Image guides
How to Convert TIFF to AVIF in Your Browser
TIFF is an archival, often-uncompressed format built for print and long-term storage, while AVIF is a lossy, codec-based format built for the smallest possible web file size. Converting between them is a shift in purpose as much as format, and this guide covers what that shift actually involves — including what gets left behind.
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How TIFF becomes AVIF
- The browser reads the TIFF's Image File Directory (IFD) to find the first page's tags — dimensions, compression scheme, strip offsets — and decodes only that page; any additional pages in a multi-page TIFF are never read.
- That page's image strips are decompressed, if the source used compression, and reassembled into standard 8-bit-per-channel pixel data on an in-memory canvas — any higher bit depth in the source TIFF is flattened to 8-bit at this step, before any target format is even chosen.
- The canvas is handed to the browser's native AVIF encoder, which applies AV1 intra-frame coding at your chosen quality.
- The result is verified as a genuine image/avif file before the download starts.
What changes when you convert
Because archival TIFFs are frequently stored uncompressed or with light lossless compression, converting to AVIF can produce a dramatic size reduction — similar in scale to converting from BMP — since you're moving from a format built for fidelity to one built for compact delivery.
Only the first page of a multi-page TIFF is ever converted; if your source is a scanned multi-page document or a layered TIFF, every page after the first is discarded, not archived elsewhere. Bit depth is also a one-way step: this converter decodes everything to standard 8-bit canvas data regardless of target format, so a 16-bit-per-channel source TIFF loses that extra precision the moment it's decoded — converting to AVIF doesn't cause that loss, but it doesn't get the precision back either.
AVIF encoding is produced by your browser's own built-in encoder rather than a bundled WASM library — unlike most other targets in this tool — so alpha transparency support is delegated to the browser's AVIF encoder rather than guaranteed, and it's most consistently available in Chromium-based browsers.
When AVIF is the right choice — and when it isn't
AVIF is the right call when a TIFF's job has changed from archival storage to actually being published somewhere online — you get by far the smallest file of any format this tool can output, useful once fidelity is no longer the point.
It's the wrong choice if fidelity is still the point: TIFF's raw, largely uncompressed pixel data, and its ability to carry a real alpha channel, is why it's used for archival and print work in the first place, and no lossy codec — AVIF included — is a substitute for that. If you need broader browser compatibility than AVIF offers for a web-facing copy, WebP is a reasonable middle ground; if you only need multi-page support back, note that this converter only ever extracts the first page regardless of target.
Limitations and privacy
Only the first page of a multi-page TIFF is converted, and any bit depth beyond 8 bits per channel in the source is not preserved, since the converter decodes to standard 8-bit canvas data before encoding. AVIF alpha support depends on the browser's own encoder rather than being guaranteed.
Conversion runs entirely in your browser; the TIFF file is never uploaded to a server. Files up to 25MB and 8192px per dimension are supported.
Convert TIFF to AVIF FAQ
- Does this convert every page of a multi-page TIFF to AVIF?
- No. Only the first page is converted; any additional pages in the source TIFF are not extracted or included in the output.
- Will a high-bit-depth TIFF keep its extra precision in AVIF?
- No. The converter decodes every TIFF to standard 8-bit-per-channel data before encoding, so bit depth beyond 8 bits is not preserved regardless of the target format.
- Why is the size reduction from TIFF to AVIF often so large?
- Archival TIFFs are frequently stored uncompressed or with only light lossless compression, so moving to AVIF's efficient lossy codec can produce a dramatic reduction — similar in scale to converting from BMP.
- Is AVIF a substitute for keeping the original TIFF?
- No. AVIF is a lossy, codec-based format meant for compact delivery; TIFF's largely uncompressed, high-fidelity data is why it's used for archival and print work, and that fidelity isn't something a converted AVIF copy replaces.
- Is my TIFF file uploaded anywhere during conversion?
- No. Conversion happens entirely in your browser, and the file is never sent to a server.
Related guides
- AVIF Browser SupportUnderstand AVIF decode limits across browsers and how Looty Tools converts AVIF to JPG safely when decoding fails.
- Convert Images Without UploadingLearn what browser-local image conversion means on Looty Tools, what stays on your device, and how Image Converter avoids a conversion upload.
