pbmtomacp

Convert a PBM image to a MACP file

$ pbmtomacp [path/to/image.pbm] > [path/to/output.macp]

$ pbmtomacp [[-n|-norle]] [path/to/image.pbm] > [path/to/output.macp]

pbmtomacp [-format=pict-format]

-format=pict-format
    Specifies the PICT format version to output. pict-format can be:
1: Outputs a monochrome-only PICT. This is the default.
2: Outputs a color PICT, even though the input PBM is monochrome. This can be useful for proper interaction when pasting the resulting PICT into a color document on a Macintosh.

pbmtomacp is a utility from the Netpbm project. It reads a Portable BitMap (PBM) image from standard input and converts it into a Macintosh PICT format image, writing the output to standard output. The PBM format is a simple, single-bit-per-pixel format suitable for black and white images. Macintosh PICT is a graphics file format primarily used on older Apple Macintosh computers. This command is particularly useful for converting monochrome images for use in legacy Macintosh applications or environments that specifically require the PICT format. It functions as a specialized converter within the broader Netpbm toolkit, allowing for interoperability between different graphics ecosystems.

The PICT format is an older Macintosh graphics format, largely superseded by more modern formats like JPEG, PNG, and TIFF. This command is primarily for compatibility with legacy systems and applications. Since PBM images are strictly monochrome, pbmtomacp cannot convert them into color images, though it can wrap the monochrome data in a color PICT structure (using -format=2).

pbmtomacp reads a PBM image from standard input (stdin) and writes the converted Macintosh PICT image to standard output (stdout). It is commonly used as part of a pipeline with other Netpbm utilities.

pbmtomacp is part of the Netpbm package, which originated from the PBMPLUS toolkit created by Jef Poskanzer in the late 1980s. The Netpbm suite was developed to provide a comprehensive set of tools for converting and manipulating various graphics file formats, especially for Unix-like systems. The inclusion of pbmtomacp reflects the need for cross-platform compatibility, particularly with the then-prevalent Macintosh ecosystem and its proprietary PICT format. Its development was driven by the requirement to integrate images from Unix environments into Macintosh desktop publishing and graphics applications.

pbm(5), pnm(5), pnmtopict(1), netpbm(1)