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PFM Raw at a glance
PFM Raw
PFM persists from the era when HDR imaging, rendering research, and tone-mapping workflows needed straightforward file carriers for floating-point image data long before mainstream consumer HDR delivery formats matured.
PAM at a glance
PAM
PBM, PGM, PPM, PNM, and later PAM come from the tool-centric tradition of keeping image interchange formats easy to parse, script, and transform.
Format comparison
| Feature | PFM Raw | PAM |
|---|---|---|
| File type | Image | Image |
| Extensions |
|
|
| MIME type |
|
|
| Created year | 1998 | 2000 |
| Inventor | PBRT / Paul Debevec community | Jef Poskanzer / Netpbm lineage |
| Status | active | active |
| Transparency | Not supported | Not supported |
| Animation | Not supported | Not supported |
| Primary use cases |
|
|
| Layer support | Not supported | Not supported |
| Vector scaling | Not supported | Not supported |
| Camera raw data | Not supported | Not supported |
| HDR support | Supported | Not supported |
| Streaming ready | Not supported | Not supported |
When to use each format
When to use PFM Raw
- Your source file is already in PFM Raw.
- Preserve source expectations before exporting to PAM.
- PFM Raw is commonly used in image workflows.
When to use PAM
- Your target workflow expects PAM.
- Improve delivery compatibility with PAM.
- PAM is commonly used in image workflows.
FAQs
Why convert PFM Raw to PAM?
Convert to PAM when using Unix-style image tools or scripted workflows that benefit from a simple, explicit raster container with more flexibility than PBM/PGM/PPM.
It is useful as an intermediate technical format.
What changes when converting PFM Raw to PAM?
This conversion changes how the format behaves in downstream tools and delivery environments.
Moving to PAM removes HDR content.
What should I review after converting PFM Raw to PAM?
Validate output quality on representative files and confirm the target format behaves correctly in the destination workflow.