## What is DPX?
DPX (Digital Picture Exchange) is a raster image format defined by SMPTE 268M, originally derived from Kodak Cineon. It is the **standard file format for digital cinema and visual effects (VFX)**, used in frame-by-frame storage of scanned film, digital cameras and CGI renders.
Unlike video formats (MP4, MOV), DPX stores **individual frames** — a 24fps film sequence is stored as thousands of separate DPX files.
## Where DPX is used
- **Digital Intermediate (DI)**: the color grading and finishing stage of film production.
- **VFX pipelines**: Nuke, Flame, Baselight, DaVinci Resolve all work natively with DPX.
- **Film scanning**: telecine scanners output DPX for archiving 35mm and 16mm film.
- **Digital cinema mastering**: deliverables for DCDM (Digital Cinema Distribution Master).
## Technical specifications
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Extension | .dpx |
| Color depth | 8, 10, 12, 16-bit per channel |
| Color spaces | RGB, YCbCr, RGBA, luminance |
| HDR support | Yes (log-encoded, linear) |
| Standard | SMPTE ST 268 |
## How to open DPX files
DPX files require specialized software:
- **DaVinci Resolve** (free) — opens DPX image sequences natively.
- **Nuke** / **Fusion** — VFX compositing tools.
- **FFmpeg** — command line: `ffplay frame.dpx`
- **ImageMagick** — `convert frame.dpx frame.png`
- **KaijuConverter** — convert DPX to PNG, TIFF or JPG online.
## Converting DPX to other formats
For web use or sharing, convert DPX to PNG (lossless, preserves color accuracy) or JPG (smaller, slight compression). For video output from a DPX sequence, DaVinci Resolve is the professional tool; FFmpeg can also assemble sequences into ProRes or H.264.
[Convert DPX to PNG online →](/convert/dpx-to-png)
Guide