\
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.TH "Bmptopnm User Manual" 0 "20 September 2010" "netpbm documentation"

.SH NAME
bmptopnm - convert a BMP file into a PBM, PGM, or PNM image

.UN synopsis
.SH SYNOPSIS

\fBbmptopnm\fP

[\fB-verbose\fP]

[\fIbmpfile\fP]

.UN description
.SH DESCRIPTION
.PP
This program is part of
.BR Netpbm (1)
.
.PP
\fBbmptopnm\fP reads a Microsoft Windows or OS/2 BMP file as
input.  and produces a PBM, PGM, or PNM image as output.  If the input
is colormapped and contains only black and white, the output is PBM.
If the input is colormapped and contains only black white and gray,
the output is PGM.  Otherwise, the output is PPM.
.PP
\fBbmptopnm\fP understands BMP files compressed with run length
encoding (RLE4/RLE8), but not if that encoding includes a 'delta'
(which is rare).  \fBbmptopnm\fP recognizes the delta and issues an
error message.
.PP
\fBbmptopnm\fP cannot convert BMP files compressed with JPEG or
PNG encoding.  It recognizes the compression and issues an error
message.  Before Netpbm 10.32 (February 2006), \fBbmptopnm\fP
couldn't convert RLE BMP files either.
.PP
Before Netpbm 10.18 (September 2003), this program could not convert
BMP images with the BI_BITFIELDS format ("compression type").  It would
recognize the format and issue an error message.
.PP
\fBbmptopnm\fP cannot convert OS/2 BMP files with 16 bits per
pixel (only because the author did not have a complete specification
for them).  It recognizes the format and issues an error message.
Before Netpbm 10.16 (June 2003), it also could not convert Windows BMP
files with 16 bits per pixel.


.UN seealso
.SH SEE ALSO
.BR ppmtobmp (1)
,
.BR ppmtowinicon (1)
,
.BR ppm (5)


.UN author
.SH AUTHOR

Copyright (C) 1992 by David W. Sanderson.