{
    "mode": "man",
    "parameter": "rletopnm",
    "section": "1",
    "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/rletopnm/1/json",
    "generated": "2026-06-03T12:17:05Z",
    "synopsis": "rletopnm   [--alphaout={alpha-filename,-}]   [--headerdump|-h]   [--verbose|-v]  [--plain|-p]\n[rlefile|-]\nAll options may be abbreviated to their minimum unique abbreviation and options and arguments\nmay be in any order.",
    "sections": {
        "NAME": {
            "content": "rletopnm - convert a Utah Raster Tools RLE image file into a PNM image file.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SYNOPSIS": {
            "content": "rletopnm   [--alphaout={alpha-filename,-}]   [--headerdump|-h]   [--verbose|-v]  [--plain|-p]\n[rlefile|-]\n\nAll options may be abbreviated to their minimum unique abbreviation and options and arguments\nmay be in any order.\n\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "DESCRIPTION": {
            "content": "This  program  converts  Utah  Raster Toolkit RLE image files into PNM image files.  rletopnm\nhandles four types of RLE files: Grayscale (8 bit data, no color  map),  Pseudocolor  (8  bit\ndata with a color map), Truecolor (24 bit data with color map), and Directcolor (24 bit data,\nno color map).  rletopnm generates a PPM file for all these cases except  for  the  Grayscale\nfile, for which rletopnm generates a PGM file.\n\nrlefile is the RLE input file.  If it is absent or -, the input comes from Standard Input.\n\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "OPTIONS": {
            "content": "--alphaout=alpha-filename\nrletopnm  creates a PGM (portable graymap) file containing the alpha channel values in\nthe input image.  If the input image doesn't contain an alpha channel, the alpha-file‐\nname  file  contains  all zero (transparent) alpha values.  If you don't specify --al‐‐\nphaout, rletopnm does not generate an alpha file, and if the input image has an  alpha\nchannel, rletopnm simply discards it.\n\nIf  you specify - as the filename, rletopnm writes the alpha output to Standard Output\nand discards the image.\n\nSee pnmcomp(1) for one way to use the alpha output file.\n",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "--verbose",
                    "content": "This option causes rletopnm to operate in verbose mode.  It prints messages about what\nit's doing, including the contents of the RLE image header, to Standard Error.\n",
                    "long": "--verbose"
                },
                {
                    "name": "--headerdump",
                    "content": "This option causes rletopnm to operate in header dump mode.  It prints the contents of\nthe RLE image header to Standard Error, but does not produce any other output.\n",
                    "long": "--headerdump"
                },
                {
                    "name": "--plain",
                    "content": "This option causes the PNM output file to be in the \"plain\" (text) format, instead  of\nthe  default  \"raw\" (binary) format.  See ppm(5) and pgm(5) for details on the differ‐\nence.\n\n",
                    "long": "--plain"
                }
            ]
        },
        "EXAMPLES": {
            "content": "",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "rletopnm --verbose lenna.rle >lenna.ppm",
                    "content": "While running in verbose mode, convert lenna.rle to PPM format and store the resulting\nimage as lenna.ppm.\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "rletopnm --headerdump file.rle",
                    "content": "Dump the header information of the RLE file called file.rle.\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "rletopnm --alphaout=dartalpha.pgm dart.rle >dart.ppm",
                    "content": "Convert  RLE  file  dart.rle  to  PPM  format as dart.ppm.  Store the alpha channel of\ndart.rle as dartalpha.pgm (if dart.rle doesn't have an alpha channel,  store  a  fully\ntransparent alpha mask as dartalpha.pgm).\n\n"
                }
            ]
        },
        "SEE ALSO": {
            "content": "pnmtorle(1), pnmconvol(1), pnm(5), ppm(5), pgm(5), urt(1), RLE(5)\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "AUTHOR": {
            "content": "Wes Barris\nArmy High Performance Computing Research Center (AHPCRC)\nMinnesota Supercomputer Center, Inc.\n\nModifications by Eric Haines to support raw and plain formats.\n\nModifications by Bryan Henderson to create alpha files and use mnemonic options.\n\n\n\n1                                           13 April 2000                                RLETOPNM(1)",
            "subsections": []
        }
    },
    "summary": "rletopnm - convert a Utah Raster Tools RLE image file into a PNM image file.",
    "flags": [
        {
            "flag": "",
            "long": "--verbose",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "This option causes rletopnm to operate in verbose mode. It prints messages about what it's doing, including the contents of the RLE image header, to Standard Error."
        },
        {
            "flag": "",
            "long": "--headerdump",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "This option causes rletopnm to operate in header dump mode. It prints the contents of the RLE image header to Standard Error, but does not produce any other output."
        },
        {
            "flag": "",
            "long": "--plain",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "This option causes the PNM output file to be in the \"plain\" (text) format, instead of the default \"raw\" (binary) format. See ppm(5) and pgm(5) for details on the differ‐ ence."
        }
    ],
    "examples": [
        "While running in verbose mode, convert lenna.rle to PPM format and store the resulting",
        "image as lenna.ppm.",
        "Dump the header information of the RLE file called file.rle.",
        "Convert  RLE  file  dart.rle  to  PPM  format as dart.ppm.  Store the alpha channel of",
        "dart.rle as dartalpha.pgm (if dart.rle doesn't have an alpha channel,  store  a  fully",
        "transparent alpha mask as dartalpha.pgm)."
    ],
    "see_also": [
        {
            "name": "pnmtorle",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/pnmtorle/1/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "pnmconvol",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/pnmconvol/1/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "pnm",
            "section": "5",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/pnm/5/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "ppm",
            "section": "5",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/ppm/5/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "pgm",
            "section": "5",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/pgm/5/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "urt",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/urt/1/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "RLE",
            "section": "5",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/RLE/5/json"
        }
    ],
    "tldr": {
        "source": "official",
        "description": "Convert a Utah Raster Tools RLE image file to a PNM file.",
        "examples": [
            {
                "description": "Convert an RLE image to a PNM file",
                "command": "rletopnm {{path/to/input.rle}} > {{path/to/output.pnm}}"
            },
            {
                "description": "Create a PGM image containing the RLE file's alpha channel",
                "command": "rletopnm {{--a|--alphaout}} {{path/to/alpha_file.pgm}} {{path/to/input.rle}} > {{path/to/output.pnm}}"
            },
            {
                "description": "Operate in verbose mode and print the contents of the RLE header to `stdout`",
                "command": "rletopnm {{--verb|--verbose}} {{path/to/input.rle}} > {{path/to/output.pnm}}"
            }
        ]
    }
}