How can I convert DDS to PNG?

A .dds file extension is used by DirectDraw Surface files that store various raster images. It’s used by OpenGL and Microsoft DirectX 7.0 multimedia programs. The subsequent versions have had major improvements including supporting a broad array of textures in DirectX 8.0, Direct3D 10, and Direct3D 11.

Have you come across DXTn compressed data files? If you have, you know they are mostly stored in DDS files. You can store both compressed and uncompressed pixel format. Also, you can store cubic environment maps that are with or without mipmap levels as well as textures.

A lot of tech lingo? Let’s break it down a bit.

Environment maps are used to enhance a gamer’s user experience in gaming apps. DDS is used to store texture arrays used in creating 3D software and games. So, if you want the latest video game consoles, DDS will be used to develop that. On compression, you compress the texture blocks increasing the performance of the application.

A DDS file may sometimes contain Windows desktop backgrounds or wallpapers.

You can open a DDS file with Microsoft DirectX, Honeyview, Ashampoo Photo Commander, XnView, Adobe Photoshop with NVIDIA DDS plugin, and IrfanView with IrfanView Formats plugin.

If you don’t have these applications, the easiest way is to convert DDS to PNG. PNG is the most used raster image format that can be opened on all devices and browsers regardless of the operating system.

With Filestar, you can securely convert DDS to PNG using these easy peasy steps.