What happens when you convert PPM to GIF
- ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, reads the PPM on our conversion server and saves it as a GIF with a 256-colour palette built from the image.
- GIF allows 256 colours, so photos pick up some banding. Graphics with flat colours convert cleanly.
- PPM stores pixels uncompressed, so the GIF is much smaller.
- This conversion runs on our server: the file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept. Files up to 25 MB are accepted.
How to convert PPM to GIF online
- Press "Choose PPM files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. Files up to 25 MB each can be converted.
- There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
- Press "Convert to GIF". The file is uploaded to our conversion server, converted in a few seconds, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result is sent back.
- Save each GIF with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your PPM and the GIF by then.
Why convert PPM to GIF?
PPM files usually come from output of scientific tools, camera and video software, and image-processing scripts. People convert them to GIF because a GIF loops silently in any chat app, email or forum post without a play button.
In short, PPM is good at what it was made for, and GIF is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. PPM does not open in browsers; GIMP, IrfanView and Photoshop open it, while GIF opens and animates in every browser.
How to convert PPM to GIF on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your PPM files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each GIF is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the PPM files from Finder onto the drop zone and the GIF files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose PPM files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted GIF appears in Files, in the Downloads folder; to put it in your photo library, open it there, tap Share and choose Save Image.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose PPM files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The GIF is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for PPM to GIF
There are no settings: the image keeps its full size.
Keep the PPM as your original, and convert from it again if you need another format.
PPM vs GIF: the differences
| PPM | GIF | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Portable Pixmap | Graphics Interchange Format |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | Jef Poskanzer (Netpbm) | CompuServe |
| First released | 1988 | 1987 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| Transparency | No | Yes |
| Animation | No | Yes |
| Vector or raster | Raster | Raster |
| Colour | 8 or 16 bits per channel, RGB | 256 colours per frame from a palette |
| In a browser | does not open in browsers; GIMP, IrfanView and Photoshop open it | opens and animates in every browser |
| Common uses | output of scientific tools, camera and video software, and image-processing scripts | short looping animations, reactions and simple graphics |
| MIME type | image/x-portable-pixmap | image/gif |
About PPM and GIF files
What is a PPM file?
PPM is about as simple as an image format gets: a short header with the width, height and maximum value, then the red, green and blue value of every pixel, uncompressed. That makes it easy for programs to write and very large on disk.
What is a GIF file?
GIF stores each frame with a palette of at most 256 colours, so photos turn grainy and animations get large fast. Transparency is on or off per pixel, with no soft edges.
PPM to GIF not working? Common problems
- "Files up to 25 MB can be converted." Server conversions have a size limit. Save the image at a smaller size first.
- "The conversion took too long and was stopped." Very long or complex files can pass the 90 second limit. Split the file and convert the parts.
- "This file is not really in PPM format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .ppm is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert PPM to GIF from the command line
ImageMagick does the same on your own computer:
magick input.ppm output.gifConverting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
PPM to GIF converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting PPM to GIF?
Photos lose some colour accuracy, because GIF is limited to 256 colours. Flat graphics look the same.
Why is the GIF a different size from the PPM?
Much smaller than the PPM, which stores every pixel uncompressed.
Are my PPM files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful PPM to GIF conversion needs ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, which cannot run in a browser. The file travels over an encrypted connection, is converted in a private temporary folder, and is deleted together with the GIF as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several PPM files to GIF at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open a GIF file?
GIF opens and animates in every browser. GIF is common for short looping animations, reactions and simple graphics.
Is this PPM to GIF converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Because this conversion uses our server, there is a fair-use limit of 25 MB per file and a number of files per hour, which stops the service being overloaded.
Can I convert PPM to GIF on my phone?
Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. The conversion happens on our server, so it is as fast on a phone as on a computer; the GIF is saved to your Downloads folder.