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PGM Raw at a glance
PGM Raw
The raw PGM branch reflects the practical evolution of Netpbm-style tool formats: keep the tiny header and easy parsing, but move the pixel raster into a binary form that is much more usable for real data sizes.
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.
Format comparison
| Feature | PGM Raw | PFM Raw |
|---|---|---|
| File type | Image | Image |
| Extensions |
|
|
| MIME type |
|
|
| Created year | 1988 | 1998 |
| Inventor | Jef Poskanzer | PBRT / Paul Debevec community |
| 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 | Not supported | Supported |
| Streaming ready | Not supported | Not supported |
When to use each format
When to use PGM Raw
- Your source file is already in PGM Raw.
- Preserve source expectations before exporting to PFM Raw.
- PGM Raw is commonly used in image workflows.
When to use PFM Raw
- Your target workflow expects PFM Raw.
- Improve delivery compatibility with PFM Raw.
- PFM Raw is commonly used in image workflows.
FAQs
Why convert PGM Raw to PFM Raw?
Convert to PFM raw when HDR rendering, tone-mapping, or scientific-imaging workflows need floating-point pixel values to survive intact between tools.
It is especially useful as an intermediate format for graphics research, physically based rendering, and analytical image-processing pipelines that operate on scene-referred data.
What changes when converting PGM Raw to PFM Raw?
This conversion changes how the format behaves in downstream tools and delivery environments.
Moving to PFM Raw adds HDR content.
What should I review after converting PGM Raw to PFM Raw?
Validate output quality on representative files and confirm the target format behaves correctly in the destination workflow.