VIFF to FITS Converter
Processing entirely on your device — large files may take a moment.
VIFF is the image format of the Khoros software system, a research toolkit from the early days of scientific visualization. Still found in legacy academic image-processing datasets. Convert FITS frames to PNG or JPG to preview telescope data, or pack them into a ZIP for sharing.
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 VIFF compares to FITS
| VIFF | FITS | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | None (uncompressed) | None (optionally Rice/GZIP) |
| Transparency | Supported | Not supported |
| Animation | Not supported | Not supported |
| Metadata | Attribute lists | Rich text header (WCS) |
| Best for | Legacy scientific datasets | Telescope frames, science data |
How to convert VIFF to FITS
- 1
Select your files
Drag & drop your VIFF 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 VIFF format
VIFF is the image format of the Khoros software system, a visual-programming environment built for scientific image processing in the late 1980s and 1990s. Its files carry raster data plus optional attribute lists, and it survives today mostly in older academic datasets and image-processing course material.
Modern software rarely opens VIFF without help. Converting VIFF to PNG puts legacy research imagery into a format every viewer, notebook and browser understands — useful when reviving old datasets or coursework.
+Strengths
- ✓Holds multi-band scientific raster data
- ✓Attribute lists travel with the image
- ✓Simple, fully documented binary layout
!Limitations
- −Tied to discontinued Khoros tooling
- −No browser or OS support
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 VIFF to FITS?
There is a concrete reason this conversion exists: Tied to discontinued Khoros tooling 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 VIFF 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 VIFF to FITS?
No — FITS is a lossless format, so every pixel of the converted image matches your original VIFF file. You can also adjust the quality/size balance before converting when the target format supports compression.
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.
Can I convert several VIFF files at once?
Yes — drop as many files as you like into the tool and they are converted in one batch. When more than one file comes out, everything is bundled into a ZIP for a single download.