DDS File

Category: Raster Image Files

What is a DDS file?

DDS file extension is a part of the raster family of image and such files are saved in the DirectDraw Surface container format. It was first introduced in Microsoft DirectX 7.0 and stored textures and environments initially. The introduction of subsequent events saw a lot of improvements, such as arrays of textures, texture formats, and much more.
Users can use DDS files to store wallpapers, and it is often useful in texturing the video game unit models. Like PNG, you can save photos in a compressed or uncompressed form with the given file extension. Microsoft has been using it to store a lot of information, such as cubemaps, mipmap levels and more. It helps in real-time rendering and saves a lot of data for the users. DDS is prevalent mostly in computer games.

How to Open DDS Files

File Viewer Plus

Windows Texture Viewer

XnView MP

dotPDN paint.net

IrfanView with IrfanView Formats plugin

Adobe Photoshop with NVIDIA DDS plugin

GIMP with DDS plugin

XnView MP

XnView MP

How to Make DDS Files

Exact steps for creating DDS files will vary by program and operating system. Download one of the above listed programs and you should be able to follow typical procedure for opening files or creating files from the File menu. Typically you will select File > Open or File > New and continue through the prompts. Some programs may follow a different procedure for either creation or opening of files.