Free online IES to JPG converter

A lighting-design program may require an image for a report, presentation, website, or image editor, while an IES file contains measurements rather than pixels. Converting it to JPG therefore means rendering its photometric data as a visual diagram or fixture image.

What the IES format is

IES is a plain-text photometric format maintained by the Illuminating Engineering Society and commonly based on the LM-63 specification. It stores luminaire information such as lamp count, lumen output, candela values, beam distribution, fixture dimensions, and mounting data; it normally contains no bitmap image.

Lighting manufacturers and photometric laboratories distribute IES files for luminaires. Lighting designers import them into applications such as DIALux evo, AGi32, and Relux to calculate illuminance, beam spread, and fixture performance in a simulated space.

What the JPG format is

JPG, also called JPEG, is a compressed raster-image format supported by web browsers, office and presentation software, phones, and image editors. It can represent a rendered polar diagram, candela plot, beam-distribution image, false-color map, or fixture view in a compact and widely compatible file.

JPG does not contain the original photometric measurements. Keep the IES file if the data may need to be recalculated, edited, or imported into lighting-design software.

How to convert an IES file to JPG

Using 101convert.com

1. Open the IES-to-JPG converter on 101convert.com.
2. Select or drag the .ies file into the upload area.
3. Start the conversion and wait for the service to render the photometric data.
4. Download the resulting .jpg file.
5. Inspect the image at its intended display or print size and check that diagrams, labels, legends, and numerical values remain readable.

This method requires no installed software. The output is a visual rendering of the IES data, not an editable JPG version of the measurements.

Using desktop lighting software

1. Open the file in an IES-compatible application such as DIALux evo, AGi32, or Relux.
2. Choose the required visualization, such as a polar candela plot, beam-spread diagram, false-color distribution, or rendered fixture view.
3. Use the program’s image or report export command, commonly under File → Export or Report. Export PNG or PDF if the program does not provide JPG output.
4. When the application exports PNG, open that file in an image editor and save a copy as JPG. When it exports PDF, rasterize the relevant page at the required dimensions before saving as JPG.

Exporting from a photometric application gives control over the plot type, scale, viewing angle, units, color scheme, and labels. A 3D modeling application may import some IES files for scene lighting, but it is not a dependable general-purpose IES-to-JPG converter.

Quality and compatibility limits

An IES file has no single inherent visual appearance. The resulting JPG depends on the software, selected diagram or camera view, plot scale, color settings, and rendering options.

JPG uses lossy compression, which can blur grid lines, legends, and small numerical labels. Use the highest practical JPG quality and sufficient pixel dimensions; retain PNG or PDF for technical diagrams that require sharp annotation.

A JPG cannot be imported back into DIALux, AGi32, Relux, or similar software as usable photometric data. For future calculations, preserve the original .ies file alongside the rendered image.