What happens when you convert DPX to PNG
- ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, reads the DPX on our conversion server and saves it as a lossless PNG.
- Transparent areas stay transparent.
- A DPX with more than 8 bits per channel, such as the usual 10-bit film scan, becomes a 16-bit PNG, so none of that detail is lost.
- A film scan stored in a logarithmic encoding comes out flat and grey, just as it looks before colour grading; the values are converted as they are.
- This conversion runs on our server: the file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept. Files up to 25 MB are accepted.
How to convert DPX to PNG online
- Press "Choose DPX files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. Files up to 25 MB each can be converted.
- There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
- Press "Convert to PNG". The file is uploaded to our conversion server, converted in a few seconds, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result is sent back.
- Save each PNG with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your DPX and the PNG by then.
Why convert DPX to PNG?
DPX files usually come from film scanning, visual effects and digital cinema work. People convert them to PNG because PNG keeps sharp edges, text and transparency without any loss.
In short, DPX is good at what it was made for, and PNG is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. DPX does not open in browsers; DaVinci Resolve, Nuke, After Effects and other film tools open it, while PNG opens in every browser and image viewer.
How to convert DPX to PNG on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your DPX files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each PNG is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the DPX files from Finder onto the drop zone and the PNG files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose DPX files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted PNG appears in Files, in the Downloads folder; to put it in your photo library, open it there, tap Share and choose Save Image.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose DPX files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The PNG is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for DPX to PNG
There are no settings: the image keeps its full size.
Keep the DPX as your original, and convert from it again if you need another format.
DPX vs PNG: the differences
| DPX | PNG | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Digital Picture Exchange | Portable Network Graphics |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | SMPTE, from Kodak's Cineon format | the PNG Development Group |
| First released | 1994 | 1996 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | No | No |
| Vector or raster | Raster | Raster |
| Colour | 8, 10, 12 or 16 bits per channel, most often 10-bit RGB | up to 16 bits per channel with a full alpha channel |
| In a browser | does not open in browsers; DaVinci Resolve, Nuke, After Effects and other film tools open it | opens in every browser and image viewer |
| Common uses | film scanning, visual effects and digital cinema work | screenshots, logos, diagrams and anything with transparency |
| MIME type | image/x-dpx | image/png |
About DPX and PNG files
What is a DPX file?
DPX holds a single frame per file, so a scanned film is a folder of thousands of numbered DPX files. Film scans are often stored in a logarithmic encoding that keeps the full range of the negative, which is why an ungraded DPX looks flat and grey.
What is a PNG file?
PNG compresses without losing a single pixel, so screenshots and text stay razor sharp, but a photograph saved as PNG is often three to five times the size of the same photo as JPG.
DPX to PNG not working? Common problems
- "Files up to 25 MB can be converted." Server conversions have a size limit. Save the image at a smaller size first.
- "The conversion took too long and was stopped." Very long or complex files can pass the 90 second limit. Split the file and convert the parts.
- "This file is not really in DPX format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .dpx is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert DPX to PNG from the command line
ImageMagick does the same on your own computer:
magick input.dpx output.pngConverting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
DPX to PNG converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting DPX to PNG?
No. PNG is stored losslessly, so every pixel of the DPX is kept.
Why is the PNG a different size from the DPX?
Much smaller than the DPX, which stores every pixel uncompressed.
Are my DPX files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful DPX to PNG conversion needs ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, which cannot run in a browser. The file travels over an encrypted connection, is converted in a private temporary folder, and is deleted together with the PNG as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several DPX files to PNG at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open a PNG file?
PNG opens in every browser and image viewer. PNG is common for screenshots, logos, diagrams and anything with transparency.
Is this DPX to PNG converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Because this conversion uses our server, there is a fair-use limit of 25 MB per file and a number of files per hour, which stops the service being overloaded.
Can I convert DPX to PNG on my phone?
Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. The conversion happens on our server, so it is as fast on a phone as on a computer; the PNG is saved to your Downloads folder.