CONVERT PCX → TIFF (PCX to TIFF)
Fast, secure PCX to TIFF conversion. No registration required.
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Automatic format identification and lossless transcoding across 201+ formats.
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EXIF & Color Verification Audit ISO Verified
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GPS Coordinates (37.1773° N, 3.5986° W): Stripped (Zero Location Leak)
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Device Serial & Lens ID: Stripped (EXIF / IPTC / XMP Clean)
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Color Space Profile: Display P3 → sRGB IEC61966-2.1
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Chroma Subsampling: 4:4:4 High Fidelity (High-fidelity algorithmic conversion)
HOW TO CONVERT PCX → TIFF
Upload your PCX
Start by dropping the PCX onto the uploader. Files up to 25 MB go through on the free tier without registration; paid plans go up to 2 GB.
Conversion happens server-side
Our imagemagick-based pipeline reads the PCX pixel grid, preserves resolution and colour profile, and encodes a clean TIFF.
Grab the result
A download button appears as soon as the TIFF is ready. Save locally or share the short-lived URL.
Opening note — PCX is the legacy ZSoft/PC Paintbrush bitmap format from the DOS era. The TIFF you want is two clicks away. A PCX to TIFF conversion is almost always about making an image land cleanly in another piece of software. PCX Image is well-suited to its original niche, but TIFF Image opens on more platforms or fits better into a publishing pipeline. Upload a PCX file above, pick any quality knobs, and download a ready-to-use TIFF. Context: PCX is the legacy ZSoft/PC Paintbrush bitmap format from the DOS era. TIFF is the archival multi-page master format used in scanning, print and document pipelines.
Why convert PCX to TIFF
Converting keeps the picture recognisable end-to-end while changing the container that ships it. TIFF typically wins on one of three fronts: broader software support, smaller files for the same visual quality, or features like transparency that PCX cannot express. The conversion itself is fast because both sides are raster formats.
PCX vs TIFF — Technical specifications
Side-by-side comparison of the technical details.
PCX
- MIME type
- image/x-pcx
- Extension
- .pcx
- Header
- 128 bytes fixed
- Compression
- Run-Length Encoding (RLE)
- Creator
- ZSoft Corporation (1985)
- MIME Type
- image/x-pcx
- Category
- Raster & Vector Images
- Full Name
- PCX Image
- Conversion Engine
- IMAGEMAGICK
TIFF
- MIME type
- image/tiff
- Extension
- .tiff
- MIME Type
- image/tiff
- Category
- Raster & Vector Images
- Full Name
- TIFF Image
- Conversion Engine
- IMAGEMAGICK
- Extensions
- .tif, .tiff
- Standard
- TIFF 6.0 (1992); BigTIFF extension for 64-bit offsets
- Max file size
- 4 GB (TIFF); 2^64 bytes (BigTIFF)
- Compression options
- None, LZW, Deflate, JPEG, CCITT G3/G4, PackBits, JBIG
| Specification | PCX | TIFF |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | image/x-pcx | image/tiff |
| Extension | .pcx | .tiff |
| Header | 128 bytes fixed | — |
| Compression | Run-Length Encoding (RLE) | — |
| Creator | ZSoft Corporation (1985) | — |
| MIME Type | image/x-pcx | image/tiff |
| Category | Raster & Vector Images | Raster & Vector Images |
| Full Name | PCX Image | TIFF Image |
| Conversion Engine | IMAGEMAGICK | IMAGEMAGICK |
| Extensions | — | .tif, .tiff |
| Standard | — | TIFF 6.0 (1992); BigTIFF extension for 64-bit offsets |
| Max file size | — | 4 GB (TIFF); 2^64 bytes (BigTIFF) |
| Compression options | — | None, LZW, Deflate, JPEG, CCITT G3/G4, PackBits, JBIG |
PCX vs TIFF — Strengths and limitations
What each format does best, and where it falls short.
PCX Strengths
- Simple format — easy to parse in any language.
- RLE compression keeps flat-color images compact.
- Historic archive format for 1985-1995 PC art.
- Stable since 1985 with no breaking changes.
Limitations
- Legacy — no new content created as PCX in 2026.
- Inefficient for photographs (RLE is wrong algorithm).
- Limited to 24-bit color depth.
TIFF Strengths
- Lossless by default — no generation loss on successive edits and saves.
- Supports any bit depth (1 to 32 bits per channel), any color model, any number of channels.
- Extensible tag system means vendor-specific data survives alongside standard tags.
- Multi-page containers are perfect for scanned documents, faxes, and DICOM-like stacks.
- Industry-standard for archival, museums, scientific imaging, and high-end print prepress.
Limitations
- File sizes are huge compared to JPEG/WebP/AVIF — often 10-30× larger.
- Not a web format — no browser displays TIFF natively.
- Ambiguous spec areas mean some TIFFs only open correctly in the tool that created them.
Quality & Compatibility
Converting keeps resolution, aspect ratio and colour profile identical to the source. Metadata (EXIF, XMP) transfers where TIFF supports it; otherwise it is dropped. If the PCX contained an alpha channel and TIFF does not support transparency, the background is flattened to white by default.
Tips for Best Results
- When uploading to Retina / high-DPI contexts, render the TIFF at 2× the CSS pixel size; the crispness gap over 1× is noticeable on modern screens.
- Strip EXIF metadata from the TIFF before publishing if the PCX came from a phone camera — it often contains GPS coordinates and device IDs.
- If the PCX is a screenshot of text or UI, prefer a lossless TIFF target to avoid the JPEG-style ringing around glyph edges.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the codecs involved. If both PCX and TIFF are lossy, the pixels are re-encoded and a small amount of detail is discarded — invisible at default quality settings on photographs. If TIFF is lossless (PNG, TIFF, BMP) the output keeps every pixel of the decoded PCX exactly, but cannot recover detail that PCX had already compressed away.
Often yes, especially when TIFF is lossless. PCX tuned for efficient web delivery will usually produce smaller files than TIFF's default settings. If file size matters, drop the quality in Advanced or pick a more compressed target format instead.
KaijuConverter uploads over HTTPS, processes the image in an isolated container and deletes both the source and the output within two hours. No account is required, file contents are never logged, and we do not use uploads to train any model. For confidential material, the paid plan includes a data-processing agreement.
PCX Image
Source formatPCX (PiCture eXchange) is a legacy raster image format created by ZSoft for their PC Paintbrush program. It was one of the first widely supported image formats on IBM PC compatibles and uses simple run-length encoding compression.
TIFF Image
Target formatTIFF is a flexible, high-quality image format widely used in publishing, printing, and professional photography. It supports multiple compression methods and color spaces including CMYK.
Going the other way? Convert TIFF back to PCX with the same engine.
Common Use Cases
Share across platforms
Send TIFF files to anyone without worrying about whether they have the right software for PCX.
Embed in documents
Drop TIFF output into Word, Google Docs, PowerPoint, Notion or a website without conversion warnings.
Optimize size
TIFF often produces smaller files than PCX for web, email and storage.
Archive & future-proof
Store in a widely-supported format that will still open on future operating systems without legacy plugins.
PCX vs TIFF — Typical file sizes
Approximate file sizes for common scenarios.
- Simple clipart 2-40 KB
- VGA-era screenshot (320×200) 30-80 KB
- Scanned page 200 KB - 2 MB
- Scanned A4 page (300 dpi, B&W) 100-300 KB
- Scanned A4 page (600 dpi, color) 15-40 MB
- Print-quality magazine photo 30-150 MB
Need to Convert Gigabyte Archives or Mass Folders?
KaijuConverter delivers ultra-fast in-memory conversions for everyday tasks. For multi-gigabyte production workloads without browser bandwidth bottlenecks, explore high-throughput desktop suites.
One-time payment with zero recurring commitment: convert files up to 1 GB, OCR, PDF/A, and .ZIP batches for 24 hours.
Full 7 days of unlimited conversions, up to 2 GB per file, 100% ad-free with zero subscription.
High-throughput enterprise pipeline for files up to 2,048 MB, 50-file batches, ISO PDF/A, and priority processing.
Convert thousands of camera RAW files (CR3, NEF, ARW) to WebP, AVIF, or TIFF in one pass.
GPU-accelerated RAW development with end-to-end 16-bit ICC color profile management.
Related comparisons
See these formats side by side to understand which fits your use case best.
Related Guides
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Complete guide to TIFF format, compression methods (LZW, DEFLATE, JPEG), multi-image files, GeoTIFF, and professional archival imaging.
Read guide →
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