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pdfconversionapi

JPG to TIFF API

POST a JPEG to /v2/convert/jpg/to/tiff and get an uncompressed baseline TIFF: 8-bit RGB in one strip, the decoded photo with no further loss. The sample sends ImageResolution=300, so the TIFF says 300 pixels per inch, as the JPEG did.

Endpoint
POST /v2/convert/jpg/to/tiff
Accepts
jpg
Sample timing
1 ms median of 5 runsHow we measure
Request size
Up to 10 MB on the Free plan or 100 MB on paid plans, all files together

Request and response

Every sample below ran against the API before this page was published. Set PDFCONVERSIONAPI_KEY to your key and run it as is.

curl -sS -X POST \
  https://api.pdfconversionapi.com/v2/convert/jpg/to/tiff \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PDFCONVERSIONAPI_KEY" \
  -F File=@trailhead-sign.jpg \
  --form-string ImageResolution=300 \
  -o response.json

# FileData is base64. Save the first file in converted/,
# or print the JSON error.
if jq -e '.Files' response.json > /dev/null; then
  mkdir -p converted
  name=$(jq -r '.Files[0].FileName' response.json)
  jq -r '.Files[0].FileData' response.json \
    | base64 --decode > "converted/$name"
else
  cat response.json
fi
200 OK1 ms median1 file, 352 KB
{
  "ConversionCost": 1,
  "ConversionTime": 0.001,
  "Files": [
    {
      "FileName": "trailhead-sign.tiff",
      "FileExt": "tiff",
      "FileSize": 360210,
      "FileData": "SUkqAGR+BQAsAQAAAQAAACwB…"
    }
  ]
}

Response from our test run on 2026-11-03. ConversionTime shows the median of 5 runs. FileData is shortened here; the real response carries the whole file as base64.

The sample, converted

The same file the code sends. Download the input and the output and compare them yourself.

First page of trailhead-sign.tiff, rendered by the API
Input
trailhead-sign.jpg (25 KB)
Output
trailhead-sign.tiff (352 KB)
Source
A drawn mountain trailhead with a wooden sign and a QR code, made by us for these pages and saved at JPEG quality 92 with an EXIF block, an sRGB color profile and 300 dpi. (CC0-1.0). How it was made
Made by
2026-11-04, API build 9eeeb0640aba

Parameters

Send these as form fields next to the file. Names are case-insensitive. If you set one of the documented options below that we don't support yet, the request fails with a 400 that names it instead of returning a file made without it.

ParameterWhat it does
ImageResolutionintegerWritten to XResolution and YResolution with the unit set to inches. Without it the tags say 1 × 1 with no unit, so the JPEG's own 300 dpi is lost.Values: 10–800
ColorSpaceenum, default defaultgray writes a one-channel 8-bit TIFF, a third of the size (120,198 bytes for the sample). monochrome also gives 8 bits per pixel, with only the values 0 and 255.Values: default, rgb, gray, monochrome; cmyk returns 400
ImageWidthintegerWidth in pixels. 200 gives 200 × 150 and 90,210 bytes.Values: 1–20000
ImageHeightintegerHeight in pixels; with a width as well, the photo fits inside both.Values: 1–20000
ScaleProportionsboolean, default truefalse with both sizes stretches to fill them exactly.
ScaleIfLargerboolean, default falsetrue skips enlarging; a request for 800 px wide would otherwise make a 1,440,226-byte file.
ScaleImageboolean, default truefalse crops the top-left area at the requested size.
ImageInterpolationboolean, default falseBoth values accepted; scaling uses Lanczos3 regardless.
MultiPageboolean, default trueAccepted with either value. One JPEG always makes a one-page TIFF.
TransparentColorstringAdds an alpha channel and clears pixels of exactly that color. The channel is added even with no match, which grew the sample to 480,214 bytes.Values: Color name, #RRGGBB or R,G,B
FileNamestringName of the .tiff; default trailhead-sign.tiff.
StoreFileboolean, default falsetrue returns a link valid for 3 hours.

Not supported yet

Setting one of these to anything but its default returns 400.

OptionWhat to do instead
ImageQualityThe TIFF is uncompressed. ConvertAPI's default, 75, is accepted; any other value returns 400 "ImageQuality is not supported yet for JPG → TIFF".

What carries over, and what doesn't

Kept

  • Every decoded pixel: the TIFF matched our JPEG decode of the sample exactly
  • The resolution you ask for, as inches (unit 2 in the ResolutionUnit tag)
  • Image size, with phone photos turned upright: a 300 × 200 test photo tagged EXIF Orientation 6 came back as a 200 × 300 TIFF
  • CMYK JPEGs, which are converted to RGB on the way

Lost or not yet supported

  • Compression. The 25,110-byte JPEG became a 360,210-byte TIFF: uncompressed RGB, no LZW, Deflate or JPEG option.
  • The JPEG's dpi, unless you send ImageResolution.
  • EXIF tags, the orientation tag included once it has been applied, and the sRGB ICC profile.
  • CMYK as CMYK: a CMYK JPEG arrives as an RGB TIFF.

Limits

  • One JPEG per request, one page in the TIFF.
  • Up to 10 MB on the Free plan or 100 MB on paid plans per request.
  • 100,000,000 pixels per image.
  • Resize targets 1 to 20,000 px.
  • 120 seconds per conversion.

Where teams use it

Print and prepress hand-offs

When a print vendor or a layout tool asks for TIFF at a stated resolution, convert with ImageResolution=300 so the size it computes matches the JPEG's.

Archives that keep a lossless master

Storing the decoded JPEG as TIFF stops further generation loss when the image is edited and saved again later.

Grayscale scans for document systems

ColorSpace=gray turns a page photographed as JPEG into a one-channel TIFF, a third of the RGB size, for document stores that keep gray TIFF.

Questions

Is the TIFF compressed?

No. Compression tag 1 (none), one strip, 8 bits per sample. That keeps it readable everywhere but large: 360,210 bytes for 400 × 300.

Will the TIFF keep my 300 dpi?

Only if you send it. The JPEG's JFIF density is not carried over; with ImageResolution=300 the TIFF reports 300 × 300 pixels per inch.

Can I get a 1-bit black-and-white TIFF?

Not yet. ColorSpace=monochrome thresholds the image to pure black and white but still stores 8 bits per pixel (120,198 bytes for the sample).

Why does ImageQuality return an error?

ConvertAPI documents it for this conversion with a default of 75. We write uncompressed TIFFs, so we accept 75 and refuse other values rather than ignore them.

Convert your first JPG file in a minute.