/usr/bin/dcmconv

$dcmtk: dcmconv v3.7.1 2026-10-15 $

dcmconv: Convert DICOM file encoding
usage: dcmconv [options] dcmfile-in dcmfile-out

parameters:
  dcmfile-in                    DICOM input filename to be converted
                                ("-" for stdin)
  dcmfile-out                   DICOM output filename
                                ("-" for stdout)

general options:
  -h     --help                 print this help text and exit
         --version              print version information and exit
         --arguments            print expanded command line arguments
  -q     --quiet                quiet mode, print no warnings and errors
  -v     --verbose              verbose mode, print processing details
  -d     --debug                debug mode, print debug information
  -ll    --log-level            [l]evel: string constant
                                (fatal, error, warn, info, debug, trace)
                                use level l for the logger
  -lc    --log-config           [f]ilename: string
                                use config file f for the logger
input options:
  input file format:
    +f   --read-file            read file format or data set (default)
    +fo  --read-file-only       read file format only
    -f   --read-dataset         read data set without file meta information
  input transfer syntax:
    -t=  --read-xfer-auto       use TS recognition (default)
    -td  --read-xfer-detect     ignore TS specified in the file meta header
    -te  --read-xfer-little     read with explicit VR little endian TS
    -tb  --read-xfer-big        read with explicit VR big endian TS
    -ti  --read-xfer-implicit   read with implicit VR little endian TS
  parsing of file meta information:
    +ml  --use-meta-length      use file meta information group length (default)
    -ml  --ignore-meta-length   ignore file meta information group length
  parsing of odd-length attributes:
    +ao  --accept-odd-length    accept odd length attributes (default)
    +ae  --assume-even-length   assume real length is one byte larger
  handling of explicit VR:
    +ev  --use-explicit-vr      use explicit VR from dataset (default)
    -ev  --ignore-explicit-vr   ignore explicit VR (prefer data dictionary)
  handling of non-standard VR:
    +vr  --treat-as-unknown     treat non-standard VR as unknown (default)
    -vr  --assume-implicit      try to read with implicit VR little endian TS
  handling of undefined length UN elements:
    +ui  --enable-cp246         read undefined len UN as implicit VR (default)
    -ui  --disable-cp246        read undefined len UN as explicit VR
  handling of defined length UN elements:
    -uc  --retain-un            retain elements as UN (default)
    +uc  --convert-un           convert to real VR if known
  handling of private max-length elements (implicit VR):
    -sq  --maxlength-dict       read as defined in dictionary (default)
    +sq  --maxlength-seq        read as sequence with undefined length
  handling of wrong delimitation items:
    -rd  --use-delim-items      use delimitation items from dataset (default)
    +rd  --replace-wrong-delim  replace wrong sequence/item delimitation items
  handling of illegal undefined length OB/OW elements:
    -oi  --illegal-obow-rej     reject dataset with illegal element (default)
    +oi  --illegal-obow-conv    convert undefined length OB/OW element to SQ
  handling of VOI LUT Sequence with OW VR and explicit length:
    -vi  --illegal-voi-rej      reject dataset with illegal VOI LUT (default)
    +vi  --illegal-voi-conv     convert illegal VOI LUT to SQ
  handling of explicit length pixel data for encaps. transfer syntaxes:
    -pe  --abort-expl-pixdata   abort on explicit length pixel data (default)
    +pe  --use-expl-pixdata     use explicit length pixel data
  general handling of parser errors:
    +Ep  --ignore-parse-errors  try to recover from parse errors
    -Ep  --handle-parse-errors  handle parse errors and stop parsing (default)
  other parsing options:
    +st  --stop-after-elem      [t]ag: "gggg,eeee" or dictionary name
                                stop parsing after element specified by t
  automatic data correction:
    +dc  --enable-correction    enable automatic data correction (default)
    -dc  --disable-correction   disable automatic data correction
  bitstream format of deflated input:
    +bd  --bitstream-deflated   expect deflated bitstream (default)
    +bz  --bitstream-zlib       expect deflated zlib bitstream
processing options:
  specific character set:
    +U8  --convert-to-utf8      convert all element values that are affected
                                by Specific Character Set (0008,0005) to UTF-8
    +L1  --convert-to-latin1    convert affected element values to ISO 8859-1
    +A7  --convert-to-ascii     convert affected element values to 7-bit ASCII
    +C   --convert-to-charset   [c]harset: string
                                convert affected element values to the character
                                set specified by the DICOM defined term c
    -Ct  --transliterate        try to approximate characters that cannot be
                                represented through similar looking characters
    -Cd  --discard-illegal      discard characters that cannot be represented
                                in destination character set
  other processing options:
    -ig  --no-invalid-groups    remove elements with invalid group number
output options:
  output file format:
    +Fm  --write-new-meta-info  write file format
                                with new meta information (default)
    +F   --write-file           write file format
    -F   --write-dataset        write data set without file meta information
  output transfer syntax:
    +t=  --write-xfer-same      write with same TS as input (default)
    +te  --write-xfer-little    write with explicit VR little endian TS
    +tb  --write-xfer-big       write with explicit VR big endian TS
    +ti  --write-xfer-implicit  write with implicit VR little endian TS
    +td  --write-xfer-deflated  write with deflated explicit VR little endian TS
    +tg  --write-xfer-ge        write private GE LEI with big endian pixel TS
                                (non-standard)
  post-1993 value representations:
    +u   --enable-new-vr        enable support for new VRs (UN/UT) (default)
    -u   --disable-new-vr       disable support for new VRs, convert to OB
  group length encoding:
    +g=  --group-length-recalc  recalculate group lengths if present (default)
    +g   --group-length-create  always write with group length elements
    -g   --group-length-remove  always write without group length elements
  length encoding in sequences and items:
    +e   --length-explicit      write with explicit lengths (default)
    -e   --length-undefined     write with undefined lengths
    +eo  --write-oversized      write oversized explicit length sequences
                                and items with undefined length (default)
    -eo  --abort-oversized      abort on oversized explicit sequences/items
  data set trailing padding (not with --write-dataset):
    -p=  --padding-retain       do not change padding
                                (default if not --write-dataset)
    -p   --padding-off          no padding (implicit if --write-dataset)
    +p   --padding-create       [f]ile-pad [i]tem-pad: integer
                                align file on multiple of f bytes
                                and items on multiple of i bytes
  deflate compression level (only with --write-xfer-deflated):
    +cl  --compression-level    [l]evel: integer (default: 6)
                                0=uncompressed, 1=fastest, 9=best compression