ORF to EXR Converter
Convert ORF to EXR in your browser. The preview inside the maker notes is found by scanning the whole file, and that preview is what gets converted. No raw development happens here. You get a ZIP-compressed OpenEXR with 16-bit half-float channels, the 8-bit sRGB values converted to linear light. Nothing is uploaded.
- Processed locally
- No upload, no wait
- No sign-up
- No watermark
Drop images here
or choose files · paste with Ctrl/⌘ V
RAW expected · other image formats also work
How to use ORF to EXR
- 1
Add your ORF files: drop them here, choose them, or paste from the clipboard.
- 2
There is nothing to tune: the EXR is written losslessly. Resizing and rotating are under More options if you need them.
- 3
Click Convert. Each file is decoded and encoded in a background thread on this device.
- 4
Download the .exr files one at a time or together as a ZIP.
Why use Aback Images for orf to exr
Where the EXR goes next
EXR opens in Nuke, Blender, Houdini, After Effects, DaVinci Resolve, Photoshop, Krita and OpenImageIO.
EXR next to ORF
The EXR holds the camera preview's pixels with lossless compression: usually smaller than a 12 to 30 MB raw file, though far larger than a JPEG of the same photo.
No new artefacts
The preview inside the ORF is a camera JPEG; the EXR stores its decoded pixels losslessly, so this step adds no compression damage of its own.
Processed on your device
Your images are decoded, edited and encoded inside this browser tab by Web Workers. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
ORF vs EXR
What changes from ORF to EXR
Encoding: the ORF uses losslessly compressed sensor data, with a preview and thumbnail; EXR uses none, RLE, ZIP, PIZ, PXR24, B44 or DWA, chosen per file, and the download is a ZIP-compressed OpenEXR with 16-bit half-float channels, the 8-bit sRGB values converted to linear light.
Bit depth: 12 bits per channel in the ORF; EXR allows 16-bit half or 32-bit floating point per channel, and the EXR written here has 16-bit half float per channel. The sensor's 12 bits are not used: the 8-bit camera preview is converted.
Colour: camera RGB from a Bayer mosaic in the ORF; EXR supports scene-linear RGB, often ACEScg or linear Rec.709, written here as linear-light RGB.
Metadata: the ORF can carry EXIF and Olympus maker notes, which also contain the preview; EXR can carry named header attributes such as chromaticities, timecode and camera data, but nothing is copied across.
About ORF
ORF is the raw format of Olympus and OM System cameras, built around Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds sensors. It stores 12-bit sensor data with a JPEG preview kept inside Olympus's maker notes.
ORF looks like TIFF but replaces the version number 42 with the letters 'RO', so a little-endian file starts 'IIRO' and generic TIFF readers reject it. Its JPEG preview is not in the main image directory but inside the camera-settings block of Olympus's maker notes.
ORF files usually come from Olympus E-series DSLRs, OM-D and PEN mirrorless cameras and OM System bodies.
About EXR
OpenEXR is the high dynamic range format of film visual effects. It stores half or full floating-point channels in linear light, plus any extra render passes, and is the working format of compositing pipelines.
An EXR starts with the magic number 76 2F 31 01 and a version field, then a header of named, typed attributes (channels, compression, dataWindow, displayWindow) and a table of offsets to scanline or tile blocks.
When converting ORF to EXR makes sense
EXR is the better choice for visual effects, compositing and 3D render output, while ORF suits editing Olympus and OM System photos in a raw developer.
EXR strengths: True high dynamic range in linear light; Any number of channels and render passes; Lossless compression options. Drawbacks to weigh: Needs tone mapping to look right on a normal screen; Very large files; No browser or phone support.
Limitations
- High Res Shot files combine several exposures in camera; the preview shows the combined result at its stored size.
- No range is added: the EXR holds the 8-bit picture in linear light, and nothing in it is brighter than the original white.
- Compositing and 3D software read the EXR as linear light, the convention for the format, so it displays correctly there.
- The file holds colour and, when the image has transparency, an alpha channel; there are no extra render passes.
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Frequently asked questions
Does converting ORF to EXR lose quality?
EXR is written losslessly, so the pixels are stored exactly as decoded. Those pixels come from the camera's JPEG preview, so its compression stays, but nothing new is lost. The sensor's 12 bits are not used: the 8-bit camera preview is converted.
Does saving as EXR add dynamic range?
No. The values come from an 8-bit image, converted to linear light so compositing software displays them correctly, but nothing brighter than the original white is invented. The file is ready to use as a plate or texture in an EXR pipeline.
Which apps open EXR files?
Nuke, Blender, Houdini, After Effects, DaVinci Resolve, Photoshop, Krita and OpenImageIO. It does not open in web browsers.
Are my images uploaded anywhere?
No. Processing happens inside your browser with WebAssembly and Web Workers. The site only downloads the app code and codecs; your files never leave your device. You can confirm this with the live upload counter on the tool, or in your browser's network panel.
Can I process many files at once?
Yes. Drop a whole selection or folder. Files are processed in parallel on several worker threads, each result can be downloaded on its own, and everything can be saved as one ZIP.
Is it free? Is there a file limit or watermark?
It is free with no account, no watermark and no daily limit. The only limit is your device's memory: very large images (over roughly 100 megapixels) may be refused to keep the tab from crashing.