DPX (Digital Picture Exchange) is the SMPTE 268M professional cinema format, storing 10-bit or 16-bit per channel imagery with logarithmic color encoding for maximum dynamic range. DPX is the standard interchange format across the VFX and digital intermediate pipeline — Nuke, Flame, DaVinci Resolve, and Baselight all work natively with DPX sequences. PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is the lossless web image format supporting 8-bit or 16-bit color depth with full alpha transparency.

Converting DPX to PNG produces lossless, widely viewable frame images from cinema-grade source material. PNG is the best general-purpose output format for DPX conversion because it preserves maximum quality (lossless compression), supports 16-bit depth (retaining more of DPX's dynamic range than 8-bit formats), and is viewable in every web browser and image application.

PNG's 16-bit per channel mode preserves significantly more of DPX's dynamic range than 8-bit formats like JPEG or BMP. For VFX review, editorial reference, and production stills where tonal quality matters, 16-bit PNG retains the subtle gradations in shadows, highlights, and skin tones that 8-bit conversion loses. This makes PNG the highest-quality practical format for DPX frame extraction.

Web-based production tools (ShotGrid/Flow, Frame.io, cineSync) display PNG natively in the browser. Converting DPX frames to PNG enables upload to these collaboration platforms without quality-degrading JPEG compression. Review notes, annotations, and approvals happen on PNG frames that preserve more of the original DPX quality than any lossy alternative.

The DPX header is parsed for image dimensions, bit depth, color encoding, and orientation. ImageMagick or Sharp performs log-to-linear conversion using a Cineon-to-sRGB LUT. For 16-bit PNG output, the conversion preserves 16 bits per channel from the source (10-bit DPX is expanded to 16-bit). For 8-bit PNG output, standard tone-mapping is applied. PNG compression uses DEFLATE with optimized filter selection per scanline. Alpha channel is preserved if present in the DPX source. The full spatial resolution of the DPX frame is maintained.

16-bit for VFX review and critical color evaluation — it preserves more tonal range. 8-bit for web sharing, documentation, and general viewing where the extra depth is not visible.

2K 8-bit PNG: 3-8 MB. 2K 16-bit PNG: 6-16 MB. 4K 8-bit PNG: 12-30 MB. 4K 16-bit PNG: 25-60 MB. PNG's lossless compression is less efficient than JPEG but preserves every pixel.

EXR preserves the most dynamic range (floating-point) but requires specialized viewers. PNG at 16-bit is a good compromise — more dynamic range than JPEG, viewable in standard browsers.

Yes. DPX image sequences (thousands of frames) convert to numbered PNG sequences. This is useful for tools that read PNG but not DPX.

PNG supports text metadata chunks but not DPX-specific fields like timecode or film stock info. Frame numbers can be preserved in filenames.

Device	DPX	PNG
Windows PC	Partial	Native
macOS	Partial	Native
iPhone/iPad	Partial	Native
Android	Partial	Native
Linux	Partial	Native
Web Browser	No	Native

Feature	DPX	PNG
Full Name	Digital Picture Exchange	Portable Network Graphics
Extension	.dpx	.png
Best For	Film industry standard	Lossless quality

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