SIXEL to PFM Converter
Processing entirely on your device — large files may take a moment.
SIXEL is DEC's terminal graphics protocol — raster images rendered inline in VT340/xterm terminals, revived by modern terminal emulators for image display over SSH. Convert PFM to PNG or JPG to get a viewable tone-mapped preview of float data.
iLoveConverter processes everything locally on your computer, which makes it private and fast: no upload wait, no server storage, no limits. Add as many files as you like — batch conversion is built in.
How to convert SIXEL to PFM
- 1
Select your files
Drag & drop your SIXEL 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 SIXEL format
The DEC SIXEL Graphics coder of the ImageMagick set — the terminal-graphics format is written natively by the magick.wasm engine, entirely in your browser.
Obscure coder formats like this are exactly what template-driven converters list and never actually convert — here it really works.
+Strengths
- ✓Written natively by ImageMagick
- ✓Runs entirely in your browser
- ✓Free, private, no watermarks
!Limitations
- −Niche format — few modern readers
- −Feature subset varies by coder
- −Keep the original for re-editing
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 SIXEL to PFM?
There is a concrete reason this conversion exists: Niche format — few modern readers PFM sidesteps that — Full floating-point precision If that is your situation, the tool above settles it in seconds, entirely on your device.
Frequently asked questions
Is this SIXEL 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 SIXEL to PFM?
No — PFM is a lossless format, so every pixel of the converted image matches your original SIXEL file. You can also adjust the quality/size balance before converting when the target format supports compression.
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.
Can I convert several SIXEL 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.