For the last few years I’ve been carrying out thermal surveys using DJI thermal cameras. Like many thermographers, I quickly discovered a frustrating limitation: DJI thermal R-JPEG images are not directly compatible with FLIR’s analysis ecosystem.
If you want to analyse DJI thermal images within FLIR Thermal Studio, the typical workflow requires additional conversion software and multiple software licences. Depending on your setup, the cost of simply getting thermal images into a usable format can become significant.
As both a thermographer and software engineer, I became curious about whether there was a better way.
That question turned into a multi-year reverse-engineering project.
Red Fox Thermal Converter
Over the last few years I’ve been developing a Windows application that converts DJI thermal R-JPEG images into FLIR-compatible radiometric JPEG files. The resulting files can be opened directly in FLIR Thermal Studio whilst retaining radiometric temperature measurement capability.
Current features include:
- Batch conversion of DJI thermal images
- FLIR-compatible radiometric JPEG output
- DJI and FLIR image preview
- Progress tracking and conversion summaries
- Preservation of radiometric temperature data
- Standalone Windows application
Why Build Another Converter?
My interest was never simply to convert image files. The project started as an attempt to understand how DJI and FLIR thermal formats actually work. This involved reverse-engineering:
- DJI thermal image structures
- FLIR radiometric JPEG architecture
- Camera calibration metadata
- Measurement metadata
- Thermal palettes
- Temperature reconstruction methods
The resulting converter uses a synthetic FLIR architecture and does not rely on donor FLIR images.
Current Status
The software has now reached a Release Candidate stage and is successfully producing FLIR-compatible radiometric JPEGs that can be opened within FLIR Thermal Studio. The current version includes:
- Standalone Windows executable
- Batch processing
- Progress tracking
- Conversion summaries
- Persistent settings
- Thermal Studio compatibility
Looking for Beta Testers
Before considering a wider release, I’m interested in speaking with a small number of experienced users who regularly work with:
- DJI thermal cameras
- Building thermography
- Heat-loss surveys
- Roof inspections
- Industrial inspections
- Electrical thermography
If you’re interested in helping test the software, I’d be pleased to hear from you. At this stage I am looking for feedback on:
- Conversion reliability
- Workflow integration
- Software usability
- Feature requests
- Real-world survey datasets
Looking Ahead
One area I’m particularly interested in exploring is reducing dependence on expensive third-party analysis software. The converter itself is only one part of a much larger idea. Future development may include a standalone thermal analysis application capable of directly interrogating DJI and FLIR thermal imagery, including:
- Cursor temperature measurements
- Spot measurements
- Area statistics
- Reporting tools
- Thermal image comparison
- Batch analysis
My goal is to make professional thermal analysis more accessible whilst maintaining the measurement accuracy required by working thermographers.
Interested?
If you regularly use DJI thermal imagery and would be interested in participating in a limited beta programme, please get in touch.
At this stage the software is not being publicly distributed and beta access will be provided on a case-by-case basis. I’d also be interested in hearing about your current workflow, software tools, and the challenges you face when working with DJI thermal data.6-month