JP2 to PFM Converter
Processing entirely on your device — large files may take a moment.
Convert PFM to PNG or JPG to get a viewable tone-mapped preview of float data. If your files are still in JP2 format, this page is the shortcut: JPEG 2000 (JP2) is the wavelet-based successor of JPG — better detail at equal bitrate plus a true lossless mode, still standard in archives, medical imaging and Digital Cinema.
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 JP2 compares to PFM
| JP2 | PFM | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Wavelet (lossy + lossless) | None (raw floats) |
| Transparency | Supported | Not supported |
| Animation | Not supported (MJ2 is separate) | Not supported |
| Metadata | XML boxes (EXIF/GPS) | Minimal header only |
| Best for | Archives, medical, cinema | HDR interchange, render passes |
How to convert JP2 to PFM
- 1
Select your files
Drag & drop your JP2 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 PFM". The conversion runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly — no upload, no queue, no waiting.
- 3
Download results
Download each converted PFM file individually, or grab everything at once as a ZIP archive.
About the JP2 format
JPEG 2000 (JP2) replaced JPG's DCT blocks with wavelet transforms: at the same bitrate it shows fewer blocky artifacts, and its lossless mode compresses better than JPG ever could. It was the format of early digital cinema and remains common in archives, medical systems and geospatial pipelines.
Browser support never arrived — Chrome, Firefox and Safari all skip it — so a JP2 file is often invisible on the web. Converting JP2 to JPG or PNG makes archival material viewable anywhere; converting the other way gives long-term storage better compression.
+Strengths
- ✓True lossless mode
- ✓Better quality per byte than JPG
- ✓ROI / progressive decoding built in
!Limitations
- −No browser support
- −Slow to encode compared to JPG
About the PFM format
PFM (Portable Float Map) stores pixels as raw 32-bit floating-point values — no palette, no compression tricks, just the numbers. It belongs to the Netpbm family (PBM/PGM/PPM) and is the lingua franca for handing high-dynamic-range data between renderers, tone-mapping experiments and radiance research scripts.
Because the values are floats, a PFM can hold sunlight and candlelight in the same image without clipping. Viewers rarely open it directly: convert to PNG or JPG to get a tone-mapped preview of the same data.
+Strengths
- ✓Full floating-point precision
- ✓Dead-simple text/binary layout
- ✓Widely read by research tooling
!Limitations
- −Enormous files (16 bytes per pixel)
- −Almost no viewer support
Why convert JP2 to PFM?
Converting makes sense where the strengths of PFM meet what JP2 cannot give you. Full floating-point precision Meanwhile No browser support One pass through the converter above puts your file on the right side of that trade-off.
Frequently asked questions
Is this JP2 to PFM 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 JP2 to PFM?
No — PFM is a lossless format, so every pixel of the converted image matches your original JP2 file. You can also adjust the quality/size balance before converting when the target format supports compression.
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 JP2 files matters (camera model, GPS, timestamps), keep the original file as the master and treat the converted copy as the shareable version.
Will transparent areas survive the conversion to PFM?
Transparency is kept whenever PFM actually supports an alpha channel. If the target format has none (like JPG), transparent areas are flattened onto a white background — that is a property of the format, not of this tool.