Where TGA files come from and why they need converting
Truevision TGA (Targa) dates from the 1980s and is still common in game pipelines, where engines take textures as TGA, and in 3D tools, which write render frames to it. The format stores pixels raw or with simple run-length compression and can carry transparency, so files are large and no web browser can display one.
Converting to AVIF gives you a small file that Chrome 85, Firefox 93 and Edge 121 or later show directly, as do Safari on iPhone from iOS 16 and Safari 16.4 on Mac. That makes it the right copy for a portfolio page, a mod listing or a texture pack preview. Keep the TGA in the project. AVIF is lossy (it drops detail to save space), so do not feed the converted file back into the engine as the texture.
How to convert TGA to AVIF
- Export the TGA from your engine or 3D tool, then upload it here. Up to 5 files, 300 MB each.
- Choose AVIF as the output.
- Download the .avif and check the edges if the texture used transparency.
The conversion runs on our servers. Large render frames of 24 MP and up take a few seconds to encode.
Transparency and exact pixels
AVIF supports transparency as a format. If your TGA uses transparency for a cut-out or a decal, open the output and check the edges before publishing. When the copy must stay exact, say a sprite sheet for another artist, use TGA to PNG instead; PNG keeps the transparency and isn't lossy. More options are on the TGA converter page.