FormatDrop
Image Format

EXR

OpenEXR

OpenEXR (.exr) is the industry-standard high-dynamic-range image format used in film VFX, 3D rendering, and HDR photography. Developed by Industrial Light & Magic in 1999 and open-sourced in 2003, EXR can store 16-bit or 32-bit floating-point pixel values — capturing the full luminance range of real-world scenes far beyond what 8-bit JPG or PNG can represent.

What is EXR?

EXR uses lossless or lossy compression (ZIP, ZIPS, PIZ, PXR24, B44, DWAA, DWAB) on multi-channel floating-point data. Standard channels are RGB and alpha, but EXR is multi-channel by design — VFX renders typically include depth, motion vectors, normals, IDs, and individual light passes as separate channels in a single EXR file. The format is designed for compositing pipelines where every channel needs precise floating-point math.

EXR pros and cons

Advantages

  • Floating-point precision — represents true HDR scenes
  • Multi-channel design — depth, motion, IDs, etc. in one file
  • Linear color space — physically accurate light simulation
  • Multiple compression options for different speed/size tradeoffs
  • Industry standard for VFX, 3D rendering, and color science

Limitations

  • Large file sizes compared to LDR formats
  • No native browser or web support
  • Requires specialized viewers (Nuke, DJV, OpenImageIO, Photoshop with plugin)
  • Not suitable for general photo sharing or web use
  • Tone mapping required to display on standard monitors

When should you convert EXR files?

Convert EXR to PNG or JPG for display on standard monitors and the web: requires tone mapping. Use OpenImageIO: `oiiotool input.exr -tonemap aces -o output.png`. For HDR display preservation, convert to AVIF with HDR metadata. EXR is for production; conversion is for sharing with non-VFX audiences.

Convert EXR files

IMAGE-CONVERTER→

All FormatDrop conversions run entirely in your browser — no file upload, no server processing. Your files stay on your device.

EXR FAQ

Why does my EXR look completely white when I open it?
EXR stores floating-point values that often exceed the 0–1 display range. Standard image viewers clip values above 1.0 to white. Use a HDR-aware viewer (DJV, RV, or Photoshop with EXR plugin) and apply exposure/tone mapping. Or convert to LDR (PNG/JPG) with a tone mapping operator.
What's the difference between EXR and HDR (Radiance)?
Both are HDR formats but EXR is more flexible (multi-channel, more compression options, higher bit depth) and has become the industry standard. HDR (.hdr) is older, simpler, and uses RGBE (24-bit + 8-bit exponent) encoding. EXR is preferred for new work; HDR is mostly legacy.
How do I open EXR files?
VFX software: Nuke, After Effects (with plugin), DaVinci Resolve. Standalone viewers: DJV (free, cross-platform), Tweak RV (paid), OpenColorIO + OIIO. Photoshop: requires the OpenEXR Pro plugin. Image inspection: `oiiotool --info input.exr`.

More formats

HEICWebPAVIFEPUBWebMOpusMP3WAVM4AFLACAACMP4AVIMKVMOVJPGPNGGIFSVGTIFFICOBMPEPSARWOGGWMVPPTXPagesPDFDOCXRAWHEVCH.264AIFFM4VWMA3GPDNGRTFPSDOGVTSFLVAIXLSXCSVZIPAPNGMIDIJPEG XLMPG/MPEGVOBM2TSAC3ALACDTSJP2HEIFAPECBZ3G2SRTDOCPPTXLSODTODSM3URAR7ZM4BAMRTXTMOBITARGZJSONXMLYAMLKEYMTSCR2NEFMXFTGACAFASSVTTDSFRMF4VWVASFRMVBORFRW2EAC-3TTAISODMGXZDjVuFB2AUM4RAZW3MKAVCFICSAAXPRCMP2SPXXSPFM3U8