SNB to MAP Converter

SNB to MAP — free online colormap conversion

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Indexed Color Output

Convert SNB ebook pages to MAP colormap format — compact, palette-based images suitable for indexed-color image workflows.

Swift Processing

MAP files are compact by nature. Conversion from SNB completes rapidly with minimal waiting.

Automatic Deletion

Your uploaded SNB files are removed after conversion. MAP output is purged from Convertio servers within 24 hours.

How to convert SNB to MAP

1

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

2

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

3

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

About formats

SNB is a proprietary ebook format developed by Shanghai Nutshell Electronics, a subsidiary of Shanda Interactive Entertainment, for the Bambook e-reader launched in August 2010. The format is structurally based on EPUB principles, packaging HTML content, CSS styling, images, and metadata within a compressed archive, but uses a proprietary container that restricts native playback to Bambook devices and associated software. Shanda designed the Bambook and its SNB ecosystem as an integrated reading platform tied to the Cloudary literature portal (later rebranded as China Literature), one of China's largest online publishing networks hosting millions of web novels and serialized fiction. The format supported reflowable text, chapter navigation, bookmarks, and basic typographic controls suited to Chinese-language content display. One advantage was tight integration with Shanda's massive content catalog, providing readers instant access to an enormous library of Chinese-language literature directly through the device. The Bambook was initially offered at a heavily subsidized price point, using the content ecosystem to drive revenue — a model that preceded similar strategies by other e-reader manufacturers. While the Bambook hardware line was eventually discontinued as the Chinese market shifted toward tablet-based reading apps, SNB files from that era can be converted to standard formats using tools like Calibre with appropriate plugins. The format represents an interesting case study in platform-specific ebook ecosystems within the Chinese digital publishing landscape.
Initial release: August 2010
MAP is an internal raster image format used by ImageMagick, the open-source image processing suite first released by John Cristy at DuPont on August 1, 1990. MAP files store indexed-color (color-mapped) images in ImageMagick's native representation: a color palette (the map) followed by pixel data where each pixel is an index into that palette rather than a direct RGB value. The format provides a compact representation for images with a limited number of distinct colors — each pixel requires only enough bits to index the palette (typically 8 bits for up to 256 colors), compared to the 24 or 32 bits per pixel required by full-color formats. MAP serves primarily as an intermediate format within ImageMagick's processing pipeline, useful when performing operations that benefit from or require palettized representation: color quantization (reducing an image to a specific number of colors), palette manipulation, GIF preparation, and indexed-color analysis. The format is invoked through ImageMagick's standard I/O syntax and can be piped between processing stages without disk overhead. One advantage is direct access to ImageMagick's color quantization and palette management capabilities: MAP format output makes the palette structure explicit and manipulable, enabling workflows where specific palette operations (reordering, remapping, merging) need to be performed between processing steps. The format's integration into the ImageMagick processing ecosystem is another practical strength — any of ImageMagick's extensive image manipulation operations can consume or produce MAP format data, making it a natural intermediate for color-reduction pipelines that ultimately target GIF, PNG with palette, or other indexed-color formats.
Initial release: 1990

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert SNB to MAP?

SNB is restricted to Bambook readers. MAP is a colormap image format — useful for indexed-color workflows and palette-based image processing.

What opens MAP files?

ImageMagick tools, GIMP (with appropriate import), and specialized image processing utilities can read MAP colormap images.

What is MAP format?

MAP stores image data with an indexed color palette rather than full RGB values, resulting in compact files with defined color tables.

Is MAP useful for text pages?

For monochrome or limited-color ebook pages, MAP works well. Its indexed palette approach handles simple text layouts efficiently.

Is the conversion free?

Yes, SNB to MAP conversion is free on Convertio. Premium plans add batch processing and increased file limits.