TIFF to RAW Converter
Convert TIFF to RAW in your browser. You download a Linear DNG (.dng), not a .raw: only a camera can create a genuine RAW, and every editor that opens RAW also opens DNG. Nothing is uploaded.
- Processed locally
- No upload, no wait
- No sign-up
- No watermark
Drop images here
or choose files · paste with Ctrl/⌘ V
TIFF expected · other image formats also work
How to use TIFF to RAW
- 1
Add your TIFF files: drop them here, choose them, or paste from the clipboard.
- 2
Pick the colour that replaces transparent areas, since DNG has none.
- 3
Click Convert. Each file is decoded and encoded in a background thread on this device.
- 4
Download the .dng files one at a time or together as a ZIP.
Why use Aback Images for tiff to raw
Where a RAW would go
RAW files are opened by Lightroom, Photoshop Camera Raw, Capture One, darktable, RawTherapee and dcraw-based tools, and every one of them opens the DNG too.
DNG next to TIFF
Neither format compresses much, so the DNG lands close to the TIFF in size.
Written without a lossy pass
The DNG is written uncompressed, so the pixels decoded from the TIFF arrive unchanged, apart from precision beyond 8 bits per channel.
Processed on your device
Your images are decoded, edited and encoded inside this browser tab by Web Workers. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
TIFF vs RAW
What changes from TIFF to RAW
Encoding: the TIFF uses none, LZW, PackBits, Deflate or JPEG, chosen per file; RAW uses uncompressed, lossless JPEG or vendor-specific coding of the sensor data, depending on the maker, and the download is a Linear DNG: demosaiced 8-bit RGB with the colour matrices raw editors need.
Bit depth: 1 to 16 bits per channel, or 32-bit floating point in the TIFF; RAW allows 12 to 16 bits per channel, and the DNG written here has 8 bits per channel, linearised. 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; RAW supports camera-native RGB from a colour filter mosaic, written here as 8-bit sRGB.
Transparency: the TIFF stores it as an extra sample declared in the ExtraSamples tag; the DNG 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; RAW can carry EXIF and vendor maker notes, almost always with an embedded JPEG preview, but nothing is copied across.
About TIFF
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.
About RAW
Camera RAW files (CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, DNG, ORF, RW2, RAF and others) hold the unprocessed sensor data from a camera along with an embedded full-size JPEG preview rendered by the camera.
.RAW is an extension rather than one format. Panasonic and Leica compacts wrote TIFF-like .RAW files before Panasonic moved to RW2, and scanners and scientific cameras use .raw for headerless dumps with no width, height or layout recorded, which nothing can read without being told those values.
RAW files come from older Panasonic and Leica compacts that saved .RAW, and scanners or scientific cameras that use the extension for pixel dumps.
When converting TIFF to RAW makes sense
Forms and workflows that ask for RAW usually feed a raw editor, and each of those opens DNG as well, so the DNG can take the RAW's place. Keep the TIFF if you only need to view or share the picture.
What RAW offers when it comes straight from the camera: Maximum editing latitude in RAW editors; Includes a camera-rendered preview. Its drawbacks: Huge files; Every brand uses its own format; Phones, browsers and websites cannot display it.
Limitations
- Only the first page of a multi-page TIFF is converted; split the file first if you need every page.
- CMYK TIFFs from print workflows are converted to RGB, which changes how a print shop's colours are described.
- The DNG holds the decoded 8-bit pixels, so it adds no dynamic range or detail beyond the TIFF.
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Frequently asked questions
Why do I get a .dng file instead of a .raw?
A real RAW is written by a camera and holds the sensor's own readings (12 to 16 bits per channel, stored as uncompressed, lossless JPEG or vendor-specific coding of the sensor data, depending on the maker) along with EXIF and vendor maker notes, almost always with an embedded JPEG preview. A TIFF holds no sensor data, so no software outside the camera can create a genuine RAW. The Linear DNG you get instead is Adobe's open raw format, and every editor that opens RAW files opens it with the same raw controls. It holds decoded pixels, so it adds no quality or dynamic range.
Does converting TIFF to RAW lose quality?
DNG is written uncompressed, so the pixels are stored exactly as decoded. 16-bit and floating-point TIFFs are reduced to 8 bits per channel. Not carried over: any several pages.
What happens to transparency when converting TIFF to RAW?
TIFF stores transparency as an extra sample declared in the ExtraSamples tag. DNG 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.
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.