What Is a DPX File?

DPX (Digital Picture Exchange) is an image file format used in film and television post-production. It stores individual frames as separate files, creating image sequences that are ideal for VFX work and color grading.

Technical Specifications

• Bit depth: Supports 8-bit, 10-bit, 12-bit, and 16-bit per channel.
• Color space: Typically Log or Linear, with metadata for color interpretation.
• Compression: Usually uncompressed, though RLE compression is supported.
• File extension: .dpx
• Channels: RGB, RGBA, or other configurations.

DPX File Sizes

Because DPX files are typically uncompressed, they're large:

When to Use DPX

DPX is commonly used in:

• Film scanning: DPX is the standard format for digitizing film negatives.
• Color grading: Colorists often work with DPX sequences for maximum quality.
• VFX handoff: DPX provides frame-accurate, high-quality source for visual effects.
• DCP mastering: DPX sequences feed into DCP creation.

DPX vs EXR

Both are image sequence formats, but they serve different purposes:

• DPX: Simpler format, widely supported, standard for color grading and film scanning. Typically 10-bit or 16-bit.
• EXR: More advanced format (developed by ILM), supports 32-bit float, multiple layers, and arbitrary metadata. Preferred for VFX compositing.

Transferring DPX Files

DPX sequences present unique transfer challenges:

• Massive size: A feature film's DPX master can be 100TB or more.
• Many small files: Thousands of individual frames per sequence.
• Sequence integrity: Missing frames break the sequence.

Handrive handles DPX transfers effectively:

• No per-GB fees: Transfer terabytes of DPX without cost.
• No file count limits: Send thousands of frames in one share.
• Direct P2P: Files go straight to the recipient without cloud intermediary.