fiascotopnm

Convert a compressed FIASCO file to a PNM file or in the case of video streams multiple PNM files

$ fiascotopnm [path/to/file.fiasco] [[-o|--output]] [output_file_basename]

$ fiascotopnm [[-z|--fast]] [path/to/file.fiasco] [[-o|--output]] [output_file_basename]

$ fiascotopnm [[-f|--config]] [path/to/fiascorc] [path/to/file.fiasco] [[-o|--output]] [output_file_basename]

$ fiascotopnm [[-m|--magnify]] [n] [path/to/file.fiasco] [[-o|--output]] [output_file_basename]

$ fiascotopnm [[-s|--smoothing]] [n] [path/to/file.fiasco] [[-o|--output]] [output_file_basename]

fiascotopnm [-verbose] [fiascofile]

-verbose
    Prints verbose progress messages to stderr during processing.

fiascofile
    Input FIASCO coefficient file (*.fiascocoeff). Reads from stdin if omitted.

fiascotopnm is a Netpbm utility that converts images stored in the FIASCO format to PNM (Portable Anymap) format, which includes PBM, PGM, or PPM depending on the image type.

FIASCO (Frankfurt Image Analysis System for Compression of Images) is an advanced wavelet-based image compression format developed by the Imaging Systems Lab at the University of Stuttgart. It supports both lossless and lossy compression with high quality, using embedded zero-tree wavelet (EZW) coding. FIASCO files typically consist of two parts: a .fiascocoeff file containing compressed wavelet coefficients and an optional .fiascodata file for additional data.

The command reads the coefficient file (or stdin), reconstructs the original image by inverse wavelet transform and decoding, and outputs raw PNM data to stdout. This makes it ideal for integrating FIASCO archives into standard image processing pipelines. It preserves the full dynamic range and color fidelity of the source.

Primarily used in research and specialized archiving, fiascotopnm bridges the gap between cutting-edge compression research and ubiquitous Netpbm tools.

Requires matching .fiascodata file in the same directory if present in the FIASCO image set. FIASCO is an obscure format; ensure wavelet reconstruction libraries are available. Outputs raw PNM—pipe to pnmtopng or viewers for display.

fiascotopnm image.fiascocoeff | pnmtopng > image.png
Converts FIASCO to PNG via PNM.

Naming convention: expects base.fiascocoeff and searches for base.fiascodata.

FIASCO developed 1998–2002 by University of Stuttgart researchers. fiascotopnm integrated into Netpbm suite around 2002 (version 10.0+), contributed by FIASCO team for broader interoperability.

pnmtofiasco(1), pnmtopnm(1), giftopnm(1)