NETPBM Image Conversion Routines
The NETPBM package contains routines which can be used to convert between image formats. You usually convert from your original format to a standard intermediate format, then from the intermediate format to the desired result. The three intermediate formats are:
- pbm (portable bitmap): black and white
- pgm (portable graymap): shades of gray
- ppm (portable pixmap): color
The initials "pnm" are used to refer to any of the three intermediate formats. A program that can use a pgm can also use a pbm, and a program for ppm files can use either of the other two. However, a program written to use pbm files will not be able to use pgm or ppm files.
The table below lists a variety of image formats and the conversion programs needed to convert (1) from those formats to intermediate pnm formats and (2) from intermediate pnm formats to those formats. To convert a file:
- Find the file format you have now in the first column.
- Get the name of the program in the second column for that row. Let that be program1.
- Find the file format you want to have in the first column.
- Get the name of the program in the third column for that row. Let that be program2.
- Make sure you know the path and name of both the current image (image1) and the image you want to create (image2).
- Issue the command in the following format:
program1 image1 | program2 > image2
For example, to convert the TIFF file "image.tiff" into a PC Windows
bitmap file called "image.bmp," you would type:
tifftopnm image.tiff | ppmtobmp > image.bmp
Format |
To pnm |
From pnm |
|---|---|---|
ASCII graphics |
asciitopgm |
pbmtoascii |
AT&T 4425 terminal (132 col mode) |
|
pbmto4425 |
Abekas YUV bytes |
yuvtoppm |
ppmtoyuv |
Abekas YUV triplets (MPEG/JGEP) |
yuvsplittoppm |
ppmtoyuvsplit |
Andrew Toolkit raster object |
atktopbm |
pbmtoatk |
Atari Degas .pi1 |
pi1toppm |
ppmtopi1 |
Atari Degas .pi3 |
pi3toppm |
ppmtopi3 |
Atari compressed Spectrum file |
spctoppm |
|
Atari uncompressed Spectrum file |
sputoppm |
|
AutoCAD database or slide |
sldtoppm |
ppmtoacad |
BBm BitGraph graphics |
|
pbmtobbnbg |
Bennet Yee "face" file |
ybmtopbm |
pbmtoybm |
Biorad confocal microscope files |
bioradtopgm |
|
CMU window manger bitmap |
cmuwmtopbm |
pbmtocmuwm |
DEC LN03+ |
|
pbmtoln03 |
DEC sixel format |
|
ppmtosixel |
DDIF format |
|
pnmtoddif |
Encapsulated PostScript preview bitmap |
|
pbmtoepsi |
Epson printer graphics |
|
pbmtoepson |
FITS |
fitstopnm |
pnmtofits |
GEM .img file |
gemtopbm |
pbmtogem |
GIF |
giftopnm |
ppmtogif |
Gemini 10X printer graphics |
|
pbmto10x |
Gould scanner file |
gouldtoppm |
|
GraphOn graphics (compressed) |
|
pbmtogo |
Group 3 fax file |
g3topbm |
pbmtog3 |
HIPS |
hipstopgm |
|
HP LaserJet format |
|
pbmtolj |
HP PaintJet |
pjtoppm |
ppmtopj |
HP PaintJet XL PCL file |
|
ppmtopjxl |
IFF ILBM |
ilbmtoppm |
ppmtoilbm |
Img-whatnot |
imgtoppm |
|
Lisp machine bitmap |
lispmtopgm |
pgmtolispm |
MGR bitmap |
mgrtopbm |
pbmtomgr |
MacPaint |
macptopbm |
pbmtomacp |
Macintosh PICT |
picttoppm |
ppmtopict |
Mitsubishi S340-10 printer format |
|
ppmtomistsu |
Motif UIL icon file |
|
ppmtouil |
NCSA ICR format |
|
ppmtoicr |
PCX |
pcxtoppm |
ppmtopcx |
Packed (PK) format font |
pktopbm |
pbmtopk |
Photo-CD file |
hpcdtoppm |
|
PostScript "image" data |
psidtopgm |
|
PostScript |
pstopnm |
pnmtops |
Fast PostScript creator |
|
pbmtolps |
Printronix printer graphics |
|
pbmtoptx |
SGI image file |
sgitopnm |
pnmtosgi |
Solitaire image recorder format |
sirtopnm |
pnmtosir |
SPOT satellite images |
spottopgm |
|
Sun icon |
icontopbm |
pbmtoicon |
Sun rasterfile |
rasttopnm |
pnmtorast |
TIFF file |
tifftopnm |
pnmtotiff |
TrueVision Targa file |
tgatoppm |
ppmtotga |
Unix plot(5) file |
|
pbmtoplot |
Usenix FaceSaver |
fstopgm |
pgmtofs |
Windows (PC) bitmap |
bmptoppm |
ppmtobmp |
X10 bitmap |
xbmtopbm |
pbmtox10bm |
X10 window dump |
xwdtopnm |
|
X11 "puzzle" file |
|
ppmtopuzz |
X11 bitmap |
xbmtopbm |
pbmtoxbm |
X11 pixmap |
xpmtoppm |
ppmtoxpm |
X11 window dump |
xwdtopnm |
pnmtoxwd |
Xim file |
ximtoppm |
|
XV "thumbmail" picture |
xvminitoppm |
|
Zeiss confocal microscopes |
zeisstopnm |
|
Zinc bitmap |
|
pbmtozinc |
Doodle brush |
brushtopbm |
|
Output from MTV or PRT ray tracers |
mtvtoppm |
|
Output from the QRT ray tracer |
qrttoppm |
|
Portable bitmap |
|
pgmtopbm |
Portable graymap |
|
pbmtopgm |
Portable pixmap |
|
pgmtoppm |
Raw RGB bytes |
rawtoppm |
|
Raw grayscale bytes |
rawtopgm |
|
Text |
pbmtext |
|
Three portable graymaps |
rgb3toppm |
ppmtorgb3 |
unknown |
anytopnm |
|