Extract text from raw grayscale images (GRAY)
To convert GRAY grayscale images to another format, you need ImageMagick or other Raster Image software.
To convert other file formats to the "Raw Bitmap Data" file type, you need software like ImageMagick or a similar tool.
A .GRAY file is a raw image format consisting of a stream of uncompressed grayscale pixel data. Unlike standard images like JPG or PNG, a .GRAY file typically lacks a file header, meaning it does not contain metadata regarding image dimensions (width and height) or color depth. This format is often referred to as "raw headerless" data.
Because the file is just a sequence of bytes representing brightness values (luminance), standard photo viewers and web browsers cannot open it directly; they simply do not know how to arrange the pixels. Opening a .GRAY file in software like Adobe Photoshop or ImageMagick often requires the user to manually input the exact width and height. If these values are guessed incorrectly, the image will appear as distorted static or a slanted, sheared pattern. Users typically convert these files to PNG (for lossless storage) or JPG (for easy viewing) to make the image data accessible without specialized knowledge.
Convert.Guru analyzes your GRAY file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted JPG, ADVANCED-POTION-MAKING, JPG_128X160, THU, RAD, REM and RGB files.
If you want to convert GRAY file to RAD, REM, RGB, JPG, PDF, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, TIF, WEBP or ICO, you can use ImageMagick or similar software from the "Raw Image Data Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert RAW, PNG, AI, NEF, PSB, DNG, SVG, GIF, EPS, JPG, ARW or PDF files to GRAY, try ImageMagick or another comparable tool in the "Raw Image Data Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our GRAY converter.