How to use the command 'pamtopnm' (with examples)

The ‘pamtopnm’ command is used to convert a PAM image to an equivalent PNM image. PNM is a family of image formats including PBM (Portable Bit Map), PGM (Portable Gray Map), and PPM (Portable Pixel Map). By using ‘pamtopnm’, you can convert PAM images to any of these PNM formats.

Use case 1: Convert a PAM image to an equivalent PNM image

Code:

pamtopnm path/to/image.pam > path/to/output.pbm|pgm|ppm

Motivation:

Converting a PAM image to a PNM image can be useful in various scenarios. For example, if you have an image in the PAM format and you want to display it or process it using a tool that only supports PNM formats, you can convert the image to a PBM, PGM, or PPM format using ‘pamtopnm’.

Explanation:

• pamtopnm: The command itself.

• path/to/image.pam: The path to the input PAM image file.

• >: This redirection operator tells the command to write the converted image to a file.

• path/to/output.pbm|pgm|ppm: The path to the output file. You can choose the desired PNM format by replacing the .pbm extension with .pgm for PGM format or .ppm for PPM format.

Example output:

If you run the following command:

pamtopnm path/to/image.pam > path/to/output.pbm

The PAM image specified by path/to/image.pam will be converted to a PBM image and saved in the file specified by path/to/output.pbm.

Use case 2: Display version

Code:

pamtopnm -version

Motivation:

Displaying the version of ‘pamtopnm’ can be useful when troubleshooting issues or ensuring that you have the latest version of the command installed.

Explanation:

• pamtopnm: The command itself.

• -version: This argument tells the command to display its version information.

Example output:

Running the command pamtopnm -version will output the version information of the ‘pamtopnm’ command, providing details such as the version number and any other relevant information.