diff --git a/panda/src/downloadertools/pdecrypt.cxx b/panda/src/downloadertools/pdecrypt.cxx
index 10b4e78ef7..373a64f9a1 100644
--- a/panda/src/downloadertools/pdecrypt.cxx
+++ b/panda/src/downloadertools/pdecrypt.cxx
@@ -53,8 +53,10 @@ do_decrypt(istream &read_stream, ostream &write_stream) {
 void 
 usage() {
   cerr
+    << "\nUsage:\n"
+    << "   pdecrypt file.pe [file2.pe file3.pe ...]\n"
+    << "   pdecrypt -o dest_file file.pe\n\n"
     << "\n"
-    << "Usage: pdecrypt [opts] file [file2 file3 ...]\n\n"
     
     << "This program reverses the operation of a previous pencrypt command.  It\n"
     << "decrypts the contents of the named source file(s) and removes the .pe\n"
@@ -75,12 +77,20 @@ int
 main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
   extern char *optarg;
   extern int optind;
-  const char *optstr = "p:h";
+  const char *optstr = "o:p:h";
+
+  Filename dest_filename;
+  bool got_dest_filename = false;
 
   int flag = getopt(argc, argv, optstr);
 
   while (flag != EOF) {
     switch (flag) {
+    case 'o':
+      dest_filename = Filename::from_os_specific(optarg);
+      got_dest_filename = true;
+      break;
+
     case 'p':
       password = optarg;
       got_password = true;
@@ -103,16 +113,24 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     return 1;
   }
 
+  if (got_dest_filename && argc > 2) {
+    cerr << "Only one input file allowed in conjunction with -o.\n";
+    return 1;
+  }
+
   bool all_ok = true;
   for (int i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
     Filename source_file = Filename::from_os_specific(argv[i]);
-    if (source_file.get_extension() != "pe") {
+    if (!got_dest_filename && source_file.get_extension() != "pe") {
       cerr << source_file 
            << " doesn't end in .pe; can't derive filename of output file.\n";
       all_ok = false;
 
     } else {
-      Filename dest_file = source_file.get_fullpath_wo_extension();
+      Filename dest_file = dest_filename;
+      if (!got_dest_filename) {
+        dest_file = source_file.get_fullpath_wo_extension();
+      }
 
       // Open source file
       ifstream read_stream;
@@ -149,7 +167,9 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
             dest_file.unlink();
             
           } else {
-            source_file.unlink();
+            if (!got_dest_filename) {
+              source_file.unlink();
+            }
           }
         }
       }
diff --git a/panda/src/downloadertools/pencrypt.cxx b/panda/src/downloadertools/pencrypt.cxx
index 574ca3da57..cd64984159 100644
--- a/panda/src/downloadertools/pencrypt.cxx
+++ b/panda/src/downloadertools/pencrypt.cxx
@@ -70,13 +70,19 @@ do_encrypt(istream &read_stream, ostream &write_stream) {
 void 
 usage() {
   cerr
-    << "\n"
-    << "Usage: pencrypt [opts] file [file2 file3 ...]\n\n"
+    << "\nUsage:\n"
+    << "   pencrypt [opts] file [file2 file3 ...]\n"
+    << "   pencrypt -o dest_file file\n\n"
     
     << "This program will apply an encryption algorithm to a file (or multiple files),\n"
     << "creating an encrypted version of each file which can only be recovered using\n"
-    << "pdecrypt and the same password that was supplied to pencrypt.  For each input\n"
-    << "file, an output name is generated by appending .pe to the input file name.\n\n"
+    << "pdecrypt and the same password that was supplied to pencrypt.  The compressed\n"
+    << "versions are written to a file with the same name as the original, but the\n"
+    << "extension .pe added to the filename, and the original file is removed\n"
+    << "(unless the version with -o is used, in which case you can encrypt only one\n"
+    << "file, you specify the destination file name, and the original file is not\n"
+    << "removed).\n\n"
+
 
     << "Note that if you are adding files to a Panda multifile (.mf file) with\n"
     << "the multify command, it is not necessary to encrypt them separately;\n"
@@ -116,12 +122,20 @@ int
 main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
   extern char *optarg;
   extern int optind;
-  const char *optstr = "p:a:k:i:h";
+  const char *optstr = "o:p:a:k:i:h";
+
+  Filename dest_filename;
+  bool got_dest_filename = false;
 
   int flag = getopt(argc, argv, optstr);
 
   while (flag != EOF) {
     switch (flag) {
+    case 'o':
+      dest_filename = Filename::from_os_specific(optarg);
+      got_dest_filename = true;
+      break;
+
     case 'p':
       password = optarg;
       got_password = true;
@@ -159,13 +173,21 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     return 1;
   }
 
+  if (got_dest_filename && argc > 2) {
+    cerr << "Only one input file allowed in conjunction with -o.\n";
+    return 1;
+  }
+
   bool all_ok = true;
   for (int i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
     Filename source_file = Filename::from_os_specific(argv[i]);
     if (source_file.get_extension() == "pe") {
       cerr << source_file << " already ends .pe; skipping.\n";
     } else {
-      Filename dest_file = source_file.get_fullpath() + ".pe";
+      Filename dest_file = dest_filename;
+      if (!got_dest_filename) {
+        dest_file = source_file.get_fullpath() + ".pe";
+      }
 
       // Open source file
       ifstream read_stream;
@@ -202,7 +224,9 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
             dest_file.unlink();
             
           } else {
-            bool ok = source_file.unlink();
+            if (!got_dest_filename) {
+              source_file.unlink();
+            }
           }
         }
       }
diff --git a/panda/src/downloadertools/punzip.cxx b/panda/src/downloadertools/punzip.cxx
index b667ba1c92..fc12f8d042 100644
--- a/panda/src/downloadertools/punzip.cxx
+++ b/panda/src/downloadertools/punzip.cxx
@@ -50,7 +50,9 @@ do_decompress(istream &read_stream, ostream &write_stream) {
 void
 usage() {
   cerr
-    << "\nUsage: punzip file.pz [file2.pz file3.pz ...]\n\n"
+    << "\nUsage:\n"
+    << "   punzip file.pz [file2.pz file3.pz ...]\n"
+    << "   punzip -o dest_file file.pz\n\n"
     
     << "This program reverses the operation of a previous pzip command.  It\n"
     << "uncompresses the contents of the named source file(s) and removes the .pz\n"
@@ -61,12 +63,20 @@ int
 main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
   extern char *optarg;
   extern int optind;
-  const char *optstr = "h";
+  const char *optstr = "o:h";
+
+  Filename dest_filename;
+  bool got_dest_filename = false;
 
   int flag = getopt(argc, argv, optstr);
 
   while (flag != EOF) {
     switch (flag) {
+    case 'o':
+      dest_filename = Filename::from_os_specific(optarg);
+      got_dest_filename = true;
+      break;
+
     case 'h':
     case '?':
     default:
@@ -84,16 +94,24 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     return 1;
   }
 
+  if (got_dest_filename && argc > 2) {
+    cerr << "Only one input file allowed in conjunction with -o.\n";
+    return 1;
+  }
+
   bool all_ok = true;
   for (int i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
     Filename source_file = Filename::from_os_specific(argv[i]);
-    if (source_file.get_extension() != "pz") {
+    if (!got_dest_filename && source_file.get_extension() != "pz") {
       cerr << source_file 
            << " doesn't end in .pz; can't derive filename of output file.\n";
       all_ok = false;
 
     } else {
-      Filename dest_file = source_file.get_fullpath_wo_extension();
+      Filename dest_file = dest_filename;
+      if (!got_dest_filename) {
+        dest_file = source_file.get_fullpath_wo_extension();
+      }
 
       // Open source file
       ifstream read_stream;
@@ -123,7 +141,9 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
             dest_file.unlink();
             
           } else {
-            source_file.unlink();
+            if (!got_dest_filename) {
+              source_file.unlink();
+            }
           }
         }
       }
diff --git a/panda/src/downloadertools/pzip.cxx b/panda/src/downloadertools/pzip.cxx
index d6d5c4732d..3805a81b30 100644
--- a/panda/src/downloadertools/pzip.cxx
+++ b/panda/src/downloadertools/pzip.cxx
@@ -51,13 +51,17 @@ do_compress(istream &read_stream, ostream &write_stream) {
 void
 usage() {
   cerr
-    << "\nUsage: pzip file [file2 file3 ...]\n\n"
+    << "\nUsage:\n"
+    << "   pzip file [file2 file3 ...]\n"
+    << "   pzip -o dest_file file\n\n"
     
     << "This program compresses the named file(s) using the Panda native\n"
     << "compression algorithm (gzip in practice, but with a different file\n"
     << "header).  The compressed versions are written to a file with the\n"
     << "same name as the original, but the extension .pz added to the\n"
-    << "filename, and the original file is removed.\n\n"
+    << "filename, and the original file is removed (unless the version with\n"
+    << "-o is used, in which case you can compress only one file, you specify\n"
+    << "the destination file name, and the original file is not removed).\n\n"
     
     << "In many cases, Panda can read the resulting .pz file directly,\n"
     << "exactly as if it were still in its uncompressed original form.\n"
@@ -77,12 +81,20 @@ int
 main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
   extern char *optarg;
   extern int optind;
-  const char *optstr = "h";
+  const char *optstr = "o:h";
+
+  Filename dest_filename;
+  bool got_dest_filename = false;
 
   int flag = getopt(argc, argv, optstr);
 
   while (flag != EOF) {
     switch (flag) {
+    case 'o':
+      dest_filename = Filename::from_os_specific(optarg);
+      got_dest_filename = true;
+      break;
+
     case 'h':
     case '?':
     default:
@@ -100,13 +112,21 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     return 1;
   }
 
+  if (got_dest_filename && argc > 2) {
+    cerr << "Only one input file allowed in conjunction with -o.\n";
+    return 1;
+  }
+
   bool all_ok = true;
   for (int i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
     Filename source_file = Filename::from_os_specific(argv[i]);
     if (source_file.get_extension() == "pz") {
       cerr << source_file << " already ends .pz; skipping.\n";
     } else {
-      Filename dest_file = source_file.get_fullpath() + ".pz";
+      Filename dest_file = dest_filename;
+      if (!got_dest_filename) {
+        dest_file = source_file.get_fullpath() + ".pz";
+      }
 
       // Open source file
       ifstream read_stream;
@@ -136,7 +156,9 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
             dest_file.unlink();
             
           } else {
-            source_file.unlink();
+            if (!got_dest_filename) {
+              source_file.unlink();
+            }
           }
         }
       }