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SRF at a glance
SRF
Before ARW became the better-known Sony raw family, Sony's raw ecosystem already included older variants that modern tools still need to decode correctly.
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 | SRF | PAM |
|---|---|---|
| File type | Image | Image |
| Extensions |
|
|
| MIME type |
|
|
| Created year | 2003 | 2000 |
| Inventor | Sony | Jef Poskanzer / Netpbm lineage |
| Status | proprietary | 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 | Supported | Not supported |
| HDR support | Not supported | Not supported |
| Streaming ready | Not supported | Not supported |
When to use each format
When to use SRF
- Your source file is already in SRF.
- Preserve source expectations before exporting to PAM.
- SRF 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 SRF 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 SRF to PAM?
This conversion changes how the format behaves in downstream tools and delivery environments.
Moving to PAM removes camera raw data.
What should I review after converting SRF to PAM?
Validate output quality on representative files and confirm the target format behaves correctly in the destination workflow.