diff --git a/src/libcamera/pixelformats.cpp b/src/libcamera/pixelformats.cpp
index 87557d9..398dbb2 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/pixelformats.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/pixelformats.cpp
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
  */
 
 #include <libcamera/pixelformats.h>
+#include <map>
+#include <string.h>
 
 /**
  * \file pixelformats.h
@@ -108,9 +110,193 @@ bool PixelFormat::operator<(const PixelFormat &other) const
  */
 std::string PixelFormat::toString() const
 {
-	char str[11];
-	snprintf(str, 11, "0x%08x", fourcc_);
-	return str;
+	if (fourcc_ == 0)
+		return "<INVALID>";
+
+	char ss[8] = { static_cast<char>(fourcc_ & 0x7f),
+		       static_cast<char>((fourcc_ >> 8) & 0x7f),
+		       static_cast<char>((fourcc_ >> 16) & 0x7f),
+		       static_cast<char>((fourcc_ >> 24) & 0x7f) };
+
+	for (unsigned int i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
+		if (!isprint(ss[i]))
+			ss[i] = '.';
+	}
+
+	if (fourcc_ & (1 << 31))
+		strcat(ss, "-BE");
+
+	std::string modifier;
+
+	if (*modifiers_.begin() == 72057594037927935) {
+		modifier = " <INVALID> modifier";
+		return ss + modifier;
+	}
+
+	if (*modifiers_.begin() == 0xf) {
+		modifier = " AFBC_FORMAT_MOD_BLOCK_SIZE_MASK";
+		return ss + modifier;
+	} else if (*modifiers_.begin() == 1ULL) {
+		modifier = "AFBC_FORMAT_MOD_BLOCK_SIZE_16x16";
+		return ss + modifier;
+	} else if (*modifiers_.begin() == 2ULL) {
+		modifier = " AFBC_FORMAT_MOD_BLOCK_SIZE_32x8";
+		return ss + modifier;
+	} else if (*modifiers_.begin() == 3ULL) {
+		modifier = " AFBC_FORMAT_MOD_BLOCK_SIZE_64x4";
+		return ss + modifier;
+	} else if (*modifiers_.begin() == 4ULL) {
+		modifier = " AFBC_FORMAT_MOD_BLOCK_SIZE_32x8_64x4";
+		return ss + modifier;
+	} else if (*modifiers_.begin() == (1ULL << 4)) {
+		modifier = " AFBC_FORMAT_MOD_YTR";
+		return ss + modifier;
+	} else if (*modifiers_.begin() == (1ULL << 5)) {
+		modifier = " AFBC_FORMAT_MOD_SPLIT";
+		return ss + modifier;
+	} else if (*modifiers_.begin() == (1ULL << 6)) {
+		modifier = " AFBC_FORMAT_MOD_SPARS";
+		return ss + modifier;
+	} else if (*modifiers_.begin() == (1ULL << 7)) {
+		modifier = " AFBC_FORMAT_MOD_CBR";
+		return ss + modifier;
+	} else if (*modifiers_.begin() == (1ULL << 8)) {
+		modifier = " AFBC_FORMAT_MOD_TILED";
+		return ss + modifier;
+	} else if (*modifiers_.begin() == (1ULL << 9)) {
+		modifier = " AFBC_FORMAT_MOD_SC";
+		return ss + modifier;
+	} else if (*modifiers_.begin() == (1ULL << 10)) {
+		modifier = " AFBC_FORMAT_MOD_DB";
+		return ss + modifier;
+	} else if (*modifiers_.begin() == (1ULL << 11)) {
+		modifier = " AFBC_FORMAT_MOD_BCH";
+		return ss + modifier;
+	}
+
+	std::map<long int, std::string> vendors = {
+		{ 0, "NONE" },
+		{ 0x01, "INTEL" },
+		{ 0x02, "AMD" },
+		{ 0x03, "NVIDIA" },
+		{ 0x04, "SAMSUNG" },
+		{ 0x05, "QCOM" },
+		{ 0x06, "VIVANTE" },
+		{ 0x07, "BROADCOM" },
+		{ 0x08, "ARM" },
+		{ 0x09, "ALLWINNER" },
+		{ 0x0a, "MIPI" }
+	};
+
+	long int vendorCode = (*modifiers_.begin() >> 56) & 0xff;
+
+	std::string vendor = vendors[vendorCode];
+
+	int modifierValue = *modifiers_.begin() & 0xff;
+	std::string vendorSpecification;
+
+	switch (vendorCode) {
+	case 0: {
+		if (modifierValue == 0)
+			vendorSpecification = "Linear Layout";
+		break;
+	}
+	case 0x01: {
+		if (modifierValue == 1)
+			vendorSpecification = "X-tiled";
+		else if (modifierValue == 2)
+			vendorSpecification = "Y-tiled";
+		else if (modifierValue == 3)
+			vendorSpecification = "Yf-tiled";
+		else if (modifierValue == 4)
+			vendorSpecification = "Y-tiled CCS";
+		else if (modifierValue == 5)
+			vendorSpecification = "Yf-tiled CSS";
+		else if (modifierValue == 8)
+			vendorSpecification = "Bayer packed";
+		break;
+	}
+	case 0x02: {
+		// no specifications
+		break;
+	}
+	case 0x03: {
+		if (modifierValue == 1)
+			vendorSpecification = "Tegra-tiled";
+		else if (modifierValue == 0x10)
+			vendorSpecification = "ONE_GOB | v = 0";
+		else if (modifierValue == 0x11)
+			vendorSpecification = "TWO_GOB | v = 1";
+		else if (modifierValue == 0x12)
+			vendorSpecification = "FOUR_GOB | v = 2";
+		else if (modifierValue == 0x13)
+			vendorSpecification = "EIGHT_GOB | v = 3";
+		else if (modifierValue == 0x14)
+			vendorSpecification = "SIXTEEN_GOB | v = 4";
+		else if (modifierValue == 0x15)
+			vendorSpecification = "THIRTYTWO_GOB | v = 5";
+		break;
+	}
+	case 0x04: {
+		if (modifierValue == 1)
+			vendorSpecification = "Tiled, 64 (pixels) x 32 (lines)";
+		else if (modifierValue == 2)
+			vendorSpecification = "Tiled, 16 (pixels) x 16 (lines)";
+		break;
+	}
+	case 0x05: {
+		if (modifierValue == 1)
+			vendorSpecification = "Compressed";
+		break;
+	}
+	case 0x06: {
+		if (modifierValue == 1)
+			vendorSpecification = "4 x 4 tiled";
+		else if (modifierValue == 2)
+			vendorSpecification = "64 x 64 super-tiled";
+		else if (modifierValue == 3)
+			vendorSpecification = "4 x 4 split-tiled";
+		else if (modifierValue == 4)
+			vendorSpecification = "64 x 64 split-super-tiled";
+		break;
+	}
+	case 0x07: {
+		if (modifierValue == 1)
+			vendorSpecification = "VC4-T-Tiled";
+		else if (modifierValue == 6)
+			vendorSpecification = "UIF";
+		else if (modifierValue == 2)
+			vendorSpecification = "SAND32";
+		else if (modifierValue == 3)
+			vendorSpecification = "SAND64";
+		else if (modifierValue == 4)
+			vendorSpecification = "SAND128";
+		else if (modifierValue == 5)
+			vendorSpecification = "SAND256";
+		break;
+	}
+	case 0x08: {
+		vendorSpecification = "DRM_FORMAT_MOD_ARM_AFBC(" + modifierValue;
+		break;
+	}
+	case 0x09: {
+		if (modifierValue == 1)
+			vendorSpecification = "Tiled";
+		break;
+	}
+	case 0x0a: {
+		if (modifierValue == 1)
+			vendorSpecification = "CSI-2 packed";
+		break;
+	}
+	default:
+		break;
+	}
+
+	modifier = vendor + ' ' + vendorSpecification;
+	std::string formatString(ss);
+
+	return formatString + ' ' + modifier;
 }
 
 } /* namespace libcamera */
diff --git a/test/meson.build b/test/meson.build
index 8ab58ac..3f97278 100644
--- a/test/meson.build
+++ b/test/meson.build
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ internal_tests = [
     ['message',                         'message.cpp'],
     ['object',                          'object.cpp'],
     ['object-invoke',                   'object-invoke.cpp'],
+    ['pixel-format',                    'pixel-format.cpp'],
     ['signal-threads',                  'signal-threads.cpp'],
     ['threads',                         'threads.cpp'],
     ['timer',                           'timer.cpp'],
diff --git a/test/pixel-format.cpp b/test/pixel-format.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9676f27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/pixel-format.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later */
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2019, Google Inc.
+ *
+ * libcamera pixel format handling test
+ */
+
+#include <iostream>
+#include <vector>
+
+#include "libcamera/pixelformats.h"
+#include "utils.h"
+
+#include "test.h"
+
+using namespace std;
+using namespace libcamera;
+
+class PixelFormatTest : public Test
+{
+protected:
+	int run()
+	{
+		std::vector<std::pair<PixelFormat, const char *>> formats{
+			{ PixelFormat(0, { DRM_FORMAT_MOD_INVALID }), "<INVALID>" },
+			{ PixelFormat(DRM_FORMAT_SRGGB8, { DRM_FORMAT_MOD_LINEAR }),
+			  "RGGB NONE Linear Layout" },
+			{ PixelFormat(DRM_FORMAT_C8,
+			{ DRM_FORMAT_MOD_BROADCOM_SAND32_COL_HEIGHT(0) }),
+			  "C8   BROADCOM SAND32" },
+			{ PixelFormat(DRM_FORMAT_YUV410, { AFBC_FORMAT_MOD_SPLIT }),
+			  "YUV9 AFBC_FORMAT_MOD_SPLIT" },
+			{ PixelFormat(DRM_FORMAT_BIG_ENDIAN, { DRM_FORMAT_MOD_INVALID }),
+			  "....-BE <INVALID> modifier" }
+		};
+		for (const auto &format : formats) {
+			if ((format.first).toString() != format.second) {
+				cerr << "Failed to convert PixelFormat"
+				     << format.first.fourcc() << "to string"
+				     << endl;
+				return TestFail;
+			}
+		}
+
+		if (PixelFormat().toString() != "<INVALID>") {
+			cerr << "Failed to convert default PixelFormat to string"
+			     << endl;
+			return TestFail;
+		}
+
+		return TestPass;
+	}
+};
+
+TEST_REGISTER(PixelFormatTest)
