What is TGA and why convert it to TIFF?

TGA (Truevision TGA) is a raster format widely used in game development and 3D rendering pipelines. TIFF is a lossless, professional-grade format supported by virtually all image-editing and print workflows. Converting a cropped TGA to TIFF gives you a universally compatible, lossless file suitable for archiving, print production, and further editing in tools like Photoshop or GIMP.

Can I crop the TGA image before converting to TIFF?

Yes — the tool provides an interactive crop overlay on the source image. Drag the corner and edge handles to define exactly which portion of the TGA you want in the output TIFF. Click Preview Crop to see the result before downloading.

Does my image get uploaded to a server?

No. All processing — loading, decoding, cropping, and TIFF encoding — happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your image never leaves your device.

Is the output TIFF lossless?

Yes. The tool encodes the cropped region as an uncompressed TIFF, which is fully lossless. Every pixel from the source TGA is preserved exactly in the output TIFF file with no compression artefacts.

Does TIFF support transparency from my TGA source?

Yes. If your TGA source has a 32-bit alpha channel, the tool writes a TIFF with an RGBA colour space (4 samples per pixel), preserving full transparency information in the output file.

How do I reset and convert a different image?

Click the Start Over button that appears after loading an image. This clears the current file and resets the crop area so you can load a new TGA.

TGA to TIFF Crop Converter

Load a TGA file, drag the crop handles to define exactly the area you need, preview the result, then download a lossless TIFF. Everything runs in your browser — your image never leaves your device.

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Drop a TGA here

or Browse Files · TGA supported

What This Tool Does

This tool loads a TGA (Truevision TGA) image directly in your browser, presents an interactive crop overlay with draggable handles, and encodes the selected region as an uncompressed TIFF file. No server upload is required. The full workflow — loading, decoding, cropping, and TIFF encoding — runs entirely in client-side JavaScript. TGA files are decoded with a built-in parser handling uncompressed (type 2/3) and RLE-compressed (type 10/11) variants at 8, 16, 24, and 32 bits per pixel. TIFF output is written using a minimal inline encoder that produces a valid Baseline TIFF with RGB or RGBA colour space, ensuring compatibility with Photoshop, GIMP, Lightroom, and any other standard image application.

Who This Is For

3D artists and game developers archiving or re-purposing TGA render output as lossless TIFF
Print professionals who need a crop of a TGA source asset in TIFF for pre-press workflows
Photographers and archivists converting legacy TGA assets to the universally supported TIFF format
Anyone who needs to trim and convert a TGA to TIFF without installing Photoshop or GIMP

TGA vs TIFF: Format Comparison

Property	TGA	TIFF
Compression	Uncompressed or RLE	Lossless (uncompressed, LZW, ZIP)
File size	Large (uncompressed)	Large — similar to uncompressed TGA
Quality loss	None	None
Application support	Game engines, 3D tools	Universal — Photoshop, GIMP, print, archival
Transparency	Full alpha channel (32-bit)	Full alpha channel
Best for	Real-time rendering, legacy pipelines	Print production, archiving, professional editing
Metadata support	Minimal	Rich — EXIF, IPTC, XMP supported

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the TIFF output file large?▼

TIFF stores every pixel without lossy compression. An uncompressed TIFF at 3000×2000 pixels at 24-bit colour is approximately 17 MB. This is expected and is the trade-off for pixel-perfect lossless quality. If file size is a concern, consider the TGA to PNG Crop tool, which uses lossless PNG compression for smaller files.

Is the alpha channel from my TGA preserved?▼

Yes. If your source TGA has a 32-bit alpha channel, the tool writes an RGBA TIFF (4 samples per pixel with an associated alpha channel tag). The transparency is fully preserved in the output.

How precise is the crop tool?▼

The crop operates at native pixel accuracy on the original TGA dimensions. The canvas is scaled to fit your screen for display, but crop coordinates are mapped back to the full-resolution image before the TIFF is written.

Can I move the crop selection after setting it?▼

Yes — click and drag inside the crop rectangle (away from the handles) to reposition it anywhere within the image. Handles resize; the interior pans.

What browsers are supported?▼

All modern browsers — Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari (desktop and mobile). The TGA decoder and TIFF encoder are pure JavaScript and require no browser-specific APIs beyond standard ArrayBuffer and Blob support.

Is there a file size limit?▼

There is no server-imposed limit because no upload occurs. The practical limit is your browser's available RAM. TIFF output for very large crops can itself be large; most modern desktops handle files up to several hundred MB comfortably.

TGA to TIFF Crop Converter

What This Tool Does

Who This Is For

TGA vs TIFF: Format Comparison

Frequently Asked Questions

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