Convert GeoTIFF to JPG
Free, private and fast: everything runs in your browser and your GeoTIFF files are never uploaded.
GeoTIFF to JPG: why convert
Orthophotos, drone maps and satellite scenes are delivered as GeoTIFFs that are often hundreds of megabytes and do not open in an email, a slide deck or a phone gallery. A JPG of the same area is a fraction of the size and opens anywhere. This converter turns the GeoTIFF into a JPG and keeps the georeference as a .jgw world file plus a .prj with the coordinate system, packed together in a zip, so you can still drop the JPG into QGIS, ArcGIS or AutoCAD Map 3D and have it land in the right place. 16-bit and floating-point rasters, such as elevation models or Landsat and Sentinel bands, are stretched to 8 bits so they are not black. The conversion runs in your browser with GDAL; the file stays on your computer.
How to convert GeoTIFF to JPG
- Drop your GeoTIFF (.tif or .tiff) in the box, or click to choose it.
- Check the preview, then choose the JPG quality and, for multi-band images, which bands to show.
- Click Convert to JPG and download a zip with the .jpg, .jgw and .prj files.
What changes when you convert
How the world file works
A world file is a six-line text file defined by Esri: the pixel width, two rotation terms, the pixel height (negative, because rows go downwards), and the x and y coordinate of the centre of the top-left pixel. For a JPG it is called .jgw and must have the same name as the image and sit in the same folder. QGIS, ArcGIS and other GIS programs look for it automatically when you add the JPG; plain AutoCAD needs Map 3D or Raster Design to use it.
The world file has no coordinate system
The six numbers say nothing about which coordinate system they are in. That is why the zip also has a .prj file and a .jpg.aux.xml file with the coordinate system. QGIS reads the .aux.xml on its own. If a program places the image correctly but reports an unknown coordinate system, assign the one shown on this page, for example EPSG:25832, or import it from the .prj file.
JPG is lossy
JPG throws away fine detail to make files small. At quality 85 the loss is hard to see in aerial photos, but sharp edges get faint halos and pixel values change slightly. Do not use the JPG for analysis, classification or measuring heights; keep the GeoTIFF for that and use the JPG for viewing and sharing.
No transparency
JPG cannot store transparency. Drone orthomosaics often have a transparent border outside the flown area, and in the JPG those pixels become black or white, depending on the colour stored under them. No-data areas in an elevation model become black. Use the TIFF to PNG converter if you need the transparent areas.
16-bit and float data
JPG holds 8 bits per channel, so 16-bit and 32-bit values are stretched to 0–255, ignoring the darkest and brightest 2 % by default. That makes satellite bands and elevation models visible, but the original numbers are gone.
About the formats
GeoTIFF
A GeoTIFF is an ordinary TIFF with extra tags that say where on Earth the image lies: the coordinate system, usually as an EPSG code, and the position and size of the pixels. It is the standard format for orthophotos, satellite images, drone maps and elevation models, and an OGC standard since 2019.
- The georeference is inside the file, so no extra files are needed.
- Elevation models and satellite bands are often 16-bit or 32-bit floating point.
- A Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (COG) is a GeoTIFF with internal tiles and overviews for fast web access.
- Bands can be anything: red, green, blue, near infrared, elevation or a class code.
JPG
JPG (or JPEG) is the most widely used image format for photos, supported by every camera, phone, browser and image editor. It uses lossy compression, which keeps files small at a small cost in quality.
- Best for photos; text and sharp lines can get blurry edges.
- No transparency: transparent areas become a solid colour.
- The quality setting trades file size against detail.
Frequently asked questions
Is my GeoTIFF uploaded?
No. Your browser reads and converts it on your own device, so unpublished survey data and client imagery never leave your computer.
Can I get the JPG without the world file?
Yes. Untick "Include the world file" before converting and you get just the .jpg. A TIFF without georeference always gives a single JPG.
Is there a size limit?
JPG allows at most about 65,000 pixels per side, so larger rasters must be converted to PNG or reduced first. Files up to about 200 MB normally work; the browser tab's memory is the real limit.
Does the JPG keep the GeoTIFF's coordinate system?
The JPG itself cannot hold one, but the .prj and .aux.xml files next to it do. The coordinates are not changed or reprojected; the JPG is in the same system as the GeoTIFF.
Why does my orthophoto give a compression error?
Some large orthophotos and Cloud Optimized GeoTIFFs use JPEG compression inside the TIFF to save space, and the GDAL build that runs in the browser cannot decode it. Save the file again with Deflate or LZW compression in QGIS (Export, Save As) or with gdal_translate, then convert that copy.
Which bands are used for a satellite image?
Bands marked red, green and blue in the file, otherwise bands 1, 2 and 3. For a Sentinel-2 or Landsat stack you can pick other bands, for example near infrared, red and green for vegetation.