PICON to JPS Converter

Turn your PICON bitmaps into JPS format — fast and online

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Batch Processing

Upload multiple PICON files at once and convert them all to JPS in a single session — ideal when you have many legacy images to migrate.

Format Upgrade

Move from early Unix desktop era PICON to the modern JPS format — enjoy side-by-side stereoscopic JPEG image and broad software compatibility.

Lightning Fast

PICON files are small and convert to JPS in seconds. The cloud-based engine handles the transformation quickly so you can download right away.

How to convert PICON to JPS

1

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

2

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

3

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

About formats

PICON (Personal Icon) is a small-format image type used in the X Window System ecosystem, developed by Steve Kinzler at Indiana University around 1990 as part of the picons (personal icons) database project. Picons are small, typically 48x48 pixel, color images used as visual identifiers for people, organizations, domains, and Usenet newsgroups in Unix mail readers, news readers, and other communication tools. The picon format is essentially an XPM (X PixMap) image stored with specific naming conventions and directory structures that allow software to look up the appropriate icon based on email address, domain name, or newsgroup name. The picons database organized thousands of these small images in a hierarchical directory structure keyed by domain name components (e.g., faces/com/example/user.xpm), enabling mail clients like exmstrstrstr and faces to automatically display a sender's photo or organizational logo alongside their messages. The system predated the modern concept of contact photos and avatars by more than a decade. One advantage is the system's pioneering role in visual identity for electronic communication: picons introduced the idea that email and Usenet messages should display a visual representation of the sender — a concept that eventually became standard in every modern email client, messaging app, and social media platform. The XPM-based format ensures that picons are displayable on any system with X Window libraries. Picon images are supported by ImageMagick, GIMP, and X Window display utilities, and the historical picons database remains archived online at Indiana University.
Developer: Steve Kinzler
Initial release: 1990
JPS (JPEG Stereo) is a stereoscopic 3D image format that stores a left-eye and right-eye view pair within a single JPEG-compressed file, developed by VRex, Inc. around 1997 for use with stereoscopic displays and viewers. A JPS file is technically a standard JPEG file containing a side-by-side stereo pair — the left and right perspective images are placed horizontally adjacent within a single frame, with the full image width being twice the individual view width. The file uses standard JPEG compression and can be opened by any JPEG-compatible viewer (which will show the side-by-side pair as a single wide image), but stereo-aware applications parse the image into its left and right components for proper 3D presentation. JPS files can be viewed with dedicated stereoscopic software, anaglyph viewers (generating red-cyan images for colored glasses), autostereoscopic displays, VR headsets, and hardware like NVIDIA 3D Vision or passive 3D monitors. The format gained renewed interest with the consumer 3D photography boom of the late 2000s and early 2010s, when cameras like the Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W1/W3 captured stereo pairs natively. One advantage is backward compatibility: because JPS uses standard JPEG encoding, the files work with existing JPEG infrastructure — they can be transmitted, stored, thumbnailed, and even viewed (as flat side-by-side images) without any special software. The format's simplicity is another practical strength — no specialized container or codec is required, and any tool that can crop and display JPEG images can extract individual views. JPS files are supported by StereoPhoto Maker, ImageMagick, and various 3D photo viewers.
Developer: VRex, Inc.
Initial release: 1997

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert PICON to JPS?

PICON is tied to Unix file managers. Switching to JPS gives you side-by-side stereoscopic JPEG image and broad support across platforms, browsers, and devices.

How do I open a JPS file?

Software that handles JPS includes StereoPhoto Maker, 3D viewers, IrfanView, Photoshop — giving you options on every major operating system.

How long does PICON to JPS conversion take?

Most PICON to JPS conversions complete within a few seconds. The lightweight nature of PICON images means fast processing times.

What exactly is the PICON format?

PICON is a small thumbnail/icon format from Unix systems. Originally from Unix file managers, it has become a legacy format — conversion is the most practical way to use these images today.

Does this converter work on mobile devices?

The converter is browser-based and fully responsive. Convert PICON to JPS from any device — desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

Does converting PICON to JPS affect quality?

The conversion preserves the visual content of your PICON image. JPS will reproduce the same pixel data within the limits of its format capabilities.