# (Mac) Converting EPS to TIFF

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-converting-eps-to-tiff/261987>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 28, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-converting-eps-to-tiff/261987 "2004-08-28T20:04:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Shadez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Shadez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadez)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-converting-eps-to-tiff/261987/1 "2004-08-28T20:04:37Z")

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As you read this keep in mind that I am a total newbie when it comes to Macintosh (\<1 week) though I have grown up with PCs.

At work, we have a file called “Heads in Quark”, which is filled with headers (images). The guy who did all the work is not here right now. So I have a quark file, and 4 of the headers are the wrong version. The right versions are currently in EPS viewable as a PDF.

I have this program called “GraphicConverter”, which says it is only happy if the file is in TIFF first. So I need a program that does PDF-\>TIFF (and hopefully the graphics program can do the TIFF-\>GIF/JPG. We’ll see.)

I’ve spend an hour googling fruitlessly. GIMP looked good, but it’s not a simple “click me to download” site. I need simple for Macs. I’m so new at this that I (sadly) found out today that Macs do not accept .exes _sigh_ 🙂

Thanks for any help…  
/Shadez

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**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2004, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-converting-eps-to-tiff/261987/2 "2004-08-28T20:32:36Z")

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I don’t have any PDF files handy but Preview has options for exporting files as both PDF and TIFF formats so presumably it can convert between the two. Preview came with my iMac but perhaps it’s available separately as well?

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**Author:** ![Shadez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Shadez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadez)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2004, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-converting-eps-to-tiff/261987/3 "2004-08-28T20:58:03Z")

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_ponders_ nod, I know I saw that program on the dock. I won’t be able to see if it works til Monday though, the campus building is locked on weekends and I don’t have a key…yet 🙂

Thanks for the advice  
/S

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**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2004, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-converting-eps-to-tiff/261987/4 "2004-08-28T21:08:45Z")

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Ooh - Bad news. I’m holding a copy of David Pogue’s _Mac OS X - The Missing Manual_. On p. 264 he writes “While Preview understands many of the most common formats, there are a few notable exceptions. You can’t open, save, or export EPS files using Preview.” Copyright on this edition is 2002, so it is possible that Preview now works with EPS.

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**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-converting-eps-to-tiff/261987/5 "2004-08-28T21:12:35Z")

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If you’re looking for Mac OS X software, [www.versiontracker.com](http://www.versiontracker.com) can be useful. If you’re looking for Mac software from a PC, or vice versa, you’ll have to make sure you’re looking in the right section.

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**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2004, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-converting-eps-to-tiff/261987/6 "2004-08-28T23:36:04Z")

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- 
  - 
    - On Windows, Illustrator 10 (previous version, not the current one) will export an eps to tif, tga or bmp if you need a paletted format, and jpeg if you don’t.

- The full “creator” version of Acrobat 5 (also the previous version) will also export to tiff (lets you select different types of encoding) as well as a few other options, but at the moment I cannot create an EPS in Illustrator and get that eps to open in Acrobat at all.  
\<?😑  
I dunno a whole lot about setting the save options in an eps, so it’s not real surprising.  
But anyway, those are two programs that will do it.  
~

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**Author:** ![EhhMon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@EhhMon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EhhMon)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2004, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-converting-eps-to-tiff/261987/7 "2004-08-29T00:09:14Z")

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Just for giggles I just opened a 32 page PDF in Preview and exported it to TIFF without any difficulty. I’m using using version 2.1.0, and can confirm that works.

However, I also opened that same PDF in GraphicConverter and did a “save as” to TIFF as well (heck, I didn’t even realize GC could read PDFs), and that also worked.

Perhaps you need a newer version of GraphicConverter? I’m using 4.8. The guy who created it is constantly updating it’s functionality.

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**Author:** ![EhhMon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@EhhMon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EhhMon)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2004, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-converting-eps-to-tiff/261987/8 "2004-08-29T00:19:35Z")

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Forgot to mention, since you’re new to Macs, have you checked out Apple’s members helping members [discussions](http://discussions.info.apple.com/)?

There are a lot of knowledgeable and friendly people there.

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**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2004, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-converting-eps-to-tiff/261987/9 "2004-08-29T02:21:08Z")

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From [http://www.lemkesoft.de/en/gcabout\_formats.htm](http://www.lemkesoft.de/en/gcabout_formats.htm)

EPS: (\*) GraphicConverter need a helper application for opening such a file.

However it seems to open up PDF files OK

Maybe you need the most current version…

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**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2004, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-converting-eps-to-tiff/261987/10 "2004-08-29T12:42:37Z")

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PDF and EPS are two entirely different creatures! PDF and EPS are both branches of the same family, i.e., the PostScript page description language, but they’re not directly compatible.

You could install GhostScript and do all of this in Unix, but that’s overly complicated for what would be a one-use application. When I had to convert 50 clip-art CD’s for Mac OS X, I used the following:

Check out PStill as [Stone Software](http://www.stone.com/).

It’ll let you drag-and-drop all the EPS files you want onto it, and it’ll convert them to whatever format you want (or maybe just PDF, which is what I wanted).

Oh, yeah, it’s commercial, but I think you can run it in demo mode. Good luck.

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**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2004, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-converting-eps-to-tiff/261987/11 "2004-08-29T13:53:58Z")

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FYI, EPS is a vector-based file using the Postscript descriptive language. PDF is closely related, although both can include imbedded bitmaps. TIF is a bitmapped-only image format. It you can read the EPS or PDF file into any photo editor like Photoshop or Corel, you can save it in a bitmapped format like TIF.