An HDR container adds no captured range
This stores display pixels in RGBE; it does not create new HDR detail.
Convert PCX to HDR
- In your browser
- No upload
- Private by design
What happens when you convert PCX to HDR?
Lossless sample storage
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. HDR 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.
PCX
Source
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 →HDR
Target
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 →Is PCX → HDR right for you?
Good choice when
- HDR fits your delivery use: Lighting environments & radiometry.
- You need an image in an HDR-capable working pipeline.
- You need lossless storage of the rendered samples supported by HDR.
- You can validate the destination’s sample precision and colour interpretation.
Probably not when
- You expect new highlight or shadow detail from a container change.
- You expect lossless encoding to restore lost details or editing structure.
- You require identical samples without a defined colour and precision policy.
PCX to HDR conversion details
- An HDR container adds no captured range
- This stores display pixels in RGBE; it does not create new HDR detail.
- Lossless sample storage
- 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. HDR 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.
- 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
- PCX: Lossless → HDR: Lossless PCX: PCX RLE is lossless for stored samples. Palette reduction is a separate potentially lossy step; colour planes are channels, not editable composition layers. 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.
- Colour depth
- PCX: Palette or 24-bit RGB → HDR: 32-bit RGBE / XYZE pixel
- 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
Can HDR recover clipped highlights?
This stores display pixels in RGBE; it does not create new HDR detail.
Does lossless output mean an unchanged source?
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. HDR 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.
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.