RGB File

What are RGB files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a RGB file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your RGB files.

What is a RGB file?

RGB files have multiple uses, and ColorViewSquash Bitmap is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

ColorViewSquash Bitmap

We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

How to open RGB files

Important: Different programs may use files with the RGB file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your RGB file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested ten different RGB openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: August 13, 2026

All known file formats using extension .RGB

While ColorViewSquash Bitmap is a popular type of RGB-file, we know of 3 different uses of the .RGB file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

Intergraph Raster Bitmap (Adaptive RLE RGB)

This format is a variant of the INGR, Intergraph Raster image format used for storing 24-bit (RGB) color images with adaptive run-length encoding compression. It stores each pixel's red, green, and blue channels with full 8-bit precision, applying compression that reduces file size by collapsing repeated color sequences ("runs") adaptively without losing color detail.

Files are typically produced by Intergraph or Intergraph-based software when image data needs efficient storage - for example scanned color maps or technical raster images - and later used in programs or systems that render or convert raster graphics. Because the RGB channels are fully defined, colors are preserved, and the image can be decompressed into displayable or editable form without loss of fidelity in color or channel depth.

Technically this sub-format corresponds to INGR's DataTypeCode 27 ("Adaptive RLE RGB"), meaning it encodes 24-bit RGB data with adaptive run-length compression. In the file header a two-byte little-endian field at offset 4 stores the value 27, identifying this format variant. File headers are in 512-byte header blocks (often two blocks for earlier versions), and specific byte signatures include bytes 0x0809FE at offset 0, 0x1B00 at offset 4, a 0x00 at offset 7, and 0x000000 at offset 508.

RGB opener for Windows

We have identified one RGB opener that is compatible with this specific type of RGB file.

Silicon Graphics RGB Bitmap

Silicon Graphics RGB bitmap is a binary raster image format created by Silicon Graphics for storing full-color or grayscale pictures. Files with this extension typically come from graphics workstations and software that deal with high-quality imaging. The main use is to preserve exact pixel data in red, green, blue (and optionally alpha) channels for tasks like 3D textures, scientific visualization, image editing or digital compositing where lossless fidelity is needed.

These files are generated by graphics tools or systems that implement the SGI Image File Format. Once created, an RGB bitmap may be viewed, converted or processed by image-editing programs and library routines that support SGI formats. The content remains uncompressed or uses a simple run-length encoding (RLE) so the image data is preserved accurately without lossy compression.

On a technical level, the file starts with a 512-byte header that includes a magic number 0x01DA, fields indicating whether the data is stored uncompressed or using RLE, the number of bytes per channel (usually 1 or 2), and the image's dimensions (width, height, channel count). Pixel data follow in big-endian order, stored per channel in scanlines, either raw or after scanline-based RLE compression.

Programs that open these RGB files

We have identified one RGB opener that is compatible with this specific type of RGB file.

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of RGB files. Remember, different programs may use RGB files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

Help us help others

File.org helps thousands of users every day, and we would love to hear from you if you have additional information about RGB file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.