hipstopgm

Convert a HIPS file into a PGM image

$ hipstopgm [path/to/file.hips]

$ hipstopgm [[-q|-quiet]]

$ hipstopgm [[-v|-version]]

hipstopgm [-dims w,h[,planes]] [-verbose] [hipsfile]

-dims w,h[,planes]
    Overrides or sets image dimensions: width w, height h, optional planes count. Required if file lacks header info.

-verbose
    Prints progress messages to stderr during conversion.

hipstopgm is a utility from the Netpbm suite that converts HIPS image files, originally used by the Amiga Hold'It Picture Show paint program, into Portable Graymap (PGM) format.

HIPS files store grayscale images, often with multiple planes, and may lack explicit dimension information. hipstopgm reads the input file (or stdin) and produces a single-plane PGM image on stdout, suitable for further processing with other PNM tools.

Common use cases include archiving legacy Amiga graphics or converting for modern image viewers/editors. It handles raw pixel data extraction, assuming standard HIPS structure. Output is always grayscale (P2 or P5), discarding color if present in multi-plane files.

For best results, specify dimensions via -dims if the file header is incomplete. Verbose mode aids debugging large files.

Assumes standard HIPS format; non-standard or corrupted files may fail. Outputs single grayscale PGM only, multi-plane data flattened. No color support.

Reads hipsfile or stdin; writes PGM to stdout. Pipe to pnmtopng for PNG output:
hipstopgm file.hips | pnmtopng > file.png

Introduced in Netpbm around 1990s by Jef Poskanzer to support Amiga graphics migration. Maintained in Netpbm releases; minimal changes since.

pgm(5), pnm(1), netpbm(1), pgmtoppm(1)