

TIFF is the professional archive and print format. It can hold multiple pages, high bit depths and lossless data, and is common in scanning, publishing and GIS.

A TIFF begins with 'II' or 'MM' for the byte order and the number 42, then an offset to the first image file directory (IFD): a table of tags giving the size, compression, colour model and the location of the strips or tiles of pixels. Each further page is another IFD.

TIFF files usually come from scanners, print and publishing workflows, photo archives and tethered camera capture.

JPEG is the universal photo format. It compresses by discarding fine detail the eye is least sensitive to, which makes photos small but blurs sharp edges and text if pushed too far.

A JPEG starts with the bytes FF D8 and is a run of marker segments: APP1 carries EXIF and often a thumbnail, APP2 an ICC profile, DQT the quantization tables that decide the quality, and SOS the compressed scan, which ends at FF D9.

JPG is the better choice for photographs that need to open anywhere, while TIFF suits printing, scanning and archival masters.

JPG strengths: Opens everywhere: every browser, phone, camera, printer and app; Small files for photographs; Adjustable quality from tiny to near-lossless. Drawbacks to weigh: No transparency; Lossy: every re-save loses a little more; Blocky artifacts around text, logos and sharp lines.