Convert FLI to PNG

Understanding the FLI and PNG file formats

FLI (Autodesk Animator FLI) is an animation file format developed by Autodesk for storing short animations. It is primarily used for simple, low-resolution animations and is now considered a legacy format. PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is a widely used raster image format known for its lossless compression and support for transparency, making it ideal for web graphics and image editing.

Why convert FLI to PNG?

Converting FLI animations to PNG images allows you to extract individual frames from an animation for use as static images. This is useful for archiving, editing, or repurposing animation frames in modern applications that do not support the FLI format.

How to convert FLI to PNG

To convert FLI files to PNG images, you need software capable of reading FLI animations and exporting frames as PNG files. The best tool for this task is IrfanView, a free and lightweight image viewer with batch conversion capabilities.

Step-by-step conversion using IrfanView

1. Download and install IrfanView from the official website. Also, install the IrfanView Plugins package for FLI support.
2. Open IrfanView and go to File → Open to select your FLI file.
3. Once the animation is loaded, use Options → Extract all frames to extract each frame.
4. Choose PNG as the output format and select the destination folder.
5. Click Start to begin the extraction. Each frame will be saved as a separate PNG file.

Alternative software options

• XnView MP: Another free image viewer that supports FLI and batch conversion to PNG.
• FFmpeg: A command-line tool for advanced users, capable of extracting frames from FLI animations using the command: ffmpeg -i input.fli frame_%04d.png

Summary

Converting FLI animation files to PNG images is straightforward with tools like IrfanView, XnView MP, or FFmpeg. This process allows you to preserve and repurpose animation frames in a modern, widely supported image format.