TGA Viewer
Opens TGA (Targa) files right in the browser, lets you zoom in and saves them as PNG, JPG, WEBP or BMP. Reads RLE, 8–32-bit, colour-mapped and alpha-channel images.
TGA decoding and PNG/JPG saving both run in your browser. Images are never sent to a server.
Which TGA files this viewer reads
A TGA header carries a number describing the image type and compression. This viewer reads most combinations found in real working files. RLE compression stores runs of identical pixels as “colour + repeat count”, which shrinks textures with large flat areas considerably.
| Type | Kind | Compression | Bit depth | Alpha |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 / 10 | True colour | None / RLE | 15, 16, 24, 32-bit | 32-bit and 16-bit (1 bit) |
| 1 / 9 | Colour-mapped | None / RLE | 8 and 16-bit indices | With a 32-bit palette |
| 3 / 11 | Greyscale | None / RLE | 8 and 16-bit | 16-bit (grey + alpha) |
| 32 / 33 | Huffman compressed | Not supported | — | — |
All four origins (bottom-up or top-down, left-to-right or right-to-left) are handled, along with the TGA 2.0 extension's alpha attribute and premultiplied alpha. Images larger than 16,384 px on a side are not opened.
How to use
- Drop TGA files into the window or click to browse. You can open several at once, and if you have no TGA at hand, “Try a sample TGA” builds a 32-bit RLE file with transparent areas on the spot.
- Use Fit, 100% and the zoom buttons to change the preview, and switch the background between checkerboard, white, grey and black to inspect transparency. The info panel lists size, bit depth, type, compression, alpha channel, origin and TGA version.
- Choose a save format and press Save. PNG or WEBP keep transparency; JPG makes the file smaller. JPG and BMP fill transparent areas with the background colour you pick.
Alpha channels and conversion tips
- When a 32-bit file looks fully transparent: many programs save images that never use alpha as 32-bit and fill the alpha with zeros. This viewer shows such files as opaque and explains why.
- PNG is the safe default: it is lossless, so colours and transparency carry over exactly, and its compression often makes the file far smaller than an uncompressed TGA.
- Game engine textures: Unity and Unreal read both TGA and PNG and apply their own final compression. PNG is fine for textures with transparency; keep the TGA original for future edits.
- Pick the fill colour: when saving JPG, match the background colour to where the image will sit so the edges blend. The default white can look like a border on a dark page.
- Sorting a folder: open a whole texture folder, check the previews, keep what you need and convert everything at once with “Save all as PNG”.
Frequently asked questions
Where is TGA used?
Mostly for game textures, 3D renders and video compositing, because it stores an alpha channel losslessly and its simple structure is easy for older tools and engines to read. It compresses poorly, though, so the same image as PNG is often much smaller, and browsers cannot display TGA directly — which is why files are usually converted to PNG or JPG for sharing and publishing.
What is RLE compression?
It stores runs of identical pixels as “one colour plus a repeat count”. UI textures and icons with large flat areas shrink a lot, while photographic images with constantly changing colour barely benefit. It is lossless, so there is no quality cost, and this viewer reads both RLE and uncompressed files.
Does converting to PNG lose quality?
No. PNG is lossless, so the TGA's colours and transparency carry over exactly. JPG and WEBP are lossy: smaller files with slight changes in detail, and JPG cannot store transparency, so it is filled with the background colour. Choose PNG or WEBP when transparency matters.
What if a file won't open?
Often the file only has a .tga extension while being another format. This viewer recognises PNG, JPEG, GIF, WEBP, BMP, PSD and DDS and tells you what it really is, so you can switch to the image converter. Unsupported variants such as Huffman compression (types 32 and 33) and truncated files are also explained, and a truncated file is shown up to the readable part.