What happens when you convert PSB to TIFF
- ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, reads the flattened copy of the whole picture that Photoshop saves inside every PSB, the image you see with all layers visible, on our conversion server, and saves it as a TIFF with lossless ZIP compression.
- Layers are not exported one by one: the result is the finished picture. A PSB saved with Maximize Compatibility turned off in Photoshop may have no usable flattened copy, and then comes out blank; resave it with that option on.
- Transparent areas stay transparent.
- This conversion runs on our server: the file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept. Files up to 25 MB are accepted.
How to convert PSB to TIFF online
- Press "Choose PSB files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. Files up to 25 MB each can be converted.
- There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
- Press "Convert to TIFF". The file is uploaded to our conversion server, converted in a few seconds, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result is sent back.
- Save each TIFF with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your PSB and the TIFF by then.
Why convert PSB to TIFF?
PSB files usually come from panoramas, billboards, large prints and very high-resolution scans. People convert them to TIFF because TIFF is the format printers, scanners and archives trust for lossless images.
In short, PSB is good at what it was made for, and TIFF is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. PSB does not open in browsers; Photoshop opens it, and Photopea reads it, while Safari shows TIFF; Chrome, Edge and Firefox download it instead of displaying it.
How to convert PSB to TIFF on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your PSB files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each TIFF is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the PSB files from Finder onto the drop zone and the TIFF files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose PSB files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted TIFF appears in Files, in the Downloads folder; to put it in your photo library, open it there, tap Share and choose Save Image.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose PSB files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The TIFF is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for PSB to TIFF
There are no settings: the image keeps its full size.
If you need a single layer rather than the whole picture, hide the other layers in Photoshop and save a copy first.
PSB vs TIFF: the differences
| PSB | TIFF | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Photoshop Large Document Format | Tagged Image File Format |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | Adobe | Aldus Corporation |
| First released | 2003 | 1986 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy or lossless |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | No | No |
| Vector or raster | Raster | Raster |
| Colour | up to 32 bits per channel, in RGB, CMYK, Lab or greyscale | up to 32 bits per channel, including CMYK |
| What it holds | the same layers and masks as a PSD, at sizes a PSD cannot hold | up to 32 bits per channel, including CMYK |
| In a browser | does not open in browsers; Photoshop opens it, and Photopea reads it | Safari shows it; Chrome, Edge and Firefox download it instead of displaying it |
| Common uses | panoramas, billboards, large prints and very high-resolution scans | print production, scanning, archiving and medical imaging |
| MIME type | image/vnd.adobe.photoshop | image/tiff |
About PSB and TIFF files
What is a PSB file?
PSB is the big brother of PSD, added in Photoshop CS: the same layers and features, but images up to 300,000 pixels a side and files larger than 2 GB. Far fewer programs open it than open PSD.
What is a TIFF file?
TIFF is the format printers and archives trust because it can store uncompressed or losslessly compressed pixels, CMYK colour and several pages in one file. It is also why a single scan can run to 100 MB.
PSB to TIFF not working? Common problems
- "Files up to 25 MB can be converted." Server conversions have a size limit. Save the image at a smaller size first.
- "The conversion took too long and was stopped." Very long or complex files can pass the 90 second limit. Split the file and convert the parts.
- "This file is not really in PSB format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .psb is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert PSB to TIFF from the command line
ImageMagick does the same on your own computer:
magick input.psb[0] output.tiffConverting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
PSB to TIFF converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting PSB to TIFF?
No. TIFF is stored losslessly, so every pixel of the flattened picture is kept. The separate layers are not.
Why is the TIFF a different size from the PSB?
Usually much smaller than the PSB, because only the flattened picture is kept, without the layers.
Are my PSB files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful PSB to TIFF conversion needs ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, which cannot run in a browser. The file travels over an encrypted connection, is converted in a private temporary folder, and is deleted together with the TIFF as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several PSB files to TIFF at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open a TIFF file?
Safari shows TIFF; Chrome, Edge and Firefox download it instead of displaying it. TIFF is common for print production, scanning, archiving and medical imaging.
Is this PSB to TIFF converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Because this conversion uses our server, there is a fair-use limit of 25 MB per file and a number of files per hour, which stops the service being overloaded.
Can I convert PSB to TIFF on my phone?
Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. The conversion happens on our server, so it is as fast on a phone as on a computer; the TIFF is saved to your Downloads folder.