DPX Image Loader/Saver (.dpx)

DPX is the most common digital intermediate format for scanned film plates, whether analog or digital. It is the sister format to Cineon, and it can hold more color depth than a PNG or TGA file with varieties at 10-bit, 12-bit and 16-bit being most commonly used. Many facilities convert DPX files into low res JPG files purely to act as proxies for background images in a scene for compositing against, but LightWave now offers the possibility to use DPX files in a scene directly. You can even save renders in DPX format, though this is not advised for typical visual effects productions.

LightWave offers RGBA savers for the DPX file format in addition to RGB. However, few packages accept DPX files with an embedded alpha channel at the time of this writing. Do not use one of the RGBA savers unless you know that your destination package can open a DPX with an embedded alpha channel. For most production needs, the RGB savers should suffice.