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.dds

DDS file: what it is and how to open it

A .dds file (DirectDraw Surface) is a texture image used by DirectX games and mods.

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Contenta Converter results screen showing 32 converted photos and a before and after preview
The results screen of Contenta Converter: 32 photos converted in 47 seconds, with a before and after preview.
  1. Add your DDS filesDrop in single files or a whole folder.
  2. Pick output formatJPG, PNG, TIFF, PDF and more.
  3. Click ConvertEvery file converted in one pass.

The same photo, five outputs

Photo of a stage set with a bed, a small table and a checked sofaDSC_0001.NEF · 3900×2613
  • PNG.png1.9 s
    16.1 MB
  • AVIF.avif2.2 s
    2.02 MB
  • JPG.jpg1.7 s
    1.69 MB
  • WebP.webp1.7 s
    1.32 MB
  • JPEG XL.jxl1.7 s
    1.12 MB
One Nikon D60 RAW file converted to five formats, at quality 90 where the format has a quality setting. PNG is lossless, so it is the largest. Seconds are the median of three runs. Measured with the Contenta Converter 9.0.35 command line on an AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, 2026-09-30.

Windows Photos cannot open it. Free editors such as Paint.NET and GIMP can, one file at a time. Contenta Converter batch converts classic DDS textures (uncompressed, DXT1, DXT3 and DXT5) to PNG, JPG or TIFF.

How to open a .DDS file on Windows

  1. Paint.NET (free). Opens and saves DDS, including newer BC7 textures. Best for editing one texture.
  2. GIMP (free). Opens DDS files and exports them to PNG or JPG.
  3. texconv (free, from Microsoft). A command-line tool from DirectXTex that converts any DDS, BC6H and BC7 included, to PNG.
  4. Contenta Converter, for whole folders. Drop a folder of uncompressed, DXT1, DXT3 or DXT5 textures and export them all to PNG, JPG or TIFF in one pass.
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Formát

DDS

Společnost

Microsoft
Popis V DirectDraw Plocha (. DDS) souborový formát je používán pro ukládání textur a kubických map prostředí, a to jak komprimované a nekomprimované. Tento formát je vhodný pro ukládání komprimovaných dat DXTn používané v GPUs a konzole jako Playstation 3 a Xbox 360.
Výhody GPU-native. A DDS texture loads as-is into video memory — no CPU-side decoding, dramatically faster level loads. Stores mipmaps inline (pre-computed smaller versions for rendering at a distance). Supports cubemaps for skyboxes and reflections. Broadly supported in game engines: Unreal, Unity, Source, id Tech, and most modding tools.
Nevýhody Hardware-oriented format — most image viewers and editors either can't open it or strip the GPU-specific metadata when saving. DXT/S3TC compression is lossy and blocky on gradients (avoid for UI art). File sizes are fixed by texture dimensions and compression choice, not image complexity — a mostly-black 2048×2048 DXT5 is the same ~5.5 MB as a detailed one.

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DDS image organization

Jak otevřít DDS? Jak proces DDS? Jak srazit DDS? Jak snížit DDS? Jak přejmenovat automaticky DDS? Jak organizovat DDS v sub-složky? Jak recompress DDS? Jak vytvořit PDF fotoalbum z DDS?

DDS image color processing

Jak převést z DDS na černou a bílou? Jak převést z DDS do sépie? How to adjust the brightness DDS? How to adjust the contrast DDS? How to adjust the gamma DDS? How to invert the colors of DDS? How to boost colors from DDS? How to boost the contrast from DDS?

DDS image processing

Jak přidat vodoznak na DDS? How to create animated GIF slideshows from DDS? How to create pencil/ink drawings from DDS? Jak se k zaostření DDS? How to blur DDS? How to refocus DDS? How to denoise hot pixels from DDS? How to crop DDS? How to rotate DDS? How to flip DDS?

DDS image annotation

How to change the resolution in dpi of DDS? How to modify the IPTC/XMP creation and modification dates of DDS? How to modify the IPTC/XMP description of DDS? How to modify the IPTC/XMP location of DDS? How to modify the IPTC/XMP legal information of DDS? How to edit the IPTC/XMP workflow (status and urgency) of DDS? How to edit the IPTC/XMP copyright of DDS?

Frequently Asked Questions about DDS

Why won't my DDS file open in Windows?

Windows Photos has no DDS decoder. Use a free editor such as Paint.NET or GIMP to view it, or convert it to PNG.

Which DDS files can Contenta Converter convert?

Uncompressed DDS and the classic DXT1, DXT3 and DXT5 (BC1 to BC3) compressions used by most older games. For BC6H and BC7 textures, use Microsoft's free texconv tool.

Need more than DDS conversion? Browse supported cameras that produce DDS files below, or:

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