HDR to SDR
HDR is rendered to SDR using exposure and Reinhard tone mapping.
Convert HDR to PCX
- In your browser
- No upload
- Private by design
What happens when you convert HDR to PCX?
Lossless sample storage
PCX RLE is lossless for stored samples. Palette reduction is a separate potentially lossy step; colour planes are channels, not editable composition layers. PCX can store its supported image samples without lossy compression. This applies after rendering and sample conversion: it does not guarantee preservation of source precision, colour space or document structure, and cannot undo earlier losses.
8-bit destination samples
Pixel conversion only. Original EXIF, GPS, XMP and ICC profiles are not copied; processing uses 8-bit display pixels.
HDR
Source
HDR
Radiance HDR / RGBE
Compression: LosslessTransparency: NoMetadata: Radiance header, EXPOSURE, FORMAT
Radiance pictures with a shared exponent for high-dynamic-range lighting values.
Explore HDR format →PCX
Target
PCX
ZSoft PC Paintbrush
Compression: LosslessTransparency: NoMetadata: Resolution, Palette information
A legacy Paintbrush raster format with planar colour storage and run-length compression.
Explore PCX format →Is HDR → PCX right for you?
Good choice when
- PCX fits your delivery use: Legacy graphics & game assets.
- You need an SDR delivery copy and can review its tone mapping.
- You need lossless storage of the rendered samples supported by PCX.
- 8-bit colour is sufficient for your destination.
Probably not when
- You need the original HDR range for relighting or grading.
- You expect lossless encoding to restore lost details or editing structure.
- You need higher-precision samples for grading or measurement.
- You require identical samples without a defined colour and precision policy.
HDR to PCX conversion details
- HDR to SDR
- HDR is rendered to SDR using exposure and Reinhard tone mapping.
- Lossless sample storage
- PCX RLE is lossless for stored samples. Palette reduction is a separate potentially lossy step; colour planes are channels, not editable composition layers. PCX can store its supported image samples without lossy compression. This applies after rendering and sample conversion: it does not guarantee preservation of source precision, colour space or document structure, and cannot undo earlier losses.
- 8-bit destination samples
- Pixel conversion only. Original EXIF, GPS, XMP and ICC profiles are not copied; processing uses 8-bit display pixels.
- Sample precision & colour
- Pixel conversion only. Original EXIF, GPS, XMP and ICC profiles are not copied; processing uses 8-bit display pixels.
- Metadata & colour
- Pixel conversion only. Original EXIF, GPS, XMP and ICC profiles are not copied; processing uses 8-bit display pixels.
- Compression
- HDR: Lossless → PCX: Lossless HDR: RLE preserves stored RGBE bytes; RGBE quantization is not exact storage of arbitrary float RGB. The .hdr format is distinct from the general concept of HDR photography. PCX: PCX RLE is lossless for stored samples. Palette reduction is a separate potentially lossy step; colour planes are channels, not editable composition layers.
- Colour depth
- HDR: 32-bit RGBE / XYZE pixel → PCX: Palette or 24-bit RGB
- HDR
- HDR: Radiometric values
- Dimensions
- Rendered image dimensions are retained within the converter limits; this tool does not offer resizing. Orientation handling depends on the source decoder.
- Metadata
- Pixel conversion only. Original EXIF, GPS, XMP and ICC profiles are not copied; processing uses 8-bit display pixels.
Common questions
How will HDR brightness be mapped?
HDR is rendered to SDR using exposure and Reinhard tone mapping.
Does lossless output mean an unchanged source?
PCX RLE is lossless for stored samples. Palette reduction is a separate potentially lossy step; colour planes are channels, not editable composition layers. PCX can store its supported image samples without lossy compression. This applies after rendering and sample conversion: it does not guarantee preservation of source precision, colour space or document structure, and cannot undo earlier losses.
Can this output keep higher-than-8-bit samples?
Pixel conversion only. Original EXIF, GPS, XMP and ICC profiles are not copied; processing uses 8-bit display pixels.
Are bit depth and colour values guaranteed to match?
Pixel conversion only. Original EXIF, GPS, XMP and ICC profiles are not copied; processing uses 8-bit display pixels.
Will metadata and colour profiles be retained?
Pixel conversion only. Original EXIF, GPS, XMP and ICC profiles are not copied; processing uses 8-bit display pixels.