Digital Picture Exchange

Digital Picture Exchange (DPX) is a common file format for digital intermediate and visual effects work and is an ANSI/SMPTE standard (268M-2003). The file format is most commonly used to represent the density of each colour channel of a scanned negative film in an uncompressed "logarithmic" image where the gamma of the original camera negative is preserved as taken by a film scanner. For this reason, DPX is the worldwide-chosen format for still frames storage in most Digital Intermediate post-production facilities and film labs. Other common video formats are supported as well (see below), from video to purely digital ones, making DPX a file format suitable for almost any raster digital imaging applications. DPX provides, in fact, a great deal of flexibility in storing colour information, colour spaces and colour planes for exchange between production facilities. Multiple forms of packing and alignment are possible. Last but not least, the DPX Specification allow for a wide variety of metadata to further clarify information stored (and storable) within each file.

The DPX file format was originally derived from Kodak Cineon open file format (.cin file extension) used for digital images generated by its original film scanner, has then been improved and its latest version (2.0) is currently published by SMPTE as ANSI/SMPTE 268M-2003. Original DPX specifications version 1.0 are part of SMPTE 268M-1994).