CALS is a US military raster standard for technical documents and engineering drawings, using Group 4 fax compression for line art.
CALS opens in CAD and document software; convert to TIFF/PDF for general use.
Share, post and embed pictures across sites and apps.
Work with the format in editors like Photoshop and GIMP.
Keep memories and assets in a widely-readable form.
| ✔ Strengths | ✖ Limitations |
|---|---|
| Purpose-built for its niche | No transparency support |
| Limited support — may need converting |
Remove the background from CALS images, upscale to 4K, or generate new visuals with SharkFoto AI.
CALS is a US military raster standard for technical documents and engineering drawings, using Group 4 fax compression for line art.
CALS opens in CAD and document software; convert to TIFF/PDF for general use.
CALS is optimised for its specific use rather than strictly lossless storage.
Use SharkFoto's free tools — upload your CALS file and convert it to a more convenient format in seconds. It's free, processed securely and never stored.
No — CALS doesn't store transparency; convert to PNG or WEBP if you need it.