How to Convert TIFF to JPG on Mac (4 Methods)

TIFF files are everywhere in professional workflows. Scanners default to TIFF, print shops request TIFF, cameras shoot TIFF when you want uncompressed output. Great for archival quality.

Terrible for everything else. A single TIFF can be 30-50MB. Email attachments bounce. Web uploads time out. Lightroom catalogs balloon. When you need to share or publish, JPG is what the rest of the world speaks.

Here’s how to convert TIFF to JPG on your Mac, from one file to thousands.

Method 1: Picmal (fastest for batch)

If you’re converting a scanner dump, a folder from a print shoot, or anything beyond a handful of files, a dedicated converter is the fastest path.

1. Download Picmal
2. Drag your TIFF files or folders into the window
3. Select JPG as the output format
4. Set quality — 85-90% is a safe default for photos, 80% if file size matters more
5. Click Convert

Picmal preserves folder structure and handles multi-page TIFFs by extracting the first page. If you need to resize at the same time (TIFFs from scanners are often 600dpi at massive pixel dimensions), you can set a max width during conversion.

Best for: Scanning workflows. Print-to-web conversions. Any situation with more than 10 files.

Method 2: Preview (free, built-in)

Preview is the simplest option for a few files.

1. Double-click the TIFF to open it in Preview
2. File → Export
3. Change Format to JPEG
4. Adjust the quality slider (higher = larger file, better quality)
5. Choose where to save, then click Save

Batch: Select multiple TIFFs in Finder → right-click → Open With → Preview. Then File → Export Selected Images → choose JPEG.

Method 3: Terminal with sips

One line in Terminal, no installs needed.

Single file:

sips -s format jpeg input.tiff --out output.jpg

Entire folder:

for f in *.tiff *.tif; do sips -s format jpeg "$f" --out "${f%.*}.jpg"; done

This catches both .tiff and .tif extensions. Scanners and cameras are annoyingly inconsistent about which one they use.

Method 4: Automator (set-and-forget)

If this is something you do regularly, build yourself a Quick Action in Automator.

1. Open Automator → New → Quick Action
2. Set “Workflow receives” to image files in Finder
3. Add “Change Type of Images” action → select JPEG
4. Save with a name like “Convert to JPG”

Now you can right-click any TIFF in Finder and run the conversion from the Quick Actions menu. Automator modifies files in place though, so it’s worth adding a “Copy Finder Items” step first if you want to keep the originals.

Which method to choose

FAQ

Does TIFF to JPG lose quality?

Yes. TIFF is lossless (or uncompressed), and JPG is lossy. You’re going from a format that preserves every pixel to one that discards some data to shrink the file. At 85-90% JPG quality, the visual difference is negligible for photos. For line art, text, or diagrams with sharp edges, consider PNG instead — it’s lossless and handles those images better than JPG.

How much smaller is a JPG than a TIFF?

Dramatically. A 40MB TIFF photo typically becomes 2-4MB as a JPG at 85% quality. That’s a 10-20x reduction. The exact ratio depends on image content and quality setting.

Can I convert multi-page TIFFs?

Some TIFF files contain multiple pages (common with fax documents and multi-page scans). Preview can open these and export individual pages. Picmal extracts and converts the primary image. For full multi-page TIFF processing, you might need a PDF workflow — convert the TIFF to PDF first, then extract pages.

Should I keep the original TIFF files?

If you’re archiving: yes. TIFF is a lossless format, and converting to JPG is a one-way trip. You can always re-convert from TIFF later, but you can’t recover the original quality from a JPG. Keep TIFFs as your master files and use JPGs for sharing and publishing.