PAM Files

These are some examples of PAM files. "PAM" stands for "Portable Any Map".

Of course, we were told that "PNM" stood for the same thing. The difference is the following: PNM is a generic name for the six variations of Jef Poskanzer's portable bit/gray/pixel maps, (PBM, PGM, and PPM) whether ASCII or binary. Thus a PNM file is actually a file in any one of these six formats.

By contrast, a PAM file is a new format, which can store ASCII bit, gray or pixel maps.

PAM files are:

• ASCII
• B/W, Gray, or Color
• 2D
• No compression
• 1 image

Reference 1:

the NETPBM homepage.

Programs to view a PAM file include:

• None that I know of!

Routines to read a file in PAM format:

• PAM_IO.

Programs to write a PAM file:

• PAM_IO.

Programs to convert a file to PAM format:

• None that I know of!

Files you may copy:

• circle.pam, a circle, RGB;
• ellipse.pam, an ellipse, black and white;
• grays.pam, a pattern of rays, gray;