TIFF Background Remover

Remove backgrounds from any image in your browser. For free, forever.

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Image background removal refers to the process of eliminating or altering the backdrop of an image while retaining the principal or intended subject. This technique can significantly enhance the subject's prominence and users often apply it in photography, graphic design, e-commerce, and marketing.

Background removal is a potent technique used to highlight the subject of a photo more effectively. E-commerce websites frequently use this to remove unwanted or messy backgrounds from product images, making the product the sole focus of the viewer. Similarly, graphic designers use this method to isolate subjects for use in composite designs, collages, or with various other backgrounds.

There are several methods for background removal, depending on the complexity of the image and the skills and tools available to the user. Most common methods include the use of software tools like Photoshop, GIMP, or specialized background removing software. The most common techniques include use of Magic Wand tool, Quick Selection tool, or Pen tool for manual outlining. For complex images, tools such as channel masks or background eraser can be used.

Given the advancements in AI and machine learning technologies, automatic background removal has become increasingly efficient and precise. Advanced algorithms can accurately differentiate subjects from the background, even in complex images, and remove the backdrop without human intervention. This capability is not only a significant time-saver but also opens up possibilities for users without advanced skills in graphic editing software.

Image background removal is no longer a complex and time-consuming task exclusive to professionals. It is a powerful tool to direct viewer attention, create clean and professional images, and facilitate a multitude of creative possibilities. With the continuously expanding possibilities of AI, this space offers exciting potential for innovations.

What is the TIFF format?

Tagged Image File Format

The Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) is a versatile, flexible format for storing image data. Developed in the mid-1980s by Aldus Corporation, now part of Adobe Systems, TIFF was designed to bridge the gap between proprietary image formats, providing an adaptable and detailed framework for image storage. Unlike simpler image formats, TIFF is capable of storing high-resolution, multi-layered images, making it a preferred choice for professionals in fields like photography, publishing, and geospatial imagery.

At its core, the TIFF format is container-like, capable of holding various types of image encodings, including but not limited to JPEG, LZW, PackBits, and raw uncompressed data. This flexibility is a key feature, as it allows TIFF images to be highly optimized for different needs, whether that's preserving the utmost image quality or reducing file sizes for easier sharing.

A distinctive characteristic of TIFF is its structure, which operates on the basic principle of tags. Each TIFF file is composed of one or more directories, commonly referred to as IFDs (Image File Directories), which contain image metadata, the image data itself, and potentially other subfiles. Each IFD consists of a defined list of entries; each entry is a tag that specifies different attributes of the file, such as image dimensions, compression type, and color information. This tag structure enables TIFF files to handle a wide range of image types and data, making them extremely versatile.

One of the strengths of TIFF is its support for various color spaces and color models, including RGB, CMYK, LAB, and others, allowing for accurate color representation in a myriad of professional and creative applications. Additionally, TIFF can support multiple color depths, ranging from 1-bit (black and white) to 32-bit (and higher) true color images. This depth of color support, combined with the ability to handle alpha channels (for transparency), makes TIFF an ideal format for high-quality image reproduction.

TIFF also offers robust support for metadata, which can include copyright information, timestamps, GPS data, and much more. This is facilitated by its utilization of the IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council), EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format), and XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform) standards. Such comprehensive metadata capabilities are invaluable for cataloging, searching, and managing large image libraries, particularly in professional environments where detailed information about each image is crucial.

Another noteworthy feature of TIFF is its ability to handle multiple images and pages within a single file, a property known as multi-page support. This makes TIFF especially useful for scanned documents, faxed documents, and storyboard applications, where consolidating related images into a single file can significantly streamline workflows and file management.

Despite its many advantages, TIFF's complexity and flexibility can lead to compatibility issues. Not all TIFF files are created equal, and not all software handles every possible TIFF variant. This has led to the emergence of subsets, such as TIFF/EP (Electronic Photography), which aims to standardize the format for digital camera images, and TIFF/IT (Information Technology), which targets the needs of the publishing industry. These subsets work to ensure that files conform to specific profiles, enhancing interoperability across different platforms and applications.

Compression is another significant aspect of TIFF, as the format supports both lossless and lossy compression schemes. Lossless compression, such as LZW (Lempel-Ziv-Welch) and Deflate (similar to ZIP), is preferred for applications where preserving original image quality is paramount. Lossy compression, such as JPEG, might be used when file size is a more critical concern than perfect fidelity. While TIFF's flexibility in compression is a strength, it also requires users to understand the trade-offs involved in choosing a compression method.

One of the more technical aspects of TIFF is its file header, which contains important information about the file, including the byte order used within the file. TIFF supports both big-endian (Motorola) and little-endian (Intel) byte orders, and the header's first few bytes indicate which of these is used, ensuring that TIFF files can be read correctly on different systems and architectures. Additionally, the header specifies the offset to the first IFD, essentially pointing to where the image data and metadata start, a crucial aspect for reading the file.

Handling images with high dynamic range (HDR) is another arena where TIFF excels. Through the use of floating point values for pixel data, TIFF files can represent a broader range of luminance and color values than standard image formats, accommodating the needs of industries like special effects, digital cinema, and professional photography which demand such high-quality image capture and reproduction.

Despite its versatility and widespread use in professional fields, the TIFF format is not without its criticisms. The very flexibility that makes TIFF so powerful also contributes to its complexities, making it challenging to work with without specialized software or a thorough understanding of its intricacies. Furthermore, the file sizes of TIFF images can be considerably large, especially when dealing with uncompressed image data or high-resolution images, leading to storage and transmission challenges.

Over the years, efforts have been made to enhance TIFF's capabilities further while addressing its limitations. For example, BigTIFF is an extension of the original TIFF specification that allows for files larger than 4 GB, addressing the need to work with extremely high-resolution or detailed imagery that exceeds the limitations of standard TIFF files. This evolution reflects the ongoing development and adaptation of TIFF to meet the needs of advancing technology and emerging applications.

In conclusion, the Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) stands as a testament to the evolving needs and challenges of digital image storage, balancing flexibility with complexity. Its ability to encapsulate detailed image data and metadata, support diverse compression schemes, and adapt to various professional settings makes it an enduring format. Nevertheless, navigating its complexities requires a solid understanding of its structure and capabilities. As digital imaging technology continues to advance, the TIFF format will likely evolve, maintaining its relevance and utility in professional and creative domains.

Supported formats

AAI.aai

AAI Dune image

AI.ai

Adobe Illustrator CS2

AVIF.avif

AV1 Image File Format

AVS.avs

AVS X image

BAYER.bayer

Raw Bayer Image

BMP.bmp

Microsoft Windows bitmap image

CIN.cin

Cineon Image File

CLIP.clip

Image Clip Mask

CMYK.cmyk

Raw cyan, magenta, yellow, and black samples

CMYKA.cmyka

Raw cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and alpha samples

CUR.cur

Microsoft icon

DCX.dcx

ZSoft IBM PC multi-page Paintbrush

DDS.dds

Microsoft DirectDraw Surface

DPX.dpx

SMTPE 268M-2003 (DPX 2.0) image

DXT1.dxt1

Microsoft DirectDraw Surface

EPDF.epdf

Encapsulated Portable Document Format

EPI.epi

Adobe Encapsulated PostScript Interchange format

EPS.eps

Adobe Encapsulated PostScript

EPSF.epsf

Adobe Encapsulated PostScript

EPSI.epsi

Adobe Encapsulated PostScript Interchange format

EPT.ept

Encapsulated PostScript with TIFF preview

EPT2.ept2

Encapsulated PostScript Level II with TIFF preview

EXR.exr

High dynamic-range (HDR) image

FARBFELD.ff

Farbfeld

FF.ff

Farbfeld

FITS.fits

Flexible Image Transport System

GIF.gif

CompuServe graphics interchange format

GIF87.gif87

CompuServe graphics interchange format (version 87a)

GROUP4.group4

Raw CCITT Group4

HDR.hdr

High Dynamic Range image

HRZ.hrz

Slow Scan TeleVision

ICO.ico

Microsoft icon

ICON.icon

Microsoft icon

IPL.ipl

IP2 Location Image

J2C.j2c

JPEG-2000 codestream

J2K.j2k

JPEG-2000 codestream

JNG.jng

JPEG Network Graphics

JP2.jp2

JPEG-2000 File Format Syntax

JPC.jpc

JPEG-2000 codestream

JPE.jpe

Joint Photographic Experts Group JFIF format

JPEG.jpeg

Joint Photographic Experts Group JFIF format

JPG.jpg

Joint Photographic Experts Group JFIF format

JPM.jpm

JPEG-2000 File Format Syntax

JPS.jps

Joint Photographic Experts Group JPS format

JPT.jpt

JPEG-2000 File Format Syntax

JXL.jxl

JPEG XL image

MAP.map

Multi-resolution Seamless Image Database (MrSID)

MAT.mat

MATLAB level 5 image format

PAL.pal

Palm pixmap

PALM.palm

Palm pixmap

PAM.pam

Common 2-dimensional bitmap format

PBM.pbm

Portable bitmap format (black and white)

PCD.pcd

Photo CD

PCDS.pcds

Photo CD

PCT.pct

Apple Macintosh QuickDraw/PICT

PCX.pcx

ZSoft IBM PC Paintbrush

PDB.pdb

Palm Database ImageViewer Format

PDF.pdf

Portable Document Format

PDFA.pdfa

Portable Document Archive Format

PFM.pfm

Portable float format

PGM.pgm

Portable graymap format (gray scale)

PGX.pgx

JPEG 2000 uncompressed format

PICON.picon

Personal Icon

PICT.pict

Apple Macintosh QuickDraw/PICT

PJPEG.pjpeg

Joint Photographic Experts Group JFIF format

PNG.png

Portable Network Graphics

PNG00.png00

PNG inheriting bit-depth, color-type from original image

PNG24.png24

Opaque or binary transparent 24-bit RGB (zlib 1.2.11)

PNG32.png32

Opaque or binary transparent 32-bit RGBA

PNG48.png48

Opaque or binary transparent 48-bit RGB

PNG64.png64

Opaque or binary transparent 64-bit RGBA

PNG8.png8

Opaque or binary transparent 8-bit indexed

PNM.pnm

Portable anymap

PPM.ppm

Portable pixmap format (color)

PS.ps

Adobe PostScript file

PSB.psb

Adobe Large Document Format

PSD.psd

Adobe Photoshop bitmap

RGB.rgb

Raw red, green, and blue samples

RGBA.rgba

Raw red, green, blue, and alpha samples

RGBO.rgbo

Raw red, green, blue, and opacity samples

SIX.six

DEC SIXEL Graphics Format

SUN.sun

Sun Rasterfile

SVG.svg

Scalable Vector Graphics

SVGZ.svgz

Compressed Scalable Vector Graphics

TIFF.tiff

Tagged Image File Format

VDA.vda

Truevision Targa image

VIPS.vips

VIPS image

WBMP.wbmp

Wireless Bitmap (level 0) image

WEBP.webp

WebP Image Format

YUV.yuv

CCIR 601 4:1:1 or 4:2:2

Frequently asked questions

How does this work?

This converter runs entirely in your browser. When you select a file, it is read into memory and converted to the selected format. You can then download the converted file.

How long does it take to convert a file?

Conversions start instantly, and most files are converted in under a second. Larger files may take longer.

What happens to my files?

Your files are never uploaded to our servers. They are converted in your browser, and the converted file is then downloaded. We never see your files.

What file types can I convert?

We support converting between all image formats, including JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, SVG, BMP, TIFF, and more.

How much does this cost?

This converter is completely free, and will always be free. Because it runs in your browser, we don't have to pay for servers, so we don't need to charge you.

Can I convert multiple files at once?

Yes! You can convert as many files as you want at once. Just select multiple files when you add them.