Images conversion
Convert TIFF to HEIC
TIFF is the format scanners, print shops and archives use because it can store an image with no compression at all, which is also why a single page can run to tens of megabytes. HEIC stores a very similar looking picture in a small fraction of that. Converting is mostly about making a bulky scan archive a manageable size.
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
- .tiff
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Scans, print, archival
- Transparency
- None
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
- Extension
- .heic
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Default iPhone photo format
- Compression
- Lossy
- Transparency
- None
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
Convert TIFF to HEIC on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
One-time purchase, no subscription. 14 days to change your mind.
How to convert TIFF to HEIC
- Open Morphjet and drag in the TIFF files, or a whole folder of scans.
- Choose HEIC as the output format. Multi-page TIFFs are split so each page becomes its own image.
- Convert. The large originals stay where they are until you decide to remove them.
TIFF vs HEIC: what actually changes
| TIFF | HEIC | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Often none at all, sometimes lossless | Lossy, tuned for photographic detail |
| File size | Very large, tens of megabytes per page is normal | A small fraction of the original |
| Pages per file | Many, TIFF can hold a whole document | One, each page becomes a separate file |
| Archival suitability | The standard choice, designed to be readable in decades | Modern and efficient, but a lossy generation |
| Embedded metadata | Extensive, scanners write a lot into it | Carried across selectively, and easy to drop |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert TIFF to HEIC when a pile of scans or photographic TIFFs has outgrown its drive and the files are being kept for reference rather than for reprinting or legal archival, where the size difference is the whole point.
Keep the TIFF when the scan is a master copy, a legal or archival record, or anything destined for print, because HEIC discards data permanently and TIFF is the format built to survive without doing that.
Why not just use an online converter?
Scanner and camera TIFFs carry a dense metadata block: the device that made the scan, its serial number, the operator or owner name it was registered to, timestamps, and on camera files often GPS coordinates. Because TIFFs are big, people upload them to shrink them, which is precisely the moment all of that leaves the building. Converting locally means the archive and its embedded record never go anywhere.
Questions
How much smaller will a TIFF get?
Usually dramatically, because most TIFFs are stored uncompressed or losslessly. A scan that runs to tens of megabytes commonly lands in the low single digits, with no visible difference on screen.
What happens to a multi-page TIFF?
HEIC holds one image per file, so each page of the TIFF is written as its own numbered HEIC. If you need the pages to stay in one document, convert to PDF instead.
Is this safe for archival scans?
Not as a replacement. HEIC is lossy, so it is a good viewing and sharing copy but a poor master. Keep the TIFF for anything that has to be authoritative or reprintable.
Does converting a TIFF need an internet connection?
No. The work runs on your own computer, which also means very large files are not limited by upload speed or a service's size cap.
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.