
The industry-standard high dynamic-range imaging format for professional visual effects and computer animation.
OpenEXR is a high dynamic-range (HDR) image file format developed by Industrial Light & Magic for use in computer imaging applications. As a cornerstone of the Academy Software Foundation (ASWF), it has become the definitive standard for the motion picture industry. The technical architecture supports 16-bit floating-point, 32-bit floating-point, and 32-bit integer pixels, enabling the storage of high-precision data essential for complex VFX pipelines. OpenEXR's primary strength lies in its ability to store an arbitrary number of channels (layers) within a single file, facilitating 'Deep Compositing' where depth information is preserved per-pixel. By 2026, its role has expanded significantly into AI/ML datasets, where high bit-depth information is critical for training robust computer vision models and generative AI systems. The format supports both tiled and scanline storage, multiple compression schemes including lossy DWA and lossless PIZ, and a multi-part file structure that allows for efficient reading of specific channels without loading the entire dataset. It is integrated into every major DCC (Digital Content Creation) tool, including Nuke, Houdini, and Unreal Engine, serving as the universal language for high-end visual data exchange.
Stores a variable-length list of samples for each pixel, preserving depth and opacity through the volume.
Verified feedback from the global deployment network.
Post queries, share implementation strategies, and help other users.
Organizes channels into separate parts that can be accessed independently.
A lossy compression scheme based on discrete cosine transforms specifically tuned for film grain and high-frequency noise.
Uses the 'half' format (1 sign bit, 5 exponent bits, 10 mantissa bits).
Support for custom attributes of any type within the file header.
Breaks the image into rectangular tiles rather than scanlines.
Utilizes a dedicated 2D/3D vector and matrix library.
Storing renders with high dynamic range and 50+ AOV layers (diffuse, specular, etc.) in one file.
Registry Updated:2/7/2026
Import into Nuke for multi-channel compositing.
Eliminating 'halo' artifacts when compositing objects with complex edges like hair or smoke.
Maintaining linear light data for training high-fidelity computer vision models.