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ImageConverter

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HEIC to TIFF Converter

Convert an iPhone HEIC photo into a TIFF for editing, printing or archiving. Unlike JPG or BMP, TIFF keeps the extra colour precision newer iPhones capture: a 10-bit HEIC becomes a genuine 16-bit TIFF. The file is roughly four times larger, and location and camera data are left behind.

Deleted automatically Uploads removed within 30 minutes

Drag and drop your HEIC images here

Add several at once. Each file is processed and then deleted from our server.

Up to 20 MB per file Batch ready

Step by step

How to convert HEIC to TIFF in 3 steps

  1. Add your HEIC photo — straight from the phone is fine

  2. Nothing to configure

    The TIFF is lossless.

  3. Download your TIFF

Format comparison

HEIC vs TIFF

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container)

Lossy

The format iPhones and iPads save photos in by default, using HEVC compression to keep files small.

  • Much smaller than JPG at similar quality
  • The default on Apple devices, so no setting is needed
  • Many Windows apps, websites and upload forms cannot open it

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)

Lossless

A flexible container used in scanning, printing and archiving, where quality matters more than size.

  • Lossless, with high bit depths and CMYK for print
  • Standard in publishing and scanning workflows
  • Large files, and web browsers cannot display it

The colour depth survives

Recent iPhones can capture HEIC photos with 10 bits per colour channel rather than 8 — four times as many shades per channel. It shows most in smooth skies and gradients, and it gives much more room when editing: pushing exposure or colour hard is far less likely to produce banding.

Most conversions throw that away. JPG and BMP store 8 bits, so the extra precision is rounded off. TIFF stores 16, so it is kept. We checked that this is real precision rather than 8-bit data padded out to look like 16: the converted values fall between the steps 8-bit data could produce.

If your HEIC is an ordinary 8-bit photo, the TIFF is simply an exact 8-bit copy.

An editing and archive format

HEIC is lossy: it discards a little detail to keep files small. The TIFF records the decoded photo losslessly. That does not restore the discarded detail, but it means editing and re-saving never loses anything further — which is why TIFF is a sound working format for a photo that will be retouched, printed or kept long term.

File size

HEIC is very efficient; TIFF's lossless compression is not, on photographs. Measured on a real HEIC photo, the TIFF was about four times larger. A full-resolution iPhone photo commonly ends up in the tens of megabytes as TIFF, and a 16-bit TIFF is larger again, since every value takes twice the space.

Quality

Quality and file size

There is no quality setting. The TIFF is a lossless record of the decoded photo.

What is removed

iPhone photos carry a lot of information besides the image: the date and time, the camera and lens settings, and very often the GPS location where the photo was taken. None of it is carried into the TIFF. A real HEIC photo carrying 44 metadata fields produced a TIFF with none.

That is useful when sending photos to a printer, publisher or anyone else — but if you need the capture details for your own records, keep the original HEIC. The metadata viewer shows what a photo contains.

Resolution for print

HEIC photos do not state a print resolution, so the TIFF is labelled 72 DPI, the conventional default. A 12-megapixel photo at that label claims to be about 56 inches wide, which layout software will show until you scale it. The pixels are what matter: at 300 pixels per inch, a 12-megapixel iPhone photo prints sharply to roughly 13 × 10 inches.

When HEIC to TIFF makes sense

  • Serious editing in software that does not read HEIC, while keeping the 10-bit precision that makes heavy adjustments cleaner.
  • Print labs and publishers that ask for TIFF.
  • Archiving family or professional photos in a long-established lossless format.
  • Windows and specialist software that cannot open HEIC.

TIFF, JPG or PNG?

  • JPG — for sharing and everyday use. Small, opens everywhere, 8-bit.
  • PNG — lossless, and also keeps high bit depth; better supported outside print and publishing.
  • TIFF — for editing, print and archive workflows that expect it.

Why HEIC needs converting

iPhones have saved HEIC by default since 2017 because it stores photos in roughly half the space of JPG. But HEIC relies on patented compression, and much software — including older Windows applications and many editing, layout and print tools — cannot open it.

To have the iPhone save JPG instead, go to Settings, then Camera, then Formats, and choose "Most Compatible". Note that JPG is 8-bit, so for the extra colour depth described above you would keep HEIC and convert when needed.

What happens to your file

Browsers cannot decode HEIC or write TIFF, so this runs on our server. Your upload is deleted the moment conversion finishes, the result is deleted as you download it, and anything abandoned is swept automatically. Photos are often personal; nothing is kept a second longer than needed.

Privacy

What happens to your file

This tool runs on our server, so it works the same on every phone and computer. Your file is uploaded, and this is exactly what happens to it:

  • Stored outside the public web root under a random name, never under your file's name.
  • Processed, with the original upload deleted immediately — whether it succeeded or failed.
  • The result sits behind a signed link that only you receive, which stops working after 20 minutes, and the file is deleted the moment you download it.
  • Anything never collected is deleted automatically within 30 minutes.
  • The image itself is never logged or kept. If a conversion fails, we record the formats involved and the error — not the file.
  • Camera metadata, including any GPS coordinates recording where a photo was taken, is removed from the result. Only the rotation needed to show the image the right way up is kept.

Questions & answers

HEIC to TIFF: frequently asked questions

Does TIFF keep my iPhone's 10-bit colour?

Yes. A 10-bit HEIC becomes a genuine 16-bit TIFF — we checked that the values are real precision, not 8-bit data padded out. JPG and BMP would round it down to 8 bits.

Is the TIFF better quality than the HEIC?

It is the same photo recorded losslessly. HEIC's compression losses are not restored, but editing and re-saving the TIFF never loses anything further, which makes it a good working format.

Is my location data removed?

Yes. Date, camera settings and GPS location are not carried into the TIFF — a real HEIC photo with 44 metadata fields produced a TIFF with none. Keep the original HEIC if you need those details.

How big will the TIFF be?

About four times the HEIC measured on a real photo, and full-resolution iPhone photos commonly reach tens of megabytes. 16-bit TIFFs are larger still, since every value takes twice the space.

How large can I print an iPhone photo?

At 300 pixels per inch, a 12-megapixel photo prints sharply to roughly 13 × 10 inches. The TIFF is labelled 72 DPI because HEIC states none, so layout software may show it very large until scaled — the pixel count is what determines sharpness.

Should I choose TIFF or PNG?

Both are lossless and both keep high bit depth. PNG is better supported in everyday software; TIFF is what editing, print and archive workflows usually expect.

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