EXR files are great, but they can take up a ton of space. Here’s how to convert them to the much lighter JPG format on Windows 11.
EXR (otherwise known as OpenEXR) is a rare raster image format established by Industrial Light & Magic, a Lucasfilm visual effects division. It is a high-quality HDR image format primarily utilized in the graphics industry for animations and visual effects. Some photographers seeking brighter pictures that retain more detail also use the EXR format.
However, EXR is not a universally supported file format like JPG. EXR images also have much larger file sizes. So, here is how you can convert EXR files into JPG images in Windows 11.
XnConvert is one of the best freeware image conversion utilities for Windows 11 that supports almost all picture formats. That software enables you to batch convert multiple images to JPG format. Here's how to set it up:
Once the program is installed, it's time to convert your files:
If you're interested in churning through lots of images in general, why not check out our guide on how to batch-edit images with Imagemagick?
GIMP is a freeware image editor with which you can open and edit EXR images. Therefore, you can export (save) your EXR images to the JPG format after opening them within that software. This is how to convert an EXR file by exporting it to JPG in GIMP:
This method for converting EXR files into JPGs requires no extra installation. You can convert your EXR image with the FreeFileConvert web app in any Windows 11 browser of your choice, although there are a few good reasons why you should stick with Edge. Just note that the web app can batch convert up to five selected files at once.
Here are the steps for converting EXR files with FreeFileConvert:
Converting EXR files to a JPG format that compresses data can be considered an image compression method. JPG files aren’t the best for picture quality, but they consume much less drive storage space than EXR images. As you can open JPGs in many more image viewers and editors, converting EXR pictures to that format will make them much more accessible.
Jack has been a freelance tech journalist for more than a decade. He has covered Windows Vista, 7, 10, and 11 topics within a multitude of guides for MakeUseOf and numerous other websites.
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