FITS to QOI Converter
Processing entirely on your device — large files may take a moment.
Flexible Image Transport System and Quite OK Image exist for different jobs: FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) is the data format of professional astronomy — every image carries a human-readable header with telescope, exposure and world coordinates alongside the raw pixel data. QOI is popular with hobbyist engines and emulators; convert to PNG to view it anywhere.
This converter runs entirely in your browser using WebAssembly — your files never leave your device, nothing is uploaded, and there are no watermarks, sign-ups or queues. Drop in several files at once to convert them as a batch.
How FITS compares to QOI
| FITS | QOI | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | None (optionally Rice/GZIP) | Lossless (RLE/delta) |
| Transparency | Not supported | Supported |
| Animation | Not supported | Not supported |
| Metadata | Rich text header (WCS) | None |
| Best for | Telescope frames, science data | Hobby engines, lossless simplicity |
How to convert FITS to QOI
- 1
Select your files
Drag & drop your FITS files onto the area above, or click to browse. You can add multiple files at once for batch conversion.
- 2
Convert instantly
Click "Convert to QOI". The conversion runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly — no upload, no queue, no waiting.
- 3
Download results
Download each converted QOI file individually, or grab everything at once as a ZIP archive.
About the FITS format
FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) has carried professional astronomy data since 1981: every file opens with a plain-text header that records telescope, instrument, exposure, filters and world coordinates, followed by raw pixel arrays — often 16-bit or float, sometimes data cubes.
Values can be negative or far above display range, so FITS never looks right in a photo viewer. Converting to PNG applies a simple scaling pass that reveals the nebula or galaxy in the numbers — good for previews, while science pipelines keep the original.
+Strengths
- ✓Self-documenting science headers
- ✓High bit depth (16/32-bit, float)
- ✓The standard of every observatory
!Limitations
- −Not display-ready
- −Files are large and uncompressed
About the QOI format
QOI (Quite OK Image, 2021) is a lossless format defined in one short specification document: a stream of simple run-length and delta ops over linear pixels. An encoder fits in 300 lines, decodes faster than PNG, and compresses comparably for photographic content.
It has found a home in emulators, demoscene projects and hobby engines — anywhere people want images without a codec dependency. Viewers rarely support it, so converting QOI to PNG is the way to bring these files into normal tools.
+Strengths
- ✓Radically simple spec (~200 lines)
- ✓Lossless with fast decode
- ✓No patent or licensing questions
!Limitations
- −Almost no viewer support
- −Larger than modern codecs for many images
Why convert FITS to QOI?
There is a concrete reason this conversion exists: Not display-ready QOI sidesteps that — Radically simple spec (~200 lines) If that is your situation, the tool above settles it in seconds, entirely on your device.
Frequently asked questions
Is this FITS to QOI converter really free?
Yes — completely free, with no sign-up, no watermark and no daily conversion limits. The site is supported by advertising.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. The conversion runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly, so your files never leave your device — that is what makes it instant and private.
Does it work on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android?
Yes. Anything with a modern browser works: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. No software installation is required.
Will I lose quality converting FITS to QOI?
No — QOI is a lossless format, so every pixel of the converted image matches your original FITS file. You can also adjust the quality/size balance before converting when the target format supports compression.
Can I convert several FITS files at once?
Yes — drop as many files as you like into the tool and they are converted in one batch. When more than one file comes out, everything is bundled into a ZIP for a single download.
What happens to EXIF data and other metadata?
Conversions here re-encode the image, and re-encoding generally does not carry the original metadata over. If the EXIF data of your FITS files matters (camera model, GPS, timestamps), keep the original file as the master and treat the converted copy as the shareable version.