SFD to TGA Converter

Export FontForge font specimens as Targa images online

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Alpha Support

TGA includes a full alpha channel — render your SFD font glyphs on a transparent background ready for game texture atlases and VFX compositing.

Rapid Rendering

Cloud servers process your SFD to TGA conversion quickly, even for fonts with extensive character sets and detailed outlines.

Secure Pipeline

Uploaded SFD files are deleted after processing and TGA outputs are removed within 24 hours — your typeface designs remain confidential.

How to convert SFD to TGA

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose tga or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your tga file right afterwards

About formats

SFD (SplineFont Database) is the native source file format of FontForge, the free and open-source font editor originally created by George Williams in 2000 under the name PfaEdit. The format stores a complete font project — glyph outlines (cubic and quadratic splines), advance widths, side bearings, hinting instructions, kerning and OpenType feature tables, naming records, and metadata — in a single human-readable text file. Each glyph is described by its Unicode code point, outline coordinates, reference composites, and anchors, making the entire font design inspectable and diffable with standard text tools. SFD functions as the editable working format during font development, from which finished fonts are compiled to binary formats like OTF, TTF, or WOFF. A primary advantage is version control friendliness — because SFD is plain text, font designers can track changes to individual glyphs, merge contributions from collaborators, and maintain full revision history using Git or any other VCS. The format's completeness is another strength: it preserves every piece of data that FontForge can represent, including TrueType instructions, contextual substitution lookups, and multiple master axes, avoiding round-trip data loss during editing. The SFD specification is publicly documented and has evolved through several versions. FontForge's widespread adoption in the open-source type design community means SFD serves as the source format for hundreds of freely licensed font families distributed worldwide.
Developer: George Williams
Initial release: November 7, 2000
TGA (Truevision Graphics Adapter, also known as TARGA) is a raster image format created by Truevision in 1984 for their line of display adapter cards designed for IBM PC compatibles. The format stores pixel data in a straightforward structure: an 18-byte header specifying dimensions, color depth, and image descriptor flags, optional color map data, and the pixel array in either uncompressed or RLE-compressed form. TGA supports indexed color (8-bit with palette), true color (15-bit, 16-bit, 24-bit), and true color with alpha channel (32-bit), and was one of the first PC image formats to include per-pixel alpha transparency. The format became a staple of the professional graphics industry, widely adopted by video editing suites, 3D rendering software, and game development pipelines throughout the 1990s and 2000s. One advantage is native alpha channel support — TGA was one of the earliest formats offering full 8-bit alpha transparency per pixel, making it the standard output format for 3D renderers and compositing software where layered transparency is essential. The simple, well-documented structure is another strength: TGA files are quick to parse and write, with no complex metadata or container overhead, valued in real-time applications and game engines where loading speed matters. While PNG has largely replaced TGA for general use, the format persists in game development, texture pipelines, and 3D rendering workflows where its simplicity and alpha support remain advantageous.
Developer: Truevision
Initial release: 1984

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert SFD to TGA?

TGA supports alpha channels and is widely used in game development and 3D rendering. Convert SFD to TGA for font textures in game engines and VFX tools.

How do I open a TGA file?

Open TGA in Photoshop, GIMP, Paint.NET, or any game engine asset browser. Most 3D and VFX applications import TGA natively.

Does TGA preserve transparency?

Yes, TGA supports a full 8-bit alpha channel. Font glyphs can be rendered with transparent backgrounds for easy compositing.

Is TGA compressed?

TGA supports optional RLE compression but is often stored uncompressed for maximum compatibility with game and rendering pipelines.

Is registration required?

No — Convertio converts SFD to TGA for free in the browser without any account creation or software download.