dcmage DOCS APP
Format conversion

DICOM → PNG/TIFF/JPEG

Export frames as PNG, TIFF, or JPEG for documents and presentations.

dcmage saves the image you are looking at as a PNG, JPEG or TIFF file, with the current window/level applied, so it can go into a slide, a report or a tool that does not read DICOM. It runs in the browser and in the Mac app, and the DICOM file does not change.

What the image contains

  • Contrast. The window/level on screen is applied to the pixels. The output is an ordinary 8-bit image, so the original pixel values, such as Hounsfield units, are not kept. Use DICOM to NIfTI when you need the values.
  • Size. The export is the whole frame at its own pixel size (Columns × Rows), whatever the window size, zoom or pan. Rotation and flips are kept. In 3D MPR, the export is the current reformatted slice at the native resolution of the volume. A whole-slide image, or a frame wider or taller than 8,192 pixels, is exported as shown on screen instead.
  • Overlays. Segmentations and structure sets are not drawn into the image. Measurements and arrows on the current frame are drawn only when you tick Include annotations; see Export image.
  • Redactions. Pixel redactions previewed in anonymize mode are included in the image.
  • Metadata. An image file carries no DICOM tags. Tick Write JSON metadata sidecar to save the tags as a separate .json file next to the image. The sidecar holds the tags as they are in the viewer, so anonymize first if the tags hold patient information.

Which format

FormatCompressionUse it for
PNGLosslessWeb pages, documents, most uses
TIFFLosslessArchives and tools that expect TIFF
JPEGLossyEmail and slides, with a quality slider

Steps

  1. Open the DICOM file (⌘O).
  2. Set the window/level with the WL tool. The export uses what you see.
  3. If the image will leave your hands, switch to Anon mode (⌘3 in the Mac app, ⌘⇧A in the browser) and apply a profile. The +Pixel profile also removes overlay plane groups (6000 to 60FF). Check for text burned into the pixels and redact it: no profile removes it on its own.
  4. Open Export in the top bar and choose Export Active Frame Image… (or Export MPR Slice… in 3D MPR). Pick PNG, TIFF or JPEG, set the JPEG quality if needed, tick Include annotations if you want your measurements in the image, and tick the sidecar if you want the tags.
  5. Open the saved image and check the contrast, the content and that no patient information shows.

Limits

  • One image per export. There is no batch export of a whole series or study.

Result

An image file with the window/level from the viewer, and optionally a JSON file with the tags.

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