TGA to PNG Converter

Encoding: the TGA uses uncompressed or run-length encoded (RLE); PNG uses lossless DEFLATE with a prediction filter chosen per row, and the download is a lossless 8-bit PNG with full alpha.

Bit depth: 8, 15, 16, 24 or 32 bits per pixel in the TGA; PNG allows 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 bits per channel, and the PNG written here has 8 bits per channel.

Colour: RGB, greyscale or a colour map in the TGA; PNG supports RGB, greyscale, or an indexed palette of up to 256 colours, written here as 8-bit sRGB.

Transparency: the TGA stores it as the fourth byte of each 32-bit pixel (or one bit in 16-bit files); the PNG keeps it as a full alpha channel, so edges and shadows can fade smoothly.

Metadata: the TGA can carry an image ID field and an optional extension area with author and date; PNG can carry text chunks, an ICC profile, physical resolution and EXIF in an eXIf chunk, but nothing is copied across.

TGA is a simple raster format still widely used for game textures and 3D rendering pipelines because it stores alpha channels reliably and loads fast.

A TGA has an 18-byte header (ID length, colour map type, image type 2 for true colour or 10 for RLE, origin, size, bits per pixel and a descriptor byte whose bits give the alpha depth and whether rows run top-down), then the pixels; version 2 files end with a 'TRUEVISION-XFILE' footer.

TGA files usually come from game engines, 3D renderers and texture painting tools.

PNG stores pixels losslessly with full alpha transparency. It is ideal for screenshots, logos, UI and anything with sharp edges, but photos saved as PNG are several times larger than JPEG.

A PNG opens with an 8-byte signature and is a chain of chunks, each with its own CRC: IHDR (size, depth, colour type), optional PLTE and tRNS for palettes, one or more IDAT chunks with the compressed rows, and IEND.

PNG is the better choice for screenshots, logos, graphics and anything that needs transparency, while TGA suits game textures and 3D software.

PNG strengths: Lossless: no quality loss, ever; Full transparency with smooth edges; Perfect for text, screenshots and graphics. Drawbacks to weigh: Large files for photographs; No standard animation (that is APNG).