DDS to PNG

DDS (DirectDraw Surface) is the standard texture container from games, game engines and 3D software: models, materials and environment maps are almost always stored in this format, because graphics cards can process the block-compressed pixels directly without unpacking them first. Browsers and most normal image viewers, however, do not open DDS - this tool reads the file with its own, dependency-free decoder and outputs it as a universal PNG.

Decoded are the S3TC block formats BC1/DXT1 (opaque or with 1-bit punch-through transparency), BC2/DXT3 (4-bit alpha per texel) and BC3/DXT5 (interpolated alpha ramp), plus uncompressed 24/32-bit RGB(A) surfaces read from the bit masks in the header. Only the BASE level (the largest, first-stored resolution) is processed - any further mipmap levels in the file are skipped, because this tool shows you the texture, not the full mip chain.

The newer DX10 header extension (BC4-BC7, texture arrays and cube maps) and any other unrecognised FourCC or mask combination are honestly rejected rather than producing a wrong image - that would need a bigger, separate decoder. Transparency from BC1 punch-through alpha, BC2/BC3 alpha channels or an uncompressed alpha mask is fully preserved in the PNG; everything else is opaque. The conversion runs entirely locally in the browser, even offline - nothing is uploaded.

Specifications

In 3 steps

1. Drop or select your DDS file(s).
2. The decoder reads the header and pixel blocks.
3. Download the PNG (several as a ZIP).

Limitations: Supported are BC1/DXT1, BC2/DXT3 and BC3/DXT5 plus uncompressed RGB(A); only the BASE mip level is exported. The DX10 header extension (BC4-BC7, arrays, cube maps) and other unrecognised formats are honestly rejected rather than producing a wrong image.

FAQ

Related tools

HDR to PNG · PCX to PNG · WBMP to PNG · ICNS to PNG