PPMA Files
Portable Pixel Map (ASCII)

PPMA is a data directory which contains examples of the ASCII version of the portable pixel map PPM 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. An ASCII PPM file's magic number is the two characters "P3".
• 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, again in ASCII decimal.
• Whitespace.
• Width * height pixels, each three ASCII decimal values 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.

Example PPMA File:

        P3
        # feep.ppma
        4 4
        15
         0  0  0  0  0  0    0  0  0   15  0 15
         0  0  0  0 15  7    0  0  0    0  0  0
         0  0  0  0  0  0    0 15  7    0  0  0
        15  0 15  0  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0
      

PPMA File Characteristics:

• ASCII
• 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:

PBMA, a data directory which describes the ASCII Portable Bit Map format.

PGMA, a data directory which describes the ASCII Portable Gray Map format.

PPMB, a data directory which describes the binary Portable Pixel Map format.

Reference:

1. the NETPBM homepage.

Sample Files:

• blackbuck.ascii.ppm, a picture of a buck.
• blackbuck.png, a PNG image.
• feep.ascii.ppm, a simple example.
• feep.png, a PNG image.
• pbmlib.ascii.ppm.
• pbmlib.png, a PNG image.
• sines.ascii.ppm, a kind of bar plot of sine functions, created by BAR_PLOT.
• sines.png, a PNG image.
• snail.ascii.ppm, a picture of a snail.
• snail.png, a PNG image.
• star_field.ascii.ppm, an astronomical image of many stars.
• star_field.png, a PNG image.

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