Image format

PCX

A legacy Paintbrush raster format with planar colour storage and run-length compression.

Convert PCX to

Choose a target format for your PCX images.

JPEGJPEGPCX → JPEG PNGPNGPCX → PNG WebPWebPPCX → WebP AVIFAVIFPCX → AVIF HEICHEICPCX → HEIC HEIFHEIFPCX → HEIF

All 21 conversions

GIFGIFPCX → GIFWith caveat TIFFTIFFPCX → TIFF BMPBMPPCX → BMP ICOICOPCX → ICO JPEG XLJPEG XLPCX → JPEG XL JPEG 2000JPEG 2000PCX → JPEG 2000 QOIQOIPCX → QOI TGATGAPCX → TGA PPMPPMPCX → PPM PGMPGMPCX → PGMWith caveat PBMPBMPCX → PBMWith caveat PAMPAMPCX → PAM HDRHDRPCX → HDR EXREXRPCX → EXR PDFPDFPCX → PDF

Marked paths may need steps such as flattening, rasterization, tone mapping or animation loss.

Convert to PCX

Choose a source format to convert to PCX.

JPEGJPEGJPEG → PCX PNGPNGPNG → PCX WebPWebPWebP → PCX AVIFAVIFAVIF → PCX HEICHEICHEIC → PCX HEIFHEIFHEIF → PCX

All 36 conversions

GIFGIFGIF → PCXWith caveat TIFFTIFFTIFF → PCX BMPBMPBMP → PCX SVGSVGSVG → PCX ICOICOICO → PCX JPEG XLJPEG XLJPEG XL → PCX JPEG 2000JPEG 2000JPEG 2000 → PCX QOIQOIQOI → PCX TGATGATGA → PCX PPMPPMPPM → PCX PGMPGMPGM → PCX PBMPBMPBM → PCX PAMPAMPAM → PCX HDRHDRHDR → PCXWith caveat EXREXREXR → PCXWith caveat PSDPSDPSD → PCXWith caveat PDFPDFPDF → PCXWith caveat DNGDNGDNG → PCX Canon CR2Canon CR2Canon CR2 → PCX Canon CR3Canon CR3Canon CR3 → PCX Canon CRWCanon CRWCanon CRW → PCX Nikon NEFNikon NEFNikon NEF → PCX Sony ARWSony ARWSony ARW → PCX Fujifilm RAFFujifilm RAFFujifilm RAF → PCX Olympus ORFOlympus ORFOlympus ORF → PCX Panasonic RW2Panasonic RW2Panasonic RW2 → PCX Pentax PEFPentax PEFPentax PEF → PCX Sigma X3FSigma X3FSigma X3F → PCX Kodak RAWKodak RAWKodak RAW → PCX Hasselblad 3FRHasselblad 3FRHasselblad 3FR → PCX

Marked paths may need steps such as flattening, rasterization, tone mapping or animation loss.

About PCX

ZSoft PC Paintbrush

ZSoft designed PCX for PC Paintbrush. The header describes image bounds, resolution, bits per plane and plane count. These fields allow monochrome, indexed-colour and truecolour layouts. A PCX file is a raster picture rather than a modern layered document, and its hardware-era colour organization matters to decoding.

Run-length encoding compresses the stored bytes losslessly. Scanline padding and separate colour planes must be interpreted correctly; an 8-bit palette may follow the image data rather than sit entirely in the header. A 24-bit truecolour PCX uses three 8-bit planes and does not imply an alpha channel.

Use PCX to read and preserve assets from compatible Paintbrush-era applications and older game pipelines. Keep an original when archival fidelity includes palette or header information. For ordinary image exchange, export a rendered copy to PNG; changing the extension alone does not convert the planar layout.

Key capabilities

Compression: Lossless
Transparency: No
Animation: No
Extensions: .pcx
MIME type: image/vnd.zbrush.pcx, image/x-pcx · x-pcx is a deprecated alias
Metadata: Resolution, Palette information
Best for: Legacy graphics & game assets
Colour depth: Palette or 24-bit RGB

PCX RLE is lossless for stored samples. Palette reduction is a separate potentially lossy step; colour planes are channels, not editable composition layers.

History of PCX

PCX developed with PC Paintbrush and changing PC display hardware. Its later MIME registration documents a legacy format, not a new codec.

1985
Paintbrush file format
The IANA registration identifies ZSoft’s PC Paintbrush as the original application and dates the format to 1985.
PC Paintbrush revisions
Hardware-oriented variants
The ZSoft reference distinguishes versions and colour-plane layouts. Its version field records the evolution from earlier palettized files to later 256-colour and truecolour representations.
1991
A mature legacy format
IANA records the last format update as 1991 and notes uses for game assets and screenshots in the late 1980s and 1990s.
2015
Registered media type
image/vnd.zbrush.pcx is registered on 3 April 2015; the registration lists image/x-pcx as a deprecated alias. The identifier refers to the existing PCX format.

PCX compared

Different formats, different trade-offs. Choose for the image and the workflow.

PNG

PCX vs PNG

PNG preserves decoded pixels losslessly and can carry alpha. It is useful for transparent graphics and screenshots; it does not preserve editable document layers or camera sensor data, and photographic files can be large.

BMP

PCX vs BMP

BMP suits Windows bitmap interchange and simple pixel inspection. Uncompressed variants are easy to decode but can be large; palette, alpha and colour-profile behaviour depend on the header version.

TGA

PCX vs TGA

TGA offers straightforward raster storage, optional RLE and alpha for compatible asset pipelines. Its simplicity is useful for textures, while PNG offers a more explicitly standardised web and colour-metadata workflow.

GIF

PCX vs GIF

GIF is useful for simple indexed-colour animation. Each colour table has at most 256 entries and transparency is a selected palette index, so smooth photographic colour and partial alpha favour other formats.

PCX FAQ

What does this format store?

How does compression affect quality?

PCX RLE is lossless for stored samples. Palette reduction is a separate potentially lossy step; colour planes are channels, not editable composition layers.

Is every PCX limited to 256 colours?

No. Indexed variants use palettes, but version-5 truecolour files can use three 8-bit colour planes. The header’s bits-per-plane and plane-count fields determine the layout.

What should I check before opening the file?

Check support for the specific PCX version, planes and trailing palette. Do not treat a file that happens to end in .pcx as proof of a particular colour mode.

What changes when I export to another format?

A decoded PNG can preserve rendered pixels, but not necessarily the PCX palette layout or header information. Grayscale and bitonal exports intentionally remove colour; JPEG adds another lossy stage.

When is this format useful?

Sources

PCX