How to Convert TIFF to JPG

TIFF is common for scans, camera exports and print work because it can hold uncompressed or losslessly compressed images, several pages, layers and high bit depth. JPG is far smaller and opens almost everywhere, which makes it the usual choice for email, web uploads and video call backgrounds. Converting means giving up some of what TIFF can store, so it helps to know what changes before you save.

Before you start

• Keep the original TIFF. JPG uses lossy compression, so you cannot recover the discarded detail from the converted file later.
• Decide where the conversion runs. Built-in system apps, desktop editors and command-line tools process the file on your computer. Web converters upload the file to someone else's server; check that service's own statements on storage and deletion before sending scans of documents, IDs or other private images.
• Check whether the TIFF has several pages. Multi-page TIFFs are common from scanners and fax software, while a JPG holds only one image.
• Check for transparency or layers. JPG supports neither, so these areas will be flattened onto a solid background.
• Note the color mode and bit depth if the file came from print or professional scanning work. JPG is 8 bits per channel, and CMYK images often display incorrectly outside print software.

Step-by-step instructions

Windows with Paint

• Right-click the TIFF file, choose Open with, then Paint.
• Open the File menu and choose Save as, then pick the JPEG picture option.
• Enter a new file name so the original is not touched, and save.
• If Paint warns that transparency or other content will be lost, confirm only if a flattened image is acceptable.

Paint does not offer a JPG quality control. If you need to set the compression level, use an image editor such as GIMP or the command-line method below. Menu labels can differ between Windows versions, so look for the equivalent save or export command if the wording is not identical.

macOS with Preview

• Open the TIFF in Preview.
• From the File menu, choose Export.
• Set Format to JPEG.
• Adjust the Quality slider. Higher quality keeps more detail and produces a larger file.
• Choose a destination and name, then save.

For a multi-page TIFF, Preview shows the pages in the sidebar. Export works on the page or selection you have open, so repeat the export for each page you need as a separate JPG.

Any desktop system with GIMP

• Open the TIFF with File, then Open. If the file has several pages, GIMP asks whether to open them as layers or as separate images.
• Choose File, then Export As, and give the file a name ending in .jpg.
• In the export dialog, set Quality. Expand the advanced options if you want to control metadata or color profile handling.
• Click Export. Your working image in GIMP stays unchanged until you overwrite the original yourself.

Command line with ImageMagick

If ImageMagick is installed, a single command converts the file locally. With version 7 the command is magick input.tif -quality 90 output.jpg, and older version 6 installations use convert in place of magick. For a multi-page TIFF, this produces one JPG per page with a number added to each name. To keep only the first page, add [0] directly after the input file name. To flatten transparency onto white instead of an unpredictable color, add -background white -flatten before the output name.

Check the output

• Open the JPG in a different viewer than the one used for conversion to confirm it is a valid file.
• Compare the pixel dimensions with the original. A plain format change should keep the same width and height, and the aspect ratio should be identical.
• Zoom in on fine detail, gradients and text. Blocky areas, color banding or halos around edges are compression artifacts; export again at a higher quality setting if they matter for your use.
• Look at colors next to the original. Washed-out or oversaturated results usually point to a CMYK source or a dropped color profile.
• Check areas that were transparent, and confirm that every page you needed was converted.
• Compare file sizes. A much smaller JPG is normal; a JPG close to the TIFF size suggests a very high quality setting that you may be able to lower.

Common problems and next steps

Only the first page was converted

Many simple apps read just the first image in a multi-page TIFF. Export pages one by one in Preview or GIMP, or use the ImageMagick command, which writes every page as its own JPG. If you need all pages in a single file, consider PDF instead of JPG.

Transparent areas turned black or white

This is expected because the JPG file format has no transparency. Choose the background color yourself before exporting, or save as PNG if the transparent background must be kept.

Colors look wrong after conversion

Convert the image to RGB, ideally the sRGB profile, before exporting, and keep the embedded color profile if your tool offers that option. High bit-depth TIFFs are reduced to 8 bits per channel, which can show as banding in smooth skies or skin tones.

The app cannot open the TIFF

TIFF allows many internal compression methods and layouts, and not every program supports all of them. Try another tool from this guide; GIMP and ImageMagick read a wider range of variants than basic viewers.

The JPG is still too large

Lower the quality setting gradually and recheck detail, or reduce the pixel dimensions if the image will only be shown on screen. Resize proportionally so the aspect ratio does not change.