Free online OIB to PNG converter

What the OIB format is

OIB, or Olympus Image Binary, is a proprietary container used by Olympus imaging systems such as FluoView and related microscope software. An OIB file can store one or more image series with metadata, channels, Z-stacks, time points, and acquisition settings. You may encounter it after receiving confocal microscopy data or exporting images from Olympus imaging software.

What the PNG format is

PNG is a lossless raster image format supported by web browsers, presentation software, image editors, and operating systems. It preserves pixel values without JPEG-style compression artifacts and supports transparency, but it does not preserve the microscope metadata or multidimensional structure contained in an OIB file. PNG is appropriate for a selected 2D plane, a channel image, or a rendered Z-stack projection.

How to convert OIB to PNG

Using Fiji and Bio-Formats

Fiji is a practical desktop option because its Bio-Formats importer can read many Olympus OIB variants.

1. Install Fiji from the official Fiji distribution and start it.
2. Choose File → Open and select the .oib file. Fiji normally invokes Bio-Formats automatically; if it does not, use Plugins → Bio-Formats → Bio-Formats Importer.
3. In the import dialog, select the required series and configure the channel, Z-slice, and time point. Use a composite or colorized display if the exported appearance must match the microscope view.
4. For a single displayed plane, choose File → Save As → PNG and specify a filename such as sample.png.
5. For a Z-stack, use Image → Stacks → Z Project, select a projection method such as Maximum Intensity, then save the resulting 2D image with File → Save As → PNG.

To convert without installing software, upload the OIB file to the converter on 101convert.com, choose PNG as the output format, start the conversion, and download the resulting file. This is suitable for ordinary image export; verify the output carefully when the OIB contains sensitive research data or multiple series.

Using Olympus software

If the file was created in Olympus FluoView or compatible Olympus imaging software, open it there, select the required series or plane, and use File → Export or Save As to choose PNG. The exact menu name depends on the software version. Export the displayed composite image when channel colors and annotations must be retained.

Quality and compatibility considerations

PNG export usually produces an 8-bit RGB or indexed image suitable for viewing, not a scientific-data archive. A 16-bit grayscale or multichannel OIB may be reduced or rendered during export, depending on the importer and selected settings; preserve the original OIB for quantitative analysis.

Check the output dimensions, channel colors, bit depth, and scale-bar appearance after conversion. If the OIB contains several series, converting only the first opened series can omit other fields of view or acquisition conditions. PNG does not retain all OIB metadata, calibration information, Z-position data, time points, or microscope settings.