# Install openexr with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper High dynamic-range image file format. Version 3.4.13 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:openexr ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install openexr ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install openexr ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: graphics/openexr/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add openexr ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: openexr from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install libopenexr-3-1-30 ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: libopenexr-3-1-30 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install openexr ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: openexr from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#openexr ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: openexr from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S openexr ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: openexr from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install libIex-3_4-33 ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libIex-3_4-33 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:openexr - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 3.4.13 - **Source summary:** High dynamic-range image file format - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** BSD-3-Clause - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-22T17:20:14Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - exr2aces (cli) - exrenvmap (cli) - exrheader (cli) - exrinfo (cli) - exrmakepreview (cli) - exrmaketiled (cli) - exrmanifest (cli) - exrmetrics (cli) - exrmultipart (cli) - exrmultiview (cli) - exrstdattr (cli) - exr2aces (alias) - exrenvmap (alias) - exrheader (alias) - exrinfo (alias) - exrmakepreview (alias) - exrmaketiled (alias) - exrmanifest (alias) - exrmetrics (alias) - exrmultipart (alias) - exrmultiview (alias) - exrstdattr (alias) ## Dependencies - imath - libdeflate - openjph ## Build dependencies - cmake - pkgconf ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 3.4.13 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-22 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openexr - Upstream latest detected: v3.4.13 (current) ## Project history and usage OpenEXR is a high-dynamic-range image file format and reference software stack for visual effects, animation, rendering, compositing, and digital intermediate workflows. It is one of the most important file-format packages in the computer-graphics toolchain because it standardizes floating-point image interchange across studios and applications. ### Project history Industrial Light & Magic developed OpenEXR in 1999 to answer the visual-effects industry's need for higher color fidelity. ILM released the format and C++ library as open source in 2003, after using and refining it in production. OpenEXR 2.0, released in 2013 through work associated with ILM and Weta Digital, added deep images and multi-part files. Those features made the format better suited to deep compositing and complex render-pass workflows where separate but related image data needs to travel together. OpenEXR joined the Academy Software Foundation in 2018 alongside OpenCue. In the OpenEXR 3 generation, Imath was promoted out of the old IlmBase component into a separate dependency, making the math and half-float infrastructure more independently reusable across graphics software. ### Adoption history ILM says OpenEXR became its main image file format and was used in every motion picture to which ILM contributed visual effects work starting in 2000. Early film uses included Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Men in Black II, Gangs of New York, and Signs. The Academy Software Foundation and ILM describe contributions from Weta Digital, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Pixar Animation Studios, Autodesk, DreamWorks, and others. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave Florian Kainz a 2007 Technical Achievement Award for the design and engineering of OpenEXR, citing its 16-bit floating-point HDR files, compression support, and visual-effects suitability. OpenEXR's adoption also shows up in its packaging breadth: the input metadata lists packages across Homebrew, Alpine, Debian, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, Ubuntu, and openSUSE. For downstreams, the library is not just a command-line tool bundle but a dependency that image IO libraries, renderers, compositors, and DCC applications build against. ### How it is used Artists and pipeline tools use EXR files to store scene-linear HDR images, arbitrary channels, alpha, depth and auxiliary render passes, tiled or scanline images, and compressed production frames. Developers use the libraries and utilities to inspect headers, transform layouts, validate files, convert color-management-adjacent data, and integrate EXR IO into rendering and compositing software. The command set exposed by the package, including tools such as `exrheader`, `exrinfo`, `exrmultipart`, and `exrstdattr`, reflects how the format is operated in production: metadata inspection, multipart/deep-file handling, preview generation, environment-map conversion, and conformance checks matter alongside ordinary image reading and writing. ### Why package nerds care OpenEXR is a canonical example of a domain-specific format becoming shared infrastructure. Package maintainers care about ABI stability, compiler settings, compression support, Imath version compatibility, Python bindings, and tool availability because a break in OpenEXR can ripple through render farms, asset pipelines, and desktop graphics applications. Its evolution also shows how packaging boundaries change over time. The OpenEXR 3 split made Imath a separate dependency, so distributions had to track compatibility between OpenEXR and Imath instead of treating the old IlmBase stack as internal implementation detail. ### Timeline - 1999: ILM began developing OpenEXR for high-fidelity visual-effects imagery. - 2000: ILM began using OpenEXR as its main image file format for visual-effects film work. - 2003: ILM released OpenEXR publicly as open-source software. - 2007: OpenEXR received an Academy Technical Achievement Award. - 2013: OpenEXR 2.0 added deep data and multi-part image files. - 2018: OpenEXR joined the Academy Software Foundation. - 2021: OpenEXR 3.0 and Imath 3.0 moved the former IlmBase math pieces into the separate Imath project. ### Related projects - Imath is the closest related package because OpenEXR 3 depends on it for math types and the half 16-bit floating-point type. OpenImageIO, renderers, compositors, and DCC applications are major downstream consumers rather than sibling projects. ### Sources - - - - - - - - - - ## Security Notes broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. - **Geiger risk:** blue / medium - broad file, network, media, or database tool signal ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** openexr - **Aliases:** openexr@3 - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 1 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - libopenexr-3-1-30 - 3.1.13-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libopenexr-3-1-30 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | runtime files for the OpenEXR image library | https://www.openexr.com - Debian apt - libopenexr-dev - 3.1.13-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libopenexr-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | development files for the OpenEXR image library | https://www.openexr.com - Debian apt - libopenexr-doc - 3.1.13-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libopenexr-doc from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | documentation and examples for the OpenEXR image format | https://www.openexr.com - Debian apt - openexr - 3.1.13-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: openexr from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | command-line tools for the OpenEXR image format | https://www.openexr.com - Nix - openexr: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: openexr from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix - Ubuntu apt - libopenexr-3-1-30 - 3.1.5-5.1build3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libopenexr-3-1-30 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | runtime files for the OpenEXR image library | https://www.openexr.com - Ubuntu apt - libopenexr-dev - 3.1.5-5.1build3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libopenexr-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | development files for the OpenEXR image library | https://www.openexr.com - Ubuntu apt - libopenexr-doc - 3.1.5-5.1build3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libopenexr-doc from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | documentation and examples for the OpenEXR image format | https://www.openexr.com - Ubuntu apt - openexr - 3.1.5-5.1build3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: openexr from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | command-line tools for the OpenEXR image format | https://www.openexr.com - apk - openexr - 3.4.11-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: openexr from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | High dynamic-range image file format library | https://www.openexr.com/ - apk - openexr-dev - 3.4.11-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: openexr-dev from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | High dynamic-range image file format library (development files) | https://www.openexr.com/ - apk - openexr-doc - 3.4.11-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: openexr-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | High dynamic-range image file format library (documentation) | https://www.openexr.com/ - apk - openexr-libiex - 3.4.11-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: openexr-libiex from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | High dynamic-range image file format library | https://www.openexr.com/ - apk - openexr-libilmthread - 3.4.11-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: openexr-libilmthread from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | High dynamic-range image file format library | https://www.openexr.com/ - apk - openexr-libopenexr - 3.4.11-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: openexr-libopenexr from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | High dynamic-range image file format library | https://www.openexr.com/ - apk - openexr-libopenexrcore - 3.4.11-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: openexr-libopenexrcore from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | High dynamic-range image file format library | https://www.openexr.com/ ## Related links - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [libdeflate](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libdeflate/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [openjph](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/openjph/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [cmake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cmake/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [ctl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ctl/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [gdal](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gdal/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [geeqie](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/geeqie/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [gmic](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gmic/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [gstreamer](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gstreamer/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [imagemagick-full](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/imagemagick-full/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [jpeg-xl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jpeg-xl/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [libsail](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libsail/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [flif](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/flif/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, image-format, media. - [libpng](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libpng/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, image-format, media. - [openimageio](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/openimageio/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, computer-graphics, library, media, vfx. - [alembic](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/alembic/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, computer-graphics, media, vfx. - [ptex](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ptex/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, computer-graphics, library, media. - [a52dec](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/a52dec/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, library, media. - [aalib](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aalib/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, library, media. - [adplug](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/adplug/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, library, media. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/openexr.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/openexr.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph