Images conversion
Convert DICOM to TIFF
DICOM is the format medical scanners like MRI and CT machines save images in, and TIFF is a lossless format that opens in ordinary image software. To convert, open the DICOM file in a converter and export it as TIFF. Doing this on your own computer keeps the scan, and the patient details in it, off any outside server.
All 2,748 conversions verified on macOS, Windows, and Linux against the shipping release, this one included. Every conversion runs entirely on your own computer.
- Extension
- .dcm
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Medical scans (MRI, CT, X-ray)
- Transparency
- None
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
- Extension
- .tiff
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Scans, print, archival
- Transparency
- None
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
Convert DICOM to TIFF on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
One-time purchase, no subscription. 14 days to change your mind.
How to convert DICOM to TIFF
- Open Morphjet and drag in the DICOM file, or a whole folder of scans, at once.
- Choose TIFF as the output format.
- Convert. If the DICOM file has multiple slices, each one is written out as its own TIFF.
- The TIFFs land in the folder you chose, and nothing was uploaded anywhere.
DICOM vs TIFF: what actually changes
| DICOM | TIFF | |
|---|---|---|
| Opens everywhere | No, needs specialized medical imaging software | Yes, opens in ordinary image viewers, editors, and print software |
| File size | Large, full pixel data plus header | Large too, since TIFF is also lossless |
| Quality | Lossless, exact scan data | Lossless, a pixel-for-pixel copy of the DICOM image |
| Patient and scan metadata | Yes, extensive: patient name, ID, birth date, scan settings | Only basic tags carry over, not the full DICOM header |
| Multiple slices in one file | Yes, a scan can bundle dozens of slices together | No, each slice becomes a separate TIFF image |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert DICOM to TIFF when you need to view a scan in ordinary image software, include it in a report or presentation, print it, or archive it in a format that won't require medical viewing software to open years from now.
Keep the original DICOM if you still need the full scan metadata, like acquisition settings or the complete patient record, or if the file has to stay in a clinical system that expects DICOM.
Why not just use an online converter?
DICOM files from a scanner routinely carry patient information in their header: name, birth date, patient ID, and sometimes the referring physician or institution. Run that file through an online converter and all of that travels to someone else's server along with the scan itself. Converting on your own computer keeps the image, and everything identifying the patient, on the machine you already trust.
Questions
Does converting DICOM to TIFF lose any image quality?
No. Both formats are lossless, so the TIFF is a pixel-for-pixel copy of the DICOM image data.
Does the TIFF keep the patient information from the DICOM header?
Only what gets written into the TIFF's own metadata tags, which is far less than a full DICOM header. Most patient and scan details don't carry over automatically.
What happens if my DICOM file has more than one slice?
Each slice is exported as its own TIFF image, so a scan with 40 slices becomes 40 TIFF files.
Can I convert a DICOM scan without uploading it anywhere?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet converts the file on your own computer, so the scan and any patient details in it never leave your machine.
Why convert a medical scan to TIFF at all?
TIFF opens in general image software that most people already have, so it's useful for including a scan in a document, printing it, or archiving it somewhere that won't require specialized viewing software later.
Morphjet runs this conversion and 2,747 others, all on your machine. Available now.
One-time purchase, no subscription. 14 days to change your mind.