{"id":"image-x-kodak-kdc","mimeType":"image/x-kodak-kdc","name":"Kodak KDC Raw Image","shortName":"Kodak-KDC","category":"Photography \u0026 Raw Imaging","extensions":[".kdc"],"description":"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.","seo":{"title":"image/x-kodak-kdc MIME Type | Developer Reference for Kodak KDC","description":"Complete reference for the image/x-kodak-kdc MIME type: Kodak KDC Raw Image format, Kodak EasyShare/DC series history, TIFF structure, and raw archival.","faqs":[{"question":"What is a Kodak KDC file?","answer":"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."},{"question":"What is the difference between Kodak KDC, DCR, and K25?","answer":"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."},{"question":"How can I open or edit a KDC file today?","answer":"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."}]},"index":{"compression":["Uncompressed","Proprietary Lossless"],"browserSupport":{"score":1,"label":"None"},"commonUses":["Vintage Digital Photography Archival","Kodak DC and EasyShare P-Series Raw Post-Processing","Historical Imaging Research"]},"technical":{"magicBytes":{"hex":"49 49 2A 00 or 4D 4D 00 2A","ascii":"II*\\x00 or MM\\x00*"},"container":"TIFF/EP","compressionAlgorithm":["None","Lossless JPEG (ITU-T81)","Proprietary Kodak Compression"],"colorDepth":["10-bit","12-bit (Per Channel)"],"transparency":false,"animation":false,"metadata":{"exif":true,"xmp":true,"iccProfile":true},"alphaChannel":false,"progressiveLoading":false,"hdrSupport":true},"history":{"developer":"Eastman Kodak Company","released":"1995","specification":"Proprietary (Reverse-engineered by dcraw/LibRaw)"},"browserSupport":{"chrome":false,"chromeVersion":"None","firefox":false,"firefoxVersion":"None","safari":false,"safariVersion":"None","edge":false,"edgeVersion":"None","internetExplorer":false},"softwareSupport":[{"name":"Adobe Lightroom Classic / CC","logo":""},{"name":"Darktable","logo":""},{"name":"RawTherapee","logo":""},{"name":"ImageMagick","logo":"image-magic.webp"}],"conversion":{"convertTo":["dng","jpeg","tiff","png"],"convertFrom":[]},"developer":{"httpHeaders":[{"header":"Content-Type","value":"image/x-kodak-kdc"}],"htmlAccept":"image/x-kodak-kdc, .kdc","fileDetection":["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.","Generic file sniffers like libmagic will typically identify these files as 'image/tiff'.","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."]},"prosCons":{"pros":["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)"],"cons":["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"]},"specifications":{"url":"https://www.libraw.org/","rfc":"","mimeAliases":["image/kdc"]},"developerSnippets":{"python":"import magic\n# Libmagic will identify KDC files as standard TIFFs due to the shared 49 49 2A 00 / 4D 4D 00 2A header\nprint(magic.from_file('vintage.kdc', mime=True)) # Outputs 'image/tiff'","nodejs":"const FileType = require('file-type');\nconst type = await FileType.fromFile('vintage.kdc');\nconsole.log(type?.mime); // Usually resolves to 'image/tiff'. Extension checking is required for 'image/x-kodak-kdc'.","go":"import (\n    \"bytes\"\n    \"net/http\"\n    \"strings\"\n)\n// Native Go HTTP detection reads the TIFF magic bytes and returns 'image/tiff'.\n// You must explicitly check the filename extension or EXIF MakerNote to infer Kodak KDC intent.\n// isKDC := strings.HasSuffix(strings.ToLower(filename), \".kdc\")","php":"$mime = mime_content_type('vintage.kdc');\necho $mime; // Standard PHP installations will resolve this to 'image/tiff' based on the file header."},"relatedFormats":["kodak-dcr","kodak-k25","tiff","dng"]}