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CIN File - What is a .cin file and how do I open it?
Learn about .CIN files and view a list of programs that open them.
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Overview
What is a CIN file? A CIN file is a bitmap image saved in the Cineon (CIN) format, which Kodak developed to transfer film images to a digital format for electronic compositing, manipulation, and enhancement. It stores a single frame from a motion picture or video data stream and supports 10-bit color depth per RGB channel. Kodak's Cineon System system may create CIN files, along with other third-party applications, such as Adobe Photoshop or XnViewMP.
More Information CIN file open in Adobe Photoshop 2023 Kodak released its Cineon System in 1992, with Hollywood studios primarily using it to restore old films and convert them to digital format. Film artists used the Cineon system to scan film, saving each frame as a CIN file. They then modified the frames digitally with software included with Cineon System and output them back to film via the Cineon System recorder with no loss of image quality. While the Cineon System is no longer in use (discontinued in the late 1990s as Kodak introduced the .DPX format), the format has persisted. Therefore, you may still encounter CIN files if you are a visual effects artist.
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.CIN File Extension
3 file types use the .cin file extension.
Kodak Cineon Bitmap Image
| Developer | Kodak |
| Popularity |
3.2 | 19 Votes |
NEW: Open your .CIN file online with File Helper . View Online
What is a CIN file?
A CIN file is a bitmap image saved in the Cineon (CIN) format, which Kodak developed to transfer film images to a digital format for electronic compositing, manipulation, and enhancement. It stores a single frame from a motion picture or video data stream and supports 10-bit color depth per RGB channel. Kodak's Cineon System system may create CIN files, along with other third-party applications, such as Adobe Photoshop or XnViewMP.
More Information
CIN file open in Adobe Photoshop 2023
Kodak released its Cineon System in 1992, with Hollywood studios primarily using it to restore old films and convert them to digital format. Film artists used the Cineon system to scan film, saving each frame as a CIN file. They then modified the frames digitally with software included with Cineon System and output them back to film via the Cineon System recorder with no loss of image quality.
While the Cineon System is no longer in use (discontinued in the late 1990s as Kodak introduced the .DPX format), the format has persisted. Therefore, you may still encounter CIN files if you are a visual effects artist.
How to open a CIN file
You can open CIN files with several visual effects and image-editing applications. Some options include Adobe Photoshop (multiplatform), Adobe After Effects (multiplatform), and XnViewMP (multiplatform).
How to convert a CIN file
Various image editors, including Adobe Photoshop and XnViewMP, can convert CIN files to other image formats.
For example, Photoshop can convert CIN files to many file types, including the following formats:
Programs that open CIN files
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Windows
File Viewer Plus
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Adobe Photoshop 2025
Free Trial
Adobe After Effects 2025
Free Trial
XnViewMP
Free
Mac
Adobe Photoshop 2025
Free Trial
Adobe After Effects 2025
Free Trial
XnViewMP
Free
Web
FileHelper.com
Free
Category: Raster Image Files
Updated: April 14, 2023
Delphine Software CIN Video
| Developer | Delphine Software International |
| Popularity |
3.5 | 2 Votes |
A CIN file may also be a video used in the MS-DOS version of the video game Fade to Black. It contains a scene played within the game. CIN files are quite uncommon, so most popular media players cannot play them.
More Information
Fade to Black was a third-person shooter and puzzle-solving game produced by Delphine Software International, a French video game developer. It was a sequel to Flashback: The Quest for Identity, and it starred that game's protagonist, Conrad B. Hart. In Fade to Black, Conrad must reclaim Earth from the alien Morphs.
Fade to Black was released for MS-DOS, PlayStation, and Dreamcast, but only the MS-DOS version used CIN videos.
How to open a CIN file
Because CIN files are so uncommon, most popular media players cannot play them. You can play CIN files in VLC media player , but you will likely encounter playback issues. You can also convert CIN files to a more usable video format using FFmpeg .
Programs that open CIN files
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VideoLAN VLC media player
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FFmpeg
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VideoLAN VLC media player
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FFmpeg
Free
Linux
VideoLAN VLC media player
Free
FFmpeg
Free
Category: Game Files
Updated: September 3, 2020
Champions' Interlace Bitmap
| Developer | N/A |
| Popularity |
1.0 | 1 Vote |
A CIN file may also be a bitmap image created by Champions' Interlace, a graphics program for Atari computers. It contains an up to 160 x 200 pixel image. Most CIN images are 160 x 192 pixels.
More Information
CIN file open in Piotr Fusik RECOIL
Bitmap graphics are digital images comprised of a matrix of dots known as pixels. Champions' Interlace allows users to create small bitmap graphics.
Typically, Chamipions' Interlace saves the graphics users create as CIN files. Champions Interlace can also save images as compressed .CCI (Compressed Champions' Interlace Bitmap) files.
How to open a CIN file
You can open a CIN file with Piotr Fusik RECOIL (multiplatform) or Tom's Editor (Web) to view the image it contains.
How to convert a CIN file
You can use RECOIL or Tom's Editor to convert CIN files to more common image formats. For example, Tom's Editor can convert CIN files to the following formats:
Programs that open CIN files
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Piotr Fusik RECOIL
Free
Mac
Piotr Fusik RECOIL
Free
Linux
Piotr Fusik RECOIL
Free
Web
Piotr Fusik RECOIL
Free
Tom's Editor
Free
Android
Piotr Fusik RECOIL
Free
Category: Raster Image Files
Updated: October 31, 2022