PDB to PFM Converter

Convert PDB to PFM format online — fast and simple

Drop files here. 1 GB maximum file size or Sign Up
to
Facebook Amazon Microsoft Tesla Nestle Walmart L'Oreal

Quality Preserved

Your original PDB content is preserved in the PFM result. The conversion process does not introduce unwanted artifacts.

Any Device, Any OS

Desktop, laptop, tablet, phone — the converter handles PDB to PFM equally well on every device and operating system.

Cloud Processing

Conversion runs entirely on our servers — your device handles nothing. Convert PDB to PFM without slowing down your computer.

How to convert PDB 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

PDB (Palm Database) is a generic database container format created by Palm, Inc. for the Palm OS platform, first appearing with the original PalmPilot in March 1996. In the ebook context, PDB files most commonly use the PalmDOC or Plucker encoding to store readable text with basic formatting. The format consists of a 78-byte header identifying the database name, creation date, and record count, followed by a record index table and the data records themselves. PalmDOC-encoded PDB files use a simple LZ77-based compression scheme to pack plain text efficiently, while Plucker extends this with HTML rendering, image support, and hyperlink navigation. PDB ebooks powered a thriving mobile reading ecosystem years before dedicated e-readers existed — millions of Palm OS users carried entire libraries on devices like the Palm V, Tungsten, and Treo handhelds. A primary advantage is extreme simplicity: the flat record structure and minimal overhead mean PDB files parse instantly even on severely constrained hardware with limited memory and processing power. The open, well-documented structure is another strength, having spawned numerous reader applications across Palm OS, Windows, and later mobile platforms. Though the Palm platform is long discontinued, PDB ebooks remain accessible through conversion tools and readers like Calibre, and the format holds historical significance as one of the earliest practical mobile ebook solutions.
Developer: Palm, Inc.
Initial release: March 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 PDB to PFM?

PDB is an obsolete Palm format. Converting to PFM provides floating-point pixel data and opens your content to modern viewers.

What programs open PFM files?

ImageMagick, HDR imaging tools, Netpbm can handle PFM files. Free alternatives exist for every major operating system as well.

Will I lose image quality converting PDB to PFM?

Your image retains its current quality level. Converting from PDB to PFM does not introduce additional degradation to the visual data.

Can I convert multiple PDB files to PFM at once?

Batch conversion is supported. Upload multiple PDB files and the converter processes them all to PFM together.

Is the PDB to PFM conversion instant?

Processing is fast — most PDB files convert to PFM within a few seconds, depending on image dimensions and server load.

Do I need to create an account to convert?

No account is needed for standard conversions. Just upload your PDB file, pick PFM, and download the result.