What Is a DCR File?

This article describes the several file formats that use the DCR file extension, including how to open and convert each file type.

What Is a DCR File?

A Kodak RAW image is one kind of file that uses the DCR (Digital Camera Raw) file extension. It's an uncompressed and unprocessed photo saved from a Kodak digital camera.

Another use for this same file extension is as a Shockwave media file that's commonly used to store web games. Other, less common formats that utilize the DCR extension include AstroVIEW X data logs, Delphi component binary resources, Digital Court Recorder videos, and Liberty video recordings.

How to Open a DCR File

Kodak RAW images can be opened with Able RAWer, GIMP, Adobe Photoshop, and other conventional photo and graphics tools.

If you're confident that the DCR file you have isn't related to a Kodak image, it could instead be a Shockwave media file. If you still have access to either of the discontinued Adobe products (Adobe Director or Adobe Shockwave Player), that's another way to open it. iSwiff for macOS may work, too.

Here are some suggestions if you're trying to open one of the other formats mentioned above:

• AstroVIEW X Data Log: Try a text file editor, like Notepad in Windows, or one of the programs in our Best Free Text Editors list.
• Delphi Component Binary Resource: Opens with Delphi.
• Digital Court Recorder Video: Playing and recording software available from BIS Digital.
• Liberty Video Recording: Playing and recording software available from Liberty Recording Solutions.
  

How to Convert a DCR File

Since not all DCR files are created from the same program, it's best to convert one using the specific software that created it.

For example, a Kodak image can be opened in Photoshop or with a free image converter, and then saved to a format like JPG or PNG.

Liberty Recording Solutions DCR files can be converted to WAV or WMA using Liberty Court Recorder. You can also export the file to PDF with an embedded WMV file. The resulting WAV or WMA file can then be converted to MP3 or some other audio format using a free audio converter.

If your file is a video or it's in a different format, try using the program that created it to export the data to a new format that's more popular, like MP4 or SWF.

Still Can't Open the File?

If your file doesn't open at this point, and you've tried all the suggestions above, double-check that the file extension reads ".dcr" and not something that just looks similar. It's actually really easy to confuse another file extension for DCR, since several others have a similar spelling.

For example, DRC shares all the same letters but is used for DRM Rights Object files. You can probably open one with a text editor, but not the other programs mentioned above.

DC is another that's reserved for DesignCAD design files. You can't open a DCR file with a DC opener, nor can you use a DCR-compatible program to open DC files.

Several other examples could be given here, but you get the idea. If you have a different file extension than DCR at the end of the filename, then it's likely in a completely different format, and you'll need a different program on your computer to open/convert it.