ppmtojpeg(1)


NAME

   pnmtojpeg - convert PNM image to a JFIF ("JPEG") image

SYNOPSIS

   pnmtojpeg [ options ] [ filename ]

DESCRIPTION

   pnmtojpeg  converts  the  named  PBM,  PGM,  or  PPM image file, or the
   standard input if no file is named, to a  JFIF  file  on  the  standard
   output.

   pnmtojpeg  uses the Independent JPEG Group's JPEG library to create the
   output file.  See http://www.ijg.org for information on the library.

   "JFIF" is the correct name for  the  image  format  commonly  known  as
   "JPEG."  Strictly speaking, JPEG is a method of compression.  The image
   format using JPEG compression that is by far the most common  is  JFIF.
   There is also a subformat of TIFF that uses JPEG compression.

   EXIF  is  an  image  format that is a subformat of JFIF (to wit, a JFIF
   file that contains an  EXIF  header  as  an  APP1  marker).   pnmtojpeg
   creates an EXIF image when you specify the -exif option.

OPTIONS

   The basic options are:

   --exif=filespec
          This  option  specifies  that  the output image is to be EXIF (a
          subformat of JFIF), i.e. it will have an EXIF header as  a  JFIF
          APP1  marker.   The  contents of that marker are the contents of
          the specified file.  The special value - means to read the  EXIF
          header  contents  from standard input.  It is invalid to specify
          standard input for both the EXIF header and the input image.

          The EXIF file starts with a two byte field which is  the  length
          of  the  file,  including the length field, in pure binary, most
          significant byte first.  The  special  value  of  zero  for  the
          length  field means there is to be no EXIF header, i.e. the same
          as no -exif option.  This is useful for when you convert a  file
          from  JFIF  to  PNM  using  jpegtopnm,  then  transform it, then
          convert it back to JFIF  with  pnmtojpeg,  and  you  don't  know
          whether or not it includes an EXIF header.  jpegtopnm creates an
          EXIF file containing nothing but two  bytes  of  zero  when  the
          input  JFIF file has no EXIF header.  Thus, you can transfer any
          EXIF header from the input  JFIF  to  the  output  JFIF  without
          worrying about whether an EXIF header actually exists.

          The  contents  of  the  EXIF file after the length field are the
          exact byte for byte contents of the APP1  marker,  not  counting
          the length field, that constitutes the EXIF header.

   --quality=n
          Scale  quantization  tables  to  adjust  image  quality.  n is 0
          (worst) to 100 (best); default  is  75.   (See  below  for  more
          info.)

   --grayscale

   --greyscale
          Create  gray  scale  JFIF  file.   With  this  option, pnmtojpeg
          converts color input to gray scale.  If you don't  specify  this
          option,  The output file is in color format if the input is PPM,
          and grayscale format if the input is PBM or PGM.

          In the PPM input case, even if all the colors in the  image  are
          gray,  the  output is in color format.  Of course, the colors in
          it are still gray.  The difference is that color format takes up
          a lot more space and takes longer to create and process.

   --optimize
          Perform  optimization  of  entropy encoding parameters.  Without
          this, pnmtojpeg uses default  encoding  parameters.   --optimize
          usually makes the JFIF file a little smaller, but pnmtojpeg runs
          somewhat slower and needs much more memory.  Image  quality  and
          speed of decompression are unaffected by --optimize.

   --progressive
          Create a progressive JPEG file (see below).

   --comment=text
          Include  a  comment marker in the JFIF output, with comment text
          text.  Without this option, there are no comment markers in  the
          output.

   The  --quality  option  lets you trade off compressed file size against
   quality of the reconstructed image: the higher the quality setting, the
   larger  the  JFIF  file, and the closer the output image will be to the
   original input.  Normally you want to use the  lowest  quality  setting
   (smallest    file)    that   decompresses   into   something   visually
   indistinguishable from  the  original  image.   For  this  purpose  the
   quality setting should be between 50 and 95; the default of 75 is often
   about right.  If you see defects at --quality=75, then go up  5  or  10
   counts  at  a  time  until  you  are happy with the output image.  (The
   optimal setting will vary from one image to another.)

   --quality=100 generates a quantization table  of  all  1's,  minimizing
   loss  in  the quantization step (but there is still information loss in
   subsampling, as well as roundoff error).  This  setting  is  mainly  of
   interest  for experimental purposes.  Quality values above about 95 are
   not recommended for normal  use;  the  compressed  file  size  goes  up
   dramatically for hardly any gain in output image quality.

   In the other direction, quality values below 50 will produce very small
   files of low image quality.  Settings around 5 to 10 might be useful in
   preparing  an  index  of  a  large  image  library,  for  example.  Try
   --quality=2 (or so) for some amusing Cubist  effects.   (Note:  quality
   values  below  about  25 generate 2-byte quantization tables, which are
   considered optional in the JFIF standard.  pnmtojpeg  emits  a  warning
   message  when  you  give  such a quality value, because some other JFIF
   programs may be unable to decode the resulting file.  Use --baseline if
   you need to ensure compatibility at low quality values.)

   The  --progressive  option  creates a "progressive JPEG" file.  In this
   type of JFIF file, the data is stored in multiple scans  of  increasing
   quality.   If  the file is being transmitted over a slow communications
   link, the decoder can use the first scan to display a low-quality image
   very  quickly,  and  can  then improve the display with each subsequent
   scan.  The final image is exactly equivalent to a standard JFIF file of
   the  same quality setting, and the total file size is about the same --
   often a little smaller.  Caution: progressive JPEG is  not  yet  widely
   implemented, so many decoders will be unable to view a progressive JPEG
   file at all.

   Options for advanced users:

   --dct=int
          Use integer DCT method (default).

   --dct=fast
          Use fast integer DCT (less accurate).

   --dct=float
          Use  floating-point  DCT  method.   The  float  method  is  very
          slightly  more  accurate than the int method, but is much slower
          unless your machine has very fast floating-point hardware.  Also
          note that results of the floating-point method may vary slightly
          across machines, while the integer methods should give the  same
          results  everywhere.   The  fast  integer  method  is  much less
          accurate than the other two.

   --restart=n
          Emit a JPEG restart marker every n MCU  rows,  or  every  n  MCU
          blocks if you append B to the number.  --restart 0 (the default)
          means no restart markers.

   --smooth=n
          Smooth the input image to eliminate dithering noise.  n, ranging
          from  1  to  100,  indicates  the strength of smoothing.  0 (the
          default) means no smoothing.

   --maxmemory=n
          Set a limit for amount of memory  to  use  in  processing  large
          images.  Value is in thousands of bytes, or millions of bytes if
          you append M to  the  number.   For  example,  --max=4m  selects
          4,000,000  bytes.   If  pnmtojpeg  needs more space, it will use
          temporary files.

   --verbose
          Print to the Standard Error file messages about  the  conversion
          process.  This can be helpful in debugging problems.

   The --restart option tells pnmtojpeg to insert extra markers that allow
   a JPEG decoder to resynchronize after a  transmission  error.   Without
   restart  markers, any damage to a compressed file will usually ruin the
   image from the point of the error to the end of the image; with restart
   markers,  the damage is usually confined to the portion of the image up
   to the next restart marker.  Of  course,  the  restart  markers  occupy
   extra  space.   We  recommend  --restart=1  for  images  that  will  be
   transmitted across unreliable networks such as Usenet.

   The --smooth option filters the input to  eliminate  fine-scale  noise.
   This  is  often  useful  when  converting  dithered  images to JFIF:  a
   moderate smoothing factor of 10 to 50 gets rid of dithering patterns in
   the  input  file, resulting in a smaller JFIF file and a better-looking
   image.  Too large a smoothing  factor  will  visibly  blur  the  image,
   however.

   Options for wizards:

   --baseline
          Force  baseline-compatible  quantization tables to be generated.
          This clamps quantization values to 8 bits even  at  low  quality
          settings.   (This  switch  is  poorly  named,  since it does not
          ensure that the output is actually baseline JPEG.  For  example,
          you can use --baseline and --progressive together.)

   --qtables=filespec
          Use the quantization tables given in the specified text file.

   --qslots=n[,...]
          Select which quantization table to use for each color component.

   --sample=HxV[,...]
          Set JPEG sampling factors for each color component.

   --scans=filespec
          Use the scan script given in the specified text file.  See below
          for information on scan scripts.

   The "wizard" options are intended for experimentation  with  JPEG.   If
   you  don't know what you are doing, don't use them.  These switches are
   documented  further  in  the  file  wizard.doc  that  comes  with   the
   Independent JPEG Group's JPEG library.

EXAMPLES

   This  example  compresses the PPM file foo.ppm with a quality factor of
   60 and saves the output as foo.jpg:

          pnmtojpeg --quality=60 foo.ppm > foo.jpg

          cat foo.bmp | bmptoppm | pnmtojpeg > foo.jpg

HINTS

   JFIF is not ideal for cartoons, line drawings, and  other  images  that
   have  only  a  few distinct colors.  For those, try instead pnmtopng or
   ppmtobmp.  If you need to convert such an image to  JFIF,  though,  you
   should  experiment  with  pnmtojpeg's --quality and --smooth options to
   get a satisfactory conversion.  --smooth 10 or so is often helpful.

   JPEG compression is notable for being  a  "lossy."   This  means  that,
   unlike  with  most  graphics  conversions,  you lose information, which
   means image quality, when you convert to JFIF.  If you convert from PPM
   to JFIF and back repeatedly, image quality loss will accumulate.  After
   ten or so cycles the image may be noticeably worse than  it  was  after
   one cycle.

   Because  of  this, you should do all the manipulation you have to do on
   the image in some other format and convert to JFIF as  the  last  step.
   And  if you can keep a copy in the original format, so much the better.
   PNG is a good choice for a format that is lossless, yet fairly compact.
   GIF  is another way to go, but chances are you can't create a GIF image
   without owing a lot of money to Unisys and IBM, holders of  patents  on
   the LZW compression used in the GIF format.

   The --optimize option to pnmtojpeg is worth using when you are making a
   "final" version for posting or archiving.  It's also a win when you are
   using  low  quality  settings  to  make  very  small  JFIF  files;  the
   percentage improvement is often a lot more than it is on larger  files.
   (At  present,  --optimize  mode  is  automatically  in  effect when you
   generate a progressive JPEG file).

   Another program,  cjpeg,  is  similar.   cjpeg  is  maintained  by  the
   Independent  JPEG  Group  and  packaged  with  the  JPEG  library which
   pnmtojpeg uses for all its JPEG work.  Because of that, you may  expect
   it to exploit more current JPEG features.  Also, since you have to have
   the library to run pnmtojpeg, but not vice versa,  cjpeg  may  be  more
   commonly available.

   On  the  other hand, cjpeg does not use the NetPBM libraries to process
   its input, as all the NetPBM tools such as pnmtojpeg do.  This means it
   is  less  likely to be consistent with all the other programs that deal
   with the NetPBM formats.  Also, the  command  syntax  of  pnmtojpeg  is
   consistent with that of the other Netpbm tools, unlike cjpeg.

SCAN SCRIPTS

   Use the -scan option to specify a scan script.  Or use the -progressive
   option to specify a particular built-in scan script.

   Just what a scan script is, and the basic format  of  the  scan  script
   file, is covered in the wizard.doc file that comes with the Independent
   JPEG Group's JPEG library.  Scan scripts are same for pnmtojpeg as  the
   are for cjpeg.

   This  section  contains additional information that isn't, but probably
   should be, in that document.

   First, there are many restrictions on what is a valid scan script.  The
   JPEG  library,  and  thus  pnmtojpeg, checks thoroughly for any lack of
   compliance with these restrictions, but does little to tell you how the
   script  fails  to  comply.  The messages are very general and sometimes
   untrue.

   To start with, the entries for the DC coefficient must come before  any
   entries  for the AC coefficients.  The DC coefficient is Coefficient 0;
   all the other coefficients are AC coefficients.  So in an entry for the
   DC coefficient, the two numbers after the colon must be 0 and 0.  In an
   entry for AC coefficients, the first number after the colon must not be
   0.

   In  a DC entry, the color components must be in increasing order.  E.g.
   "0,2,1" before the colon is wrong.  So is "0,0,0".

   In an entry for an AC  coeffient,  you  must  specify  only  one  color
   component.  I.e. there can be only one number before the colon.

   In  the first entry for a particular coefficient for a particular color
   component, the "Ah" value must be zero, but the Al  value  can  be  any
   valid  bit number.  In subsequent entries, Ah must be the Al value from
   the previous entry (for that coefficient for that color component), and
   the Al value must be one less than the Ah value.

   The  script  must ultimately specify at least some of the DC coefficent
   for every color  component.   Otherwise,  you  get  the  error  message
   "Script  does  not transmit all the data."  You need not specify all of
   the bits of the DC coefficient, or any of the AC coefficients.

   There is a standard option in building the JPEG library  to  omit  scan
   script capability.  If for some reason your library was built with this
   option, you get the message "Requested feature was omitted  at  compile
   time."

ENVIRONMENT

   JPEGMEM
          If  this  environment  variable is set, its value is the default
          memory limit.  The value  is  specified  as  described  for  the
          --maxmemory  option.   An  explicit --maxmemory option overrides
          any JPEGMEM.

SEE ALSO

   cjpeg(1), djpeg(1), jpegtran(1), rdjpgcom(1), wrjpgcom(1)
   ppm(5), pgm(5), jpegtopnm(1)
   Wallace, Gregory K.  "The JPEG  Still  Picture  Compression  Standard",
   Communications of the ACM, April 1991 (vol. 34, no. 4), pp. 30-44.

LIMITATIONS

   Arithmetic coding is not supported for legal reasons.

   The program could be much faster.

AUTHOR

   pnmtojpeg  and  this man page were derived in large part from cjpeg, by
   the  Independent  JPEG  Group.   The  program  is  otherwise  by  Bryan
   Henderson on March 07, 2000.

                             07 March 2000                    PNMTOJPEG(1)





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