JPG to TIFF Converter

Why Convert JPG to TIFF?

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is a professional standard for storing raster images of the highest quality. TIFF was created specifically for the printing industry and remains the gold standard for preparing materials for print, archival storage, and professional photo processing. Unlike JPG, which sacrifices quality for compactness, TIFF preserves every pixel of the image in its original form, ensuring maximum reproduction accuracy.

Converting JPG to TIFF is required in specific professional scenarios: when a print shop requires files in a specific format, when you need to save intermediate processing results without quality loss, or when images are intended for long-term archival storage. It's important to understand that TIFF is not a format for web publishing or everyday use, but a professional tool.

History of TIFF Format

The TIFF format was developed in 1986 through the joint efforts of Aldus Corporation (later acquired by Adobe) and Microsoft. The main goal was to provide a standard format for saving scanned images — scanners were just beginning to be used in publishing, and each manufacturer used their own formats.

TIFF stands for Tagged Image File Format. The key idea was a flexible tag system that allowed storing image metadata: resolution, color space, number of channels, compression type, and much more. This architecture proved so successful that the format has been used virtually unchanged for almost 40 years.

Format versions:

• TIFF 4.0 (1986) — first public version
• TIFF 5.0 (1988) — added LZW compression support
• TIFF 6.0 (1992) — current version with JPEG compression support, YCbCr color space and other extensions

In 1994, the TIFF specification was transferred to Adobe Systems, which remains the format owner to this day. Despite the emergence of many new formats, TIFF remains the industry standard in printing, museum archiving, and professional photography.

Technical Structure of TIFF Format

TIFF File Structure

A TIFF file has a modular structure consisting of several components:

1. File header (8 bytes):

   • Byte order (II = Intel little-endian, MM = Motorola big-endian)
   • Magic number 42 (TIFF identifier)
   • Offset of the first Image File Directory (IFD)

2. Image File Directory (IFD) — a set of tags describing the image:

   • Dimensions (width, height)
   • Color depth (bits per pixel)
   • Compression type
   • Color space
   • Resolution (DPI)
   • And many other parameters

3. Image data — the actual pixels packed according to the specified compression method

This structure allows storing multiple images in one file (multi-page TIFF) and adding arbitrary metadata through the tag system.

TIFF Tag System

Tags are the key feature of the TIFF format. Each tag has:

• Tag ID (2 bytes) — unique identifier
• Data type (2 bytes) — value format (integer, string, fractional, etc.)
• Number of values (4 bytes)
• Value or offset (4 bytes)

Most important tags:

• ImageWidth (256) — image width in pixels
• ImageLength (257) — image height in pixels
• BitsPerSample (258) — bits per color channel
• Compression (259) — compression type
• PhotometricInterpretation (262) — color model
• SamplesPerPixel (277) — number of channels
• XResolution (282) — horizontal resolution
• YResolution (283) — vertical resolution

Compression Types in TIFF

TIFF supports many compression algorithms, making it a universal format:

When converting from JPG, typically used:

• LZW — good lossless compression, universal compatibility
• ZIP/Deflate — best lossless compression for modern software
• None — maximum compatibility, but huge file size

Comparing JPG and TIFF Formats

Color Depth in TIFF

One of the main advantages of TIFF is support for high color depth:

• 8 bits/channel (24-bit RGB) — standard quality, same as JPG
• 16 bits/channel (48-bit RGB) — professional processing, 65,536 shades per channel
• 32 bits/channel (96-bit RGB) — HDR images with floating point

When converting from 8-bit JPG to 16-bit TIFF, actual color depth doesn't increase (data is just stretched), but this simplifies further processing without accumulating rounding errors.

Color Spaces

TIFF supports many color spaces:

• RGB — for screen display
• CMYK — for offset printing
• Lab — for color correction (device-independent)
• YCbCr — for video applications
• Grayscale — black and white images

This is critically important for printing, where files must be in CMYK for correct color reproduction.

TIFF Applications in Professional Fields

Printing and Prepress

TIFF is the de facto standard for sending images to print shops:

• RIP compatibility — raster image processors of printing equipment correctly interpret TIFF
• ICC color profiles — accurate color reproduction in print
• DPI resolution — metadata about required print resolution (usually 300 DPI)
• Additional channels — Spot Colors (Pantone), varnish layers, die cuts

Typical print shop requirements:

• TIFF or EPS format
• CMYK color space
• 300 DPI resolution (for offset) or 150 DPI (for large format)
• No compression or LZW compression

Archival Storage

Museums, libraries, and government archives use TIFF for digitizing historical documents:

• ISO 12639 — TIFF is recommended as an archival storage format
• FADGI and Metamorfoze standards — use TIFF as the primary format
• No patent restrictions — the format can be used for free
• Longevity — the format hasn't changed in 30 years

Professional Photography

Photographers use TIFF for:

• Exporting processed RAW files
• Saving intermediate versions during retouching
• Delivering maximum quality files to clients
• Creating master copies for archive

Medicine and Science

TIFF is widely used in specialized fields:

• Medical imaging — MRI, CT, X-ray scans
• Geospatial data — GeoTIFF with geographic coordinates
• Microscopy — images from scientific microscopes
• Astrophotography — telescope images

JPG to TIFF Conversion Process

Conversion Steps

1. JPG decoding — unpacking compressed JPEG data
2. Inverse DCT — restoring pixel values from frequency coefficients
3. YCbCr→RGB conversion — converting from JPG color space to RGB
4. TIFF creation — writing header and image file directory
5. Compression (optional) — applying LZW or ZIP compression
6. Data writing — saving pixels to file

What's Preserved During Conversion

When converting JPG to TIFF: ✅ All pixels of the original image ✅ Image dimensions ✅ EXIF metadata (capture date, camera, geolocation) ✅ Color profile (if embedded in JPG)

What's NOT Restored

❌ Data lost during JPG creation (compression artifacts remain) ❌ Color depth information (JPG is only 8-bit) ❌ Original RAW camera data

File Sizes: JPG vs TIFF

One of the main features of conversion is the significant file size increase:

This increase is because:

1. JPG uses aggressive lossy compression (DCT + quantization)
2. TIFF saves every pixel completely
3. Even LZW compression is less efficient than JPEG

TIFF Software Compatibility

Professional Software

TIFF is fully supported by all professional editors:

• Adobe Photoshop — full support for all features
• Adobe Lightroom — export of processed photos
• Capture One — standard output format
• GIMP — free Photoshop alternative
• Affinity Photo — modern professional editor
• DaVinci Resolve — for video work

Publishing Systems

• Adobe InDesign — placement in layouts
• QuarkXPress — publication layout
• CorelDRAW — vector graphics and design
• Scribus — free alternative

Operating Systems

Web Browsers

⚠️ TIFF is NOT supported by browsers! Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge cannot display TIFF files directly. This is one reason why TIFF is not suitable for web publishing.

Multi-page TIFF

A unique feature of TIFF is support for multiple images in one file:

• Scanned multi-page documents
• Image series
• Fax messages
• Animation (rarely used)

Each page has its own IFD directory and can have different parameters (size, resolution, color).

Alternatives to TIFF

PNG — for web and simple tasks

PNG offers lossless compression with smaller file size:

• File size 3-5 times smaller than uncompressed TIFF
• Browser support
• Transparency (alpha channel)
• Limitation: only 8/16 bits, only RGB/Grayscale

WebP Lossless — for modern applications

WebP from Google offers excellent lossless compression:

• Even smaller size than PNG
• Transparency support
• Support by all modern browsers
• Limitation: not suitable for printing (no CMYK)

DNG — for photographers

Digital Negative from Adobe — open RAW format:

• Storing original camera data
• Ability to reprocess
• Smaller size than TIFF with comparable quality

Practical Recommendations

When to Convert JPG to TIFF

✅ Convert if:

• Print shop requires TIFF format
• Need an intermediate lossless format for processing
• Creating an archive with unified storage format
• Working with software that handles TIFF better

❌ Don't convert if:

• Planning to publish on the internet
• Minimum file size is important
• Original JPG quality is sufficient
• PNG can be used as an alternative

Recommended Settings

For most tasks:

• Compression: LZW or ZIP (good balance of size and compatibility)
• Color depth: 8 bits (maintains compatibility with source JPG)
• Resolution: keep original or set required for printing

Conclusion

Converting JPG to TIFF is a specialized operation for professional tasks. TIFF remains the industry standard in printing and archiving due to its flexibility, reliability, and support for a wide range of features. However, for everyday tasks and web publishing, TIFF is overkill — its huge file sizes and lack of browser support make it impractical. Choose TIFF consciously when your professional tasks require it.