MIFF to FITS Converter
Processing entirely on your device — large files may take a moment.
Convert FITS frames to PNG or JPG to preview telescope data, or pack them into a ZIP for sharing. If your files are still in MIFF format, this page is the shortcut: MIFF is ImageMagick's own intermediate format — a lossless raster container that preserves every channel and profile exactly as the engine sees it, used to chain command-line pipelines.
iLoveConverter processes everything locally on your computer, which makes it private and fast: no upload wait, no server storage, no limits. Add as many files as you like — batch conversion is built in.
How MIFF compares to FITS
| MIFF | FITS | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | RLE / none | None (optionally Rice/GZIP) |
| Transparency | Supported | Not supported |
| Animation | Multi-frame supported | Not supported |
| Metadata | Extensive key-value header | Rich text header (WCS) |
| Best for | ImageMagick intermediates | Telescope frames, science data |
How to convert MIFF to FITS
- 1
Select your files
Drag & drop your MIFF files onto the area above, or click to browse. You can add multiple files at once for batch conversion.
- 2
Convert instantly
Click "Convert to FITS". The conversion runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly — no upload, no queue, no waiting.
- 3
Download results
Download each converted FITS file individually, or grab everything at once as a ZIP archive.
About the MIFF format
MIFF is ImageMagick's own interchange format — a lossless raster container designed to carry exactly what the engine has in memory: every channel, an optional color profile, per-image properties and even multiple frames in one file. Command-line pipelines use it as the glue between successive ImageMagick operations.
Outside ImageMagick tooling almost nothing opens MIFF. Convert MIFF to PNG or JPG to hand pipeline intermediates to people, or into MIFF when feeding an ImageMagick chain that expects the format.
+Strengths
- ✓Lossless with full channel fidelity
- ✓Multi-frame and rich metadata support
- ✓Native to ImageMagick pipelines
!Limitations
- −Large files (little compression)
- −Unsupported outside ImageMagick
About the FITS format
FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) has carried professional astronomy data since 1981: every file opens with a plain-text header that records telescope, instrument, exposure, filters and world coordinates, followed by raw pixel arrays — often 16-bit or float, sometimes data cubes.
Values can be negative or far above display range, so FITS never looks right in a photo viewer. Converting to PNG applies a simple scaling pass that reveals the nebula or galaxy in the numbers — good for previews, while science pipelines keep the original.
+Strengths
- ✓Self-documenting science headers
- ✓High bit depth (16/32-bit, float)
- ✓The standard of every observatory
!Limitations
- −Not display-ready
- −Files are large and uncompressed
Why convert MIFF to FITS?
There is a concrete reason this conversion exists: Large files (little compression) FITS sidesteps that — Self-documenting science headers If that is your situation, the tool above settles it in seconds, entirely on your device.
Frequently asked questions
Is this MIFF to FITS converter really free?
Yes — completely free, with no sign-up, no watermark and no daily conversion limits. The site is supported by advertising.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. The conversion runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly, so your files never leave your device — that is what makes it instant and private.
Does it work on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android?
Yes. Anything with a modern browser works: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. No software installation is required.
Will I lose quality converting MIFF to FITS?
No — FITS is a lossless format, so every pixel of the converted image matches your original MIFF file. You can also adjust the quality/size balance before converting when the target format supports compression.
What happens to EXIF data and other metadata?
Conversions here re-encode the image, and re-encoding generally does not carry the original metadata over. If the EXIF data of your MIFF files matters (camera model, GPS, timestamps), keep the original file as the master and treat the converted copy as the shareable version.
Will transparent areas survive the conversion to FITS?
Transparency is kept whenever FITS actually supports an alpha channel. If the target format has none (like JPG), transparent areas are flattened onto a white background — that is a property of the format, not of this tool.