About this tool
Textures are often authored as TGA and shipped as DDS. This tool decodes the TGA and writes a DDS with DXT1 or DXT5 compression (chosen automatically from the alpha channel) or uncompressed 32-bit, plus a full mipmap chain, all without the image ever touching a browser canvas, so alpha stays exact.
About the formats: TGA (Truevision Targa) is a simple, lossless image format from the 1980s that game engines and 3D tools never stopped using: Unity, Unreal, Source, Blender, and countless modding pipelines accept it, and it stores an alpha channel without the premultiplication surprises of other formats. Web browsers and most viewers cannot open it. DDS (DirectDraw Surface) is the texture format game engines and modding tools use: Skyrim, Fallout, GTA, Unity, Unreal, and countless others. It stores GPU-ready, block-compressed pixels (DXT1/DXT5/BC7) together with a mipmap chain, which is exactly why ordinary image viewers and editors cannot open it without a plugin.
TGA and DDS, side by side
| .tga in | .dds out | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | None or RLE (lossless) | BC1 to BC7, or none |
| Transparency | Yes, 8-bit alpha | Yes (BC3, BC7, RGBA) |
| Mipmaps | No | Yes |
| Used by | Unity, Unreal, Source, Blender | Game engines, modding |
Rows where the two differ are marked. The full story on each: TGA files and DDS files.
How to use it
- Drop your TGA files into the box above, or click to browse. Nothing is uploaded.
- Adjust the options if you want; the defaults suit most files.
- Click Convert to DDS and wait a moment.
- Download the results individually or all at once as a ZIP.
Questions
Which DDS format should I pick for a TGA texture?
Auto picks DXT1 for opaque textures and DXT5 when the TGA has an alpha channel. Use uncompressed only if the engine requires it or the texture is tiny.
DXT1 or DXT5?
DXT1 has no real alpha channel and is half the size; use it for opaque diffuse textures. DXT5 keeps smooth transparency for decals, UI, foliage, and anything with an alpha mask. The Auto setting checks the image and picks for you.
Should I generate mipmaps?
Yes for anything rendered in a 3D scene: mipmaps stop distant textures from shimmering, and most engines expect them. Turn them off for UI sprites and textures shown at a fixed size.
Do textures need power-of-two sizes?
Many older engines require 256, 512, 1024, or 2048 pixel dimensions. This tool keeps your image size; use the Resize Image tool first if the game needs a power of two.
Can it write BC7?
Not yet. DXT1 and DXT5 are accepted by every engine and modding tool; BC7 output is planned.
Is it free, are files uploaded, which browsers work: the general questions are answered once for the whole site.