What is a .exr file?
OpenEXR · Image · Industrial Light & Magic · 1999
EXR (OpenEXR) is a high-dynamic-range image format built for visual effects and rendering. It stores far more brightness and colour detail than JPG or PNG, along with multiple channels, which is why film, VFX and 3D renderers use it for compositing.
What is a .exr file used for?
OpenEXR, created at Industrial Light & Magic, stores pixels as floating-point values, so it captures a huge range of brightness (true HDR) instead of clipping highlights and shadows the way an 8-bit JPG does.
A single EXR can hold many channels and layers, letting compositors keep depth, normals and separate render passes together, which is essential in film and 3D pipelines.
You work with EXR in tools like Nuke, After Effects, Blender or GIMP. For normal display it has to be tone-mapped down to a standard format like PNG or JPG.
How to open a .exr file
The .exr format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list.
Windows
- Nuke
- After Effects
- Photoshop
- Blender
- GIMP
macOS
- Nuke
- After Effects
- Blender
- GIMP
Linux
- Blender
- GIMP
- DJV viewer
Web
- Not natively; convert first
How to convert a .exr file
You can convert a .exr file to PNG, TIFF, JPG using a conversion tool or the export menu of an app that opens it.
.exr file signature (magic bytes)
Programs recognise a .exr file by the bytes at the start of the file, not by its name. These are the signatures for EXR. For a full breakdown, see the EXR file signature page.
| Hex signature | Offset | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 76 2F 31 01 | 0 | OpenEXR magic number |
See the full magic-numbers reference for every format.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .exr file?
EXR (OpenEXR) is a high-dynamic-range image format built for visual effects and rendering. It stores far more brightness and colour detail than JPG or PNG, along with multiple channels, which is why film, VFX and 3D renderers use it for compositing.
How do I open an EXR file?
Use an HDR-capable app such as Blender, GIMP, Photoshop, After Effects or Nuke. Everyday photo viewers do not handle EXR.
Why does my EXR look too dark or too bright?
EXR stores a much wider range of brightness than a screen shows, so it needs tone-mapping. Adjust the exposure or view transform in your app, or export a tone-mapped PNG or JPG.
Related formats
Sources
Details on this page were checked against authoritative references: