TIFF to PNG Converter

Encoding: the TIFF uses none, LZW, PackBits, Deflate or JPEG, chosen per file; PNG uses lossless DEFLATE with a prediction filter chosen per row, and the download is a lossless 8-bit PNG with full alpha.

Bit depth: 1 to 16 bits per channel, or 32-bit floating point in the TIFF; PNG allows 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 bits per channel, and the PNG 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; PNG supports RGB, greyscale, or an indexed palette of up to 256 colours, written here as 8-bit sRGB.

Transparency: the TIFF stores it as an extra sample declared in the ExtraSamples tag; the PNG keeps it as a full alpha channel, so edges and shadows can fade smoothly.

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; PNG can carry text chunks, an ICC profile, physical resolution and EXIF in an eXIf chunk, 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.

PNG stores pixels losslessly with full alpha transparency. It is ideal for screenshots, logos, UI and anything with sharp edges, but photos saved as PNG are several times larger than JPEG.

A PNG opens with an 8-byte signature and is a chain of chunks, each with its own CRC: IHDR (size, depth, colour type), optional PLTE and tRNS for palettes, one or more IDAT chunks with the compressed rows, and IEND.

PNG is the better choice for screenshots, logos, graphics and anything that needs transparency, while TIFF suits printing, scanning and archival masters.

PNG strengths: Lossless: no quality loss, ever; Full transparency with smooth edges; Perfect for text, screenshots and graphics. Drawbacks to weigh: Large files for photographs; No standard animation (that is APNG).