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Image MIME Reference
Kodak-DCR

Kodak Digital Camera Raw

image/x-kodak-dcr
VS

GIMP Image Format

image/x-xcf
XCF

A complete technical comparison of Kodak Digital Camera Raw and GIMP Image Format — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.

Equal browser support

Feature Support

Feature Kodak-DCR XCF
Transparency (Alpha) ✕ No Yes
Animation Support ✕ No Yes
Progressive Loading ✕ No ✕ No
HDR Support Yes Yes
EXIF Metadata Yes Yes
ICC Color Profile Yes Yes
Kodak Digital Camera Raw
image/x-kodak-dcr
Extension
.dcr
Container TIFF/EP
Compression Uncompressed / Lossless JPEG
Algorithm
NoneLossless JPEG (ITU-T81)
Color Depth 12-bit (Per Channel)
Developed by Eastman Kodak Company
Released 1998
Magic Bytes
49 49 2A 00 or 4D 4D 00 2A
Full Kodak-DCR reference →
GIMP Image Format
image/x-xcf
Extension
.xcf
Container GIMP Hierarchical Chunk Container
Compression None / RLE (Run-Length Encoding) / Zlib / Deflate (In newer GIMP versions)
Algorithm
NoneRLEZlib
Color Depth 8-bit per channel, 16-bit per channel, 32-bit floating point
Developed by Spencer Kimball, Peter Mattis, and the GIMP Development Team
Released 1995
Magic Bytes
67 69 6D 70 20 78 63 66
Full XCF reference →

Browser Support Comparison

Browser Kodak-DCR XCF
Chrome Chrome
✕ ✕
Firefox Firefox
✕ ✕
Safari Safari
✕ ✕
Edge Edge
✕ ✕
IE IE (Legacy)
✕ ✕
Kodak-DCR

Kodak-DCR Strengths

  • Preserves the full dynamic range and uncompressed raw sensor data captured by foundational professional digital cameras
  • Utilizes the standard TIFF container structure, ensuring that open-source decoders like LibRaw can easily parse and interpret the files long after official vendor support has ended
Limitations
  • Completely obsolete proprietary format tied to camera hardware that is no longer manufactured
  • Shares the TIFF magic header, leading to widespread misidentification by automated MIME detection libraries
  • Cannot be natively viewed in web browsers or standard operating system image viewers without specialized codecs
XCF

XCF Strengths

  • Preserves all non-destructive editing elements, layer hierarchies, masks, and alpha channels across GIMP sessions
  • Open and thoroughly documented specification within the open-source community, allowing third-party tools like Krita and ImageMagick to read project files
  • Reliable magic byte header prevents misidentification
Limitations
  • Massive file sizes because raw, unflattened layer bitmaps and masks are stored directly within the project archive
  • Completely proprietary to the GIMP ecosystem for deep editing; cannot be natively rendered or parsed by web browsers
  • Third-party software supporting XCF may occasionally struggle to render complex text layer adjustments or advanced layer blend modes identically to GIMP

When to choose which format

Kodak-DCR
Use Kodak-DCR when…
  • Vintage Professional Digital Photography (Kodak DCS series)
  • Non-destructive Image Post-Processing
  • Raw Imaging Archival
XCF
Use XCF when…
  • GIMP Native Project Archival
  • Layered Photo Editing and Graphic Design
  • Intermediary Asset Preparation for Export

More comparisons

Kodak-DCR vs ACES → XCF vs ACES → Kodak-DCR vs APNG → XCF vs APNG → Kodak-DCR vs AVCI → XCF vs AVCI → Kodak-DCR vs AVCS → XCF vs AVCS → Kodak-DCR vs AVIF → XCF vs AVIF → All comparisons →
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