Step 1: Drop your PDF files using the button above or by deposit and leave.
Step 2: Click the 'Convert' button to start the conversion.
Step 3: Receive your converted TIFF files.
PDF to TIFF Conversion FAQ
What DPI does the TIFF render at?
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The Resolution menu on the converter page offers 72 DPI for screen use, 150 DPI, which is the default, and 300 DPI for print. Higher resolutions give sharper but larger TIFF files.
Does the TIFF output support transparency?
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The format does, but the source has no alpha to give it — video frames and rendered pages are fully opaque by nature, so every pixel arrives solid. The alpha channel is still useful afterwards: it means you can cut a subject out of the TIFF later without changing format again. TIFF handles CMYK, 16-bit depth, embedded ICC profiles and multi-page documents, which is exactly what print and archival workflows require.
How big will the TIFF files be?
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Larger than you might expect, because TIFF keeps every pixel exactly rather than approximating. A 1080p still lands around 2-5 MB and a 4K still around 6-15 MB, so a long extraction run adds up quickly. That is the right trade when the images feed further processing, and the wrong one when they are going straight onto a web page. TIFF is a container more than a codec: it can hold uncompressed, LZW, ZIP or even JPEG data, at up to 32 bits per channel, with multiple pages in one file.
Can I convert only part of the PDF instead of all of it?
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Only down to the first page. The Pages menu offers All pages or First page only, which is enough for a cover or a thumbnail. For any other page, split the PDF first with /pdf-split/ and convert just the pages you need.
Is the PDF side of this conversion searchable?
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It depends entirely on whether real text is present. A PDF generated from a document carries an actual text layer and is searchable; a PDF built from scans or images is a picture of text and is not, until OCR adds a layer. /pdf-ocr/ does that, and it is worth running before any conversion that expects to read the words.
Do I get one image per page?
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Yes. Each page renders as its own TIFF file, numbered in page order, so a one-page document gives a single TIFF and a longer one gives one image per page.
Can I convert only some pages of the PDF to TIFF?
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The Pages menu has two choices: all pages, which is the default, or the first page only. There is no way to type in a page range. For other pages, split the PDF into single pages with /pdf-split/ and convert the pages you need.
Will the TIFF preserve PDF text searchability?
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No — rasterizing PDF to TIFF turns text into pixels. If you need searchable output, keep the PDF as a PDF and use a text-extraction tool instead. Image output (TIFF) is for visual display or further image processing.
What about transparent backgrounds in the TIFF?
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Pages are rendered onto a white background, so image formats such as PNG and JPG have no transparent areas, even where the page in the PDF has no fill.
How long does PDF to TIFF take for a 100-page document?
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There is no fixed figure: it depends on the number of pages, the resolution you choose and how busy the servers are. A long document at 300 DPI takes noticeably longer than the same document at 72 or 150 DPI, and converting only the first page is the quickest option.
What is the file size of a typical TIFF page?
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It depends on what is on the page and on the resolution. Pages with photos or shaded backgrounds give larger files than pages of plain text. Doubling the resolution gives four times as many pixels, so a page at 300 DPI is much larger than the same page at 150 DPI.
