PNG to EXR Converter
Convert a PNG into OpenEXR for VFX, compositing, or 3D rendering software. Drop a PNG file below — conversion happens locally on your device, so the file never leaves your computer.
Drop files, or click to browse
PNG files only — any size, any number of files
Frequently asked questions
Is this PNG to EXR converter really free?+
Yes. There's no file limit, no watermark, and no account required. Because the conversion runs in your browser instead of on a server, there's no processing queue to pay for.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?+
No. Orbfile decodes and re-encodes the image locally using ImageMagick compiled to WebAssembly, running entirely inside your browser tab. The bytes never leave your device.
Will converting to EXR lose quality?+
There's a quality slider so you can balance file size against visual quality. At high quality settings the difference is usually invisible.
Can I convert more than one file at once?+
Yes — drop as many files as you like and download them individually or as a single ZIP.
Is there a maximum file size?+
There's no fixed upload limit — Orbfile isn't uploading anything. The practical ceiling is your device's own memory, which comfortably handles even large, high-resolution photos.
How do I convert PNG to EXR?+
Drop your PNG file into the box above — it's automatically converted to EXR and a download link appears in seconds. No settings are required, though you can adjust quality if the tool offers a slider.
About PNG and EXR
What is PNG?
PNG is a lossless image format built for sharp edges, flat colors, and transparency — think logos, screenshots, and UI graphics rather than photos.
Full PNG format guide →What is EXR?
EXR (OpenEXR) is a high-dynamic-range image format built for visual effects work, storing far more brightness detail per pixel than a standard photo format.
Full EXR format guide →The short version: EXR gives you stores far more dynamic range than 8-bit formats, which helps once you run into PNG's biggest limitation: much larger files than JPG for photographic content. It's a natural move when your image is headed toward 3D render output.
How it works
- 1
Drop your file in
Drag your image onto the box above, or click it to browse — there's no account to create and no upload to wait on.
- 2
Pick your settings
The output format is already set for this page — just adjust any extra options shown, if there are any.
- 3
Download the result
Your browser processes everything locally and hands you a download link the moment it's done — nothing was ever sent to a server.
Is it private?
Everything happens locally, inside this browser tab. Your image is read from disk, processed with WebAssembly running on your own device, and handed back to you as a download — it's never transmitted anywhere, so there's nothing to intercept and nothing stored on a server.
Common use cases
- 3D render output
- VFX compositing and film scanning pipelines
- Preparing images for a website or online store
- Attaching a photo to an email with a size limit
Supported formats
This is one of many pairings the image toolkit handles. In total it covers:
Related conversions
Format details
About PNG files+
PNG is a lossless image format built for sharp edges, flat colors, and transparency — think logos, screenshots, and UI graphics rather than photos.
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) was created in the mid-1990s as a free, patent-unencumbered replacement for GIF, and it inherited GIF's lossless approach while adding full 24-bit color and an alpha transparency channel. Because nothing is thrown away during compression, a PNG can be re-saved indefinitely without ever degrading — a real advantage for screenshots, diagrams, and anything with text or hard edges, where JPEG's compression tends to introduce visible smudging. The cost is file size: for photographic content, a PNG is typically several times larger than an equivalent JPEG, which is why most photo libraries still default to JPEG and reserve PNG for graphics.
How to open a PNG file
Opens readily in Any web browser, Your operating system's default photo viewer. For real editing, use Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, Affinity Photo.
Good for
- lossless — no generation loss on re-saving
- full alpha transparency
- crisp text and hard edges
Watch out for
- much larger files than JPG for photographic content
About EXR files+
EXR (OpenEXR) is a high-dynamic-range image format built for visual effects work, storing far more brightness detail per pixel than a standard photo format.
Industrial Light & Magic built OpenEXR in 1999 for its own film pipeline and open-sourced it in 2003, and it's since become the de facto standard for handing rendered or scanned frames between VFX and animation studios. Where a JPG or PNG clamps every pixel to a fixed brightness range, EXR stores color as 16- or 32-bit floating-point values, so a blown-out sky or a shadowed doorway both keep real data an artist can pull back in compositing rather than pixels that were already thrown away at capture time. That flexibility comes at the cost of file size and near-universal absence from consumer software — it's a working format for VFX and 3D tools, not something a photo viewer or browser will open.
How to open a EXR file
Opens readily in For real editing, use Nuke, Blender, DaVinci Resolve, Photoshop (with a plugin).
EXR is a professional VFX/3D working format — it won't open in Windows Photos, macOS Preview, or a browser without a plugin.
Good for
- stores far more dynamic range than 8-bit formats
- floating-point precision survives repeated edits without banding
- industry standard for VFX and 3D rendering
Watch out for
- not viewable in ordinary photo apps or browsers
- large files compared to compressed formats
Need a different format? Try the full Image Converter, or explore all image tools.