Reference

TGA (Targa)

TGA (Targa) is a legacy raster image format that supports an alpha channel for transparency. Once common for graphics and game textures, it stores images with little or no compression, so files are large compared to PNG or modern formats.

Files & formatsGeneral

TGA (Targa)

Also known as: .tga file, Targa image, Truevision TGA

Legacy raster format from early graphics hardware
Supports transparency via an alpha channel
Large files; PNG is the smaller modern replacement

What TGA is

TGA, short for Truevision Targa, dates to early graphics hardware and is still seen in 3D, game-texture, and video pipelines. It supports a full alpha channel, so it can store transparency alongside color.

Its compression is minimal — typically uncompressed or a simple run-length scheme — which keeps the format simple but makes files large for the resolution they hold.

TGA today

For most uses, PNG has replaced TGA: it also carries an alpha channel but compresses losslessly, producing much smaller files. Converting older TGA assets to PNG usually saves space with no visible quality change.

TGA is still kept in some legacy art and game asset libraries where tools expect it, but it is rarely the right choice for new images you want to store or share.

Related terms

Keep reading the reference.

Files & formatsPNGPNG (.png) is a lossless image format that keeps every pixel exact and supports transparency. That makes it ideal for screenshots, logos, and graphics, but files are much larger than JPEG or WebP — so a folder full of PNG screenshots can quietly fill storage.General Files & formatsAlpha channel (transparency)An alpha channel is the part of an image that records transparency — how see-through each pixel is. It lets formats like PNG, WebP, and GIF place a subject over any background. JPEG has no alpha channel, so it cannot store transparency.General Storage conceptsCompression (lossy vs lossless)Compression shrinks a file by encoding its data more efficiently. Lossless compression rebuilds the original exactly, while lossy compression permanently discards detail the eye or ear is least likely to notice in exchange for much smaller files.General Files & formatsTIFFTIFF (.tif/.tiff) is a high-quality image format used in photography, scanning, and printing. It is typically lossless and stores full detail, which makes files very large — often many times the size of a JPEG of the same image.General