Camera RAW
What is a KDC file?
Updated Jul 2026
KDC is a RAW image format used by certain Kodak digital cameras. It stores the unprocessed sensor data straight off the camera, so the photo keeps full detail and every editing option is preserved. The tradeoff: KDC is not read by most photo apps or websites, so it usually needs converting before you can view or share it.
- Extension
- .kdc
- Type
- Camera RAW
- Typically
- Kodak cameras
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
Why KDC exists
Kodak used KDC as its own RAW format on a number of its digital cameras in the 2000s, from EasyShare point-and-shoots to professional DCS models. It served the same purpose as Canon's CR2 or Nikon's NEF, just built around Kodak's own sensors and processing.
A RAW file like KDC records the brightness and color values captured by the sensor before the camera applies any of its own processing, like sharpening, white balance, or compression into a finished picture. That preserves more information than a JPG, but it also means the file is large and carries the full EXIF metadata the camera attached, including exposure settings and sometimes the date and location the photo was taken.
Kodak stopped making cameras years ago, and few current photo programs read KDC natively. Most people run into it while going through an old archive of family or professional photos and finding the files simply won't open.
The trade-offs
Strengths
- Keeps the full detail the camera's sensor captured, without processing throwing anything away
- Leaves room to adjust exposure, white balance, and color after the fact
- Retains the camera's original EXIF data alongside the image
Watch-outs
- Rarely opens directly in modern photo apps, phones, or web browsers
- Much larger file size than a JPG of the same photo
- Support keeps shrinking since Kodak's camera lineup is discontinued
A note on privacy
Like most RAW formats, a KDC file bundles EXIF metadata, camera model, exposure settings, and sometimes GPS coordinates and timestamps, right alongside the image data. Uploading it to a browser-based converter sends all of that to someone else's server. Converting it on your own computer keeps the photo and everything attached to it on your own machine.
Questions
How do I open a KDC file?
Most modern photo viewers won't open it directly, since KDC is a Kodak-specific RAW format. You'll usually need to convert it to a JPG or TIFF first, or use software that specifically supports Kodak RAW files.
Is KDC better than JPG?
For quality and editing flexibility, yes, it holds more of what the sensor captured. For actually opening and sharing the photo, no, JPG works almost everywhere and KDC doesn't.
Why does my camera save photos as KDC?
Older Kodak digital cameras used KDC as their RAW shooting mode, capturing unprocessed sensor data instead of compressing it into a JPG in-camera. That gave photographers more to work with later, at the cost of compatibility.
Can I convert KDC without uploading it?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet converts KDC on your own computer, so the image and its EXIF metadata never leave your machine.
Morphjet opens and converts KDC and 1,800+ other formats, all on your own computer. Launching this July.