PALM to PFM Converter

Turn PALM images into PFM format online for free

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Server-Side Conversion

The PALM to PFM process runs on remote servers, keeping your device free. No CPU drain or memory usage on your machine.

Quick Turnaround

The converter processes PALM images rapidly. Most PALM to PFM conversions finish within moments of starting.

Batch Processing

Queue multiple PALM files and convert them all to PFM in a single session. Each file processes in parallel for maximum speed.

How to convert PALM to PFM

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose pfm or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your pfm file right afterwards

About formats

PALM is a bitmap image format used by the Palm OS operating system, introduced in 1996 with the original Palm Pilot 1000. Palm bitmap files store raster images in formats optimized for the extremely constrained hardware of early Palm handheld devices — the original models featured a 160x160 pixel monochrome (2-shade) display, 128 KB of RAM, and a 16 MHz Motorola 68328 processor. The format evolved through several versions as Palm hardware improved: PalmOS 1.0 supported 1-bit monochrome, later versions added 2-bit (4 shade grayscale), 4-bit (16 shade), 8-bit (256 color), and eventually 16-bit (65536 color) direct color modes. Palm bitmaps use a simple header specifying width, height, row bytes, flags, and bit depth, followed by the pixel data which may use optional Scanline compression (a PackBits-like run-length encoding) or dense packing. The format also supports bitmap families — multiple versions of the same image at different bit depths bundled together, allowing the OS to select the best version for the current device's display capabilities. One advantage is the format's documentation of early mobile computing: Palm OS was the dominant handheld platform of the late 1990s and early 2000s, and Palm bitmap files from applications, games, and content of that era represent important artifacts of mobile computing history. The multi-depth bitmap family feature provides another notable design strength — a single resource could serve devices ranging from monochrome Palm Pilots to the 16-bit color Sony CLIE and Palm Tungsten. PALM bitmaps are supported by ImageMagick, pilot-link utilities, and Palm emulator tools.
Developer: Palm, Inc.
Initial release: 1996
PFM (Portable Float Map) is a floating-point raster image format devised by Paul Debevec around 2001, designed to store high-dynamic-range image data with the simplicity of the Netpbm family of formats. PFM extends the PBM/PGM/PPM philosophy — minimal header, raw data, no compression — to 32-bit IEEE floating-point samples, providing direct access to HDR pixel values without the encoding overhead of formats like OpenEXR or the limited range of Radiance HDR's RGBE encoding. The file structure is deliberately minimal: a two-character magic number ('Pf' for grayscale, 'PF' for color), width and height on the next line, a scale/endianness indicator (negative for little-endian, positive for big-endian, with magnitude indicating scale factor), and then the raw 32-bit float data for each pixel. PFM files store one float per pixel for grayscale or three floats (RGB) per pixel for color, with no compression, alpha channel, or metadata support. The format emerged from the HDR imaging research community where Debevec's work on image-based lighting and light stage capture required a simple, unambiguous way to store linear floating-point radiance values that could be easily exchanged between research tools. One advantage is absolute simplicity for HDR data: PFM can be read and written in a few lines of code in any language that supports IEEE floats, with no library dependencies — ideal for research prototyping and quick data exchange between custom tools. The format's widespread adoption in the computer vision and computational photography research community is another practical strength — optical flow benchmarks (Middlebury), depth estimation datasets, and radiance field captures commonly use PFM. The format is supported by ImageMagick, OpenCV, HDR Shop, and Luminance HDR.
Developer: Paul Debevec
Initial release: 2001

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert PALM to PFM?

The PALM format is niche and rarely supported. PFM gives your images universal compatibility across operating systems and applications.

What programs open PFM files?

PFM files open in most image viewers and editors — including web browsers, system preview tools, Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint on Windows.

Where do PALM files come from?

PALM files come from vintage Palm OS devices like Palm Pilots and Handspring Visors. They store low-resolution bitmaps for tiny PDA screens.

Is batch PALM to PFM conversion supported?

You can queue multiple PALM files and convert them to PFM in one go. Each file processes independently and downloads separately.

Is my PALM data kept private?

Uploaded files are deleted immediately after conversion, and converted files are removed within 24 hours. Your data stays private and secure.