Kodak-KDC

Kodak KDC Raw Image

image/x-kodak-kdc Released 1995 · by Eastman Kodak Company

The image/x-kodak-kdc MIME type represents the Kodak KDC Raw Image format, a proprietary raw image format developed by the Eastman Kodak Company. It was utilized across two distinct eras of Kodak digital photography: initially in early consumer digital cameras like the DC40, DC50, and DC120 in the late 1990s, and later in advanced prosumer point-and-shoots like the EasyShare P850 and P880 in the mid-2000s. Based heavily on the TIFF file structure, a KDC file stores minimally processed, uncompressed or losslessly compressed sensor data, allowing photographers extensive latitude in post-processing exposure and color balance. Like other Kodak raw formats, it is now entirely obsolete.

Photography & Raw Imaging ✦ HDR Production Ready

Technical Specifications

MIME Type

image/x-kodak-kdc

Extensions

.kdc

Container

TIFF/EP

Compression

Uncompressed & Proprietary Lossless

Algorithms

NoneLossless JPEG (ITU-T81)Proprietary Kodak Compression

Color Depth

10-bit, 12-bit (Per Channel)

Metadata

EXIF XMP ICC

Capabilities

Transparency

Animation

Progressive Loading

Alpha Channel

HDR Support

Official Specification

Aliases: image/kdc

Magic Bytes & HTTP Headers

File Signature (Magic Bytes)

49 49 2A 00 or 4D 4D 00 2A

ASCII: II*\x00 or MM\x00*

HTTP Headers

Content-Type: image/x-kodak-kdc

HTML Accept Attribute

accept="image/x-kodak-kdc, .kdc"

Browser Support Matrix

Browser	Status	Min Version
Chrome	Not Supported	—
Firefox	Not Supported	—
Safari	Not Supported	—
Edge	Not Supported	—
Internet Explorer	Not Supported	Legacy

Advantages & Limitations

Advantages

Preserves original raw sensor data, allowing modern demosaicing software to extract significantly more detail and dynamic range than the camera's built-in JPEG engine could at the time
Utilizes the standard TIFF container structure, ensuring broad compatibility with open-source decoding libraries (like LibRaw)

Limitations

Completely obsolete proprietary format tied to a defunct line of consumer digital cameras
Subject to widespread misidentification by automated MIME detection libraries due to structural similarities with standard TIFFs
Cannot be natively viewed in web browsers or standard operating system image viewers without specialized decoders

Developer Code Snippets

import magic
# Libmagic will identify KDC files as standard TIFFs due to the shared 49 49 2A 00 / 4D 4D 00 2A header
print(magic.from_file('vintage.kdc', mime=True)) # Outputs 'image/tiff'

const FileType = require('file-type');
const type = await FileType.fromFile('vintage.kdc');
console.log(type?.mime); // Usually resolves to 'image/tiff'. Extension checking is required for 'image/x-kodak-kdc'.

import (
    "bytes"
    "net/http"
    "strings"
)
// Native Go HTTP detection reads the TIFF magic bytes and returns 'image/tiff'.
// You must explicitly check the filename extension or EXIF MakerNote to infer Kodak KDC intent.
// isKDC := strings.HasSuffix(strings.ToLower(filename), ".kdc")

$mime = mime_content_type('vintage.kdc');
echo $mime; // Standard PHP installations will resolve this to 'image/tiff' based on the file header.

File Detection Steps

How to programmatically detect a image/x-kodak-kdc file by reading its raw bytes:

1 KDC files are built upon the standard TIFF specification, meaning they usually begin with the little-endian (49 49 2A 00) or big-endian (4D 4D 00 2A) magic bytes.
2 Generic file sniffers like libmagic will typically identify these files as 'image/tiff'.
3 To definitively identify a KDC file programmatically, a parser must evaluate the EXIF MakerNote to confirm it originated from a Kodak camera that produces KDC formats, or rely on the .kdc file extension.

Software Support

A

Adobe Lightroom Classic / CC

D

Darktable

R

RawTherapee

ImageMagick

Conversion Tools

Share & Embed

Markdown Badge

[![Kodak-KDC Format](https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/kodak-kdc/badge.svg)](https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/kodak-kdc)

Interactive iframe Widget

<iframe src="https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/kodak-kdc/embed" width="100%" height="280" style="border:1px solid #cbd5e1;border-radius:8px;" title="Kodak-KDC Specs"></iframe>

JSON API

All data on this page is available as a free, open JSON API. Use it in your project, documentation, or tooling.

GET https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/kodak-kdc.json Open JSON

Free to use

No auth required

CORS enabled

Use from any domain

Cached 24h

Cache-Control headers set

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Kodak KDC file?

A KDC file is a proprietary raw image format created by Kodak for various digital cameras, ranging from early 1990s models to mid-2000s EasyShare prosumer cameras. It contains unprocessed raw sensor data instead of a standard compressed JPEG.

What is the difference between Kodak KDC, DCR, and K25?

All three are proprietary raw formats developed by Kodak, but they were used in different camera lineups. K25 was specific to the DC25, DCR was used for Kodak's professional DCS DSLR line, and KDC was primarily used for advanced point-and-shoot and early consumer cameras.

How can I open or edit a KDC file today?

Because it is a legacy raw format, standard image viewers cannot display it properly. You must use raw processing software like Adobe Lightroom, Capture One, RawTherapee, or Darktable to decode the sensor data and export it as a standard JPEG or TIFF.