PPMB Files
Portable Pixel Map (binary)

PPMB is the binary version of the PPM portable pixel map format. It is a simple RGB color image description. The definition is as follows:

• the typical file extension is ".ppm", but an extension of ".pnm" is also occasionally used.
• A "magic number" for identifying the file type. A binary PPMB file's magic number is the two characters "P6".
• Whitespace (blanks, TABs, CRs, LFs).
• A width, formatted as ASCII characters in decimal.
• Whitespace.
• A height, again in ASCII decimal.
• Whitespace.
• The maximum color-component value MAXVAL, again in ASCII decimal. For the binary format, MAXVAL cannot be any greater than 255.
• a single charcter of "whitespace", usually a new line.
• Width * height pixels, each pixel being described by 3 bytes, each between 0 and the specified maximum value, starting at the top-left corner of the pixmap, proceeding in normal English reading order. The three values for each pixel represent red, green, and blue, respectively; a value of 0 means that color is off, and the maximum value means that color is maxed out.

PPMB File Characteristics:

• binary
• RGB color
• 2D
• No compression
• 1 image

Licensing:

The computer code and data files described and made available on this web page are distributed under the GNU LGPL license.

Related Data and Programs:

The PBMB data directory describes binary Portable Bit Map files.

The PGMB data directory describes binary Portable Gray Map files.

The PPMA data directory describes ASCII Portable Pixel Map files.

Reference:

1. the NETPBM homepage.

Programs and routines to read a PPMB file:

• MATLAB can read a PPMB file with a command like A=imread('file','PPM').
• pbmlib, is a FORTRAN90 library of routines which can read binary PPM files.
• ppmb_io, is a C++ library of routines which can read binary PPM files.
• The Visual Toolkit routine vtkPNMReader can read a binary PPM file into VTK.

Programs and routines to write a PPMB file:

• gnuplot can create graphical images, and write them to a binary PPM file via the command "set terminal pbm color".
• MATHEMATICA includes an Export[filename,object] command that can save a graphics object as a binary PPM file.
• MATLAB can write a PPMB file with a command like imwrite(a,'filename','PPM').
• pbmlib, is a FORTRAN90 library of routines which can write binary PPM files.
• ppmb_io, is a C++ library of routines which can write binary PPM files.
• The Visual Toolkit routine vtkPNMWriter can write a VTK image to a binary PPM file.

Programs to display a PPMB file:

• The AVS module read_any_image can read a PPMB file.
• GIMP, the GNU Image Manipulation Program, can read and display a PPMB file.
• The ImageVision program imgview can display a PPMB file.
• MATLAB can display a PPMB file, once it is read in, with a command like image(A).
• xv can display a PPMB file.

Programs to convert a PPMB file to another format:

• cjpeg converts a PPMB file to JPEG format.
• The ImageMagick, program convert can convert a PPMB file to BMP, CGM, EPS, FIG, FITS, GIF, JPG, PBM, PDF, PGM, PNG, PNM, PPM, PS, RGB, TIF, XBM or XPM format.
• GIMP, the GNU Image Manipulation Program, can read a PPMB file and write out a copy in a variety of formats.
• ppmb_2_bmp is an executable C++ program which converts a PPMB file to BMP format.
• ppmb_2_ppma is an executable C++ program which converts a PPMB file to PPMA format.
• The NETPBM program ppmtojpeg can convert a PPMB file to a JPEG file.
• xv can read a PPMB file and write out a copy in BMP, FIT, GIF, JPG, PBM, PGM, RGB or TIF format.

Programs to convert a file to PPMB format:

• bmp_2_ppmb is an executable C++ program which converts a BMP file to PPMB format.
• The ImageMagick, program convert can convert a BMP, CGM, EPS, FIG, FITS, GIF, JPG, PBM, PDF, PGM, PNG, PNM, PPM, PS, RGB, TIF, XBM or XPM file to PPMB format.
• fig2dev can convert a FIG file to a binary PPM file by a command like

              fig2dev -L ppm input.fig > output.ppm
            

• GIMP, the GNU Image Manipulation Program, can read a file in a variety of formats, and write it out as a PPMB file.
• The NETPBM program jpegtopnm can convert a JPEG file to a PPMB file.
• ppma_2_ppmb converts a PPMA file to PPMB format.
• xv can read a file in a BMP, FIT, GIF, JPG, PBM, PGM, RGB or TIF format, and write it out as a PPMB file.

Sample PPMB Files:

• bell_206.ppm, a Bell 206 helicopter.
• blackbuck.ppm, a picture of a buck.
• newton.ppm, an image of the basins of attraction of Newton's method for Z^3=1.
• pbmlib.ppm.

You can go up one level to the DATA page.